UNSC adopts Pakistan-sponsored resolution on peaceful settlement of disputes

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted Pakistan-sponsored resolution urging member-states to take effective measures for the implementation of the Council’s resolutions for peaceful settlement of disputes —notably those involving Kashmir and Palestine.

The resolution was adopted during a meeting held under the agenda item “Maintenance of International Peace and Security.”

The session focused on the growing threat posed by protracted and unresolved conflicts, which continue to undermine global peace and stability. It was one of two signature events initiated by Pakistan during its presidency of the 15-member body.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, who traveled to New York to preside over the high-level session, presented the resolution for a vote and struck the gavel to confirm its adoption — a moment seen as a testament to Pakistan’s leadership and diplomatic efforts on the international stage.

Tuesday’s meeting was convened to debate “Promoting International Peace and Security through Multilateralism and the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes”.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who opened the debate, commended DPM/FM Dar for convening the debate and for utilizing the Council’s presidency to put forward a resolution urging all Member States to make full use of the tools in collective pursuit of global peace, saying “This is needed now more than ever.”

Analysts say no crisis illustrates the gap between words and action better than the Council’s resolution of April 21, 1948, which called for a plebiscite, to be held under the UN auspices, to allow the people in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir to determine their own future.

Under the terms of the resolution, the Security Council urged all member-states to utilize effectively the mechanisms for pacific settlement of disputes as outlined in Article 33 of the United Nations Charter. These include negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice.

“Around the world,” the UN Secretary-General said in his remarks, “we see an utter disregard for — if not outright violations of — international law — including international human rights law, international refugee law, international humanitarian law, and the UN Charter itself, without any accountability.

“These failures to uphold international obligations are coming at a time of widening geopolitical divides and conflicts,” with staggering costs — measured in human lives, shattered communities, and lost futures, Guterres said.

“We need look no further than the horror show in Gaza — with a level of death and destruction without parallel in recent times.”