UN secretary-general urges Security Council to recommit to diplomacy, warns of humanitarian collapse in Gaza

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking in an open Security Council debate convened by Pakistan, urged members to recommit to the peaceful settlement of disputes and renewed multilateral cooperation and warned that humanitarian operations in Gaza are facing collapse.

Guterres told the council that “the topic of today's debate shines a light on the clear connection between international peace and multilateralism,” and invoked the UN Charter and established mechanisms for preventive diplomacy. He warned that “these failures to uphold international obligations are coming at a time of a widening geopolitical divides and conflicts” and stressed that “peace is a choice.”

Guterres said Article 2.3 of the UN Charter requires that “All members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered,” and he cited Chapter VI as setting out responsibilities for peaceful settlement by negotiation, mediation and other measures. He also referenced Action 16 of the Pact for the Future, calling on states to recommit to preventive diplomacy and tools for peaceful dispute resolution.

The secretary-general described a severe humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying that “malnourishment is soaring, starvation is knocking on every door,” and warned that “we are seeing the last gasp of a humanitarian system built on humanitarian principles. This system is being denied the conditions to function, denied the space to deliver, denied the safety to save lives.” He said Israeli military operations were intensifying and that new displacement orders in Dar al-Balah compounded devastation.

Guterres reported that UN premises had been struck, naming facilities of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), including WHO’s main warehouse, and said the sites had been previously notified to all parties. “These premises are inviolable and must be protected under international humanitarian law without exception,” he said.

On the Security Council’s role, Guterres urged members — and in particular the council’s permanent members — to overcome divisions and keep channels open so the council can act effectively. He pointed to recent moments of cooperation, including the Black Sea initiative and a memorandum of understanding with the Russian Federation, and he cited the Pact for the Future as a global recommitment to preventive diplomacy, mediation and strengthening collective security.

He also urged cooperation with regional and subregional partners, pointing to what he described as the “landmark adoption of Security Council resolution 27 19, supporting African Union-led peace support operations through assessed contributions,” as an example of joint efforts with regional organizations.

Guterres closed by calling on member states to honor obligations under international law — including the UN Charter, international human rights law and international humanitarian law — and by noting the contribution of the International Court of Justice as it approaches its eightieth anniversary. He said, “as we mark the eightieth anniversary of our organization and of the charter that gave it life and shape, we must renew our commitment to the multilateral spirit of peace through diplomacy.”

While Guterres set out diplomatic and legal frameworks and urged council members to work across differences, his remarks did not record a formal Council decision or vote during the debate.

Notes: The speech was delivered in an open Security Council debate convened by Pakistan; the transcript supplied to reporters did not include a meeting date. The secretary-general referenced the UN Charter (Article 2.3 and Chapter VI), the Pact for the Future and a Security Council resolution recorded in the transcript as “27 19.”