22 March 2024; MEMO: UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, yesterday called on the international community to adhere to the same principles without double standards, whether in Ukraine or Gaza, Anadolu agency reported.
Guterres deplored the “chaotic” situation in the world, “a situation of impunity, in which any country or armed group believes it can do whatever it wants because there is no accountability,” he told reporters at the doorsteps of the EU Council meeting in Brussels.
He stressed the importance of adhering to “the United Nations Charter, international law, territorial integrity of countries and international humanitarian law.”
Guterres also expressed regret for the “number of civilian casualties in Gaza that is unprecedented” during his tenure as secretary-general, and recalled that “a basic principle of international humanitarian law is the protection of civilians.”
“We must stick to principles in Ukraine, as in Gaza, without double standards, and at the same time we must push the world to move progressively into some orderly form of multipolarity with strong multilateral institutions,” the UN chief emphasised.
Meanwhile, EU Council President Charles Michel vowed that the bloc will work towards making sure that it can play “a positive role” to support a world based on principles and rules.
Cooperation between the EU and the UN is “central” to this, Michel added.
