United Nations (TDI): In a rare display of unity, the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution, drafted by Pakistan, urging all member nations to resolve their disputes through peaceful means.
The decision came as Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a sobering address, warning of growing global instability and citing what he called “the horror show in Gaza.”
The 15-member council voted unanimously in favor of the resolution, which calls on countries to use diplomacy, mediation, arbitration, and legal avenues, all options already laid out in the UN Charter, to avoid violence.
Guterres, in his remarks, painted a grim picture of the current international climate. “Around the world, international law is being ignored or deliberately violated,” he said. He highlighted conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti, and Myanmar, but reserved his strongest words for Gaza.
“There, starvation is becoming widespread,” he said, accusing Israel of limiting humanitarian access and making UN aid delivery nearly impossible. “We are being denied the conditions to save lives.”
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Israel has rejected these accusations, insisting it is not targeting civilians or aid workers. The Israeli government blames aid agencies for delays in distributing supplies it says have been cleared for entry.
Guterres stressed that despite many failures, diplomacy remains the only viable path forward. “It doesn’t always succeed, but it still offers the best chance to stop suffering and violence,” he said.
Presiding over the session, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the need for peaceful conflict resolution had never been more urgent. He pointed to Gaza and also raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, a dispute between Pakistan and India that has remained unresolved for over seven decades.
Dar argued that what’s lacking isn’t laws or mechanisms, but political will. “What we are facing today is a breakdown of trust in multilateralism. The failure isn’t in the principles, but in their application,” he said. “We need fairness, equal treatment of all conflicts, based not on politics, but on international law.”
The resolution, though symbolic, signals renewed support for diplomacy at a time when major global powers are often divided on how to address armed conflicts.
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US Acting Ambassador Dorothy Shea voiced support for the resolution and emphasized Washington’s commitment to the founding principles of the UN, to prevent war and seek peaceful settlements. She highlighted recent US diplomatic efforts, including de-escalation between Iran and Israel, India and Pakistan, and efforts to ease tensions in Africa’s Great Lakes region.
Other speakers echoed the importance of diplomacy and multilateral cooperation. Pakistan’s resolution, while non-binding, serves as a renewed call for the world to lean on dialogue and international norms, even as those very norms face severe tests from ongoing conflicts.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
