A former UN secretary general has called for an overhaul of the United Nations to better confront global challenges as “some powerful nations” seek to undermine the institution.
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“The illegal Russian war against Ukraine and the horrific war in Gaza represent one of the most dangerous moments for global security, and challenges to multilateralism, in decades,” Ban told the Fullerton Forum hosted by the University of Hong Kong’s Centre on Contemporary China and the World (CCCW).
Ban said that various global crises, including these conflicts, pandemics and climate change, “have shown how we are all interconnected”.
“They also make it clear that we need multilateral responses,” he added, according to the speech published by the CCCW.
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In his speech, Ban thanked China for its role in implementing the Paris Climate Agreement and for its efforts to combat climate change.
Ban, who is now deputy chair of The Elders, a human rights group composed of international statesmen founded by late South African president Nelson Mandela, took direct aim at US President Donald Trump, saying the shift towards unilateralism had been “bolstered by the advent of Trumpism” in the United States.
