Reflecting on the global enthusiasm with which the Summer Olympics and Paralympics had been received, Mr Macron regretted that, despite all that joy, the Olympic Truce seemed “a dead letter”.
“Every day humanity seems to be further disintegrating,” he said, lamenting the international community’s inability to come together and find common solutions.
To restore the power and hope that are invested in the words “United Nations,” he called for the restoration of trust among nations and a serious effort to see civil defense as a compelling norm. “It must remain a North Star.”
“Let us not allow the idea to take root for even a moment” that the suffering of some deserves more attention than the suffering of others, whether in Ukraine, Gaza or Sudan. “We must pay equal attention to all those who suffer,” President Macron said.
Unfortunately, current conflicts call into question the ability of the international community to enforce human rights. UN Charter“When I see that some people want to propose peace by asking for capitulation, I am surprised that we can even support such an idea,” he said.
Mr Macron said Russia was waging a war of territorial conquest in Ukraine, ignoring the most fundamental principles of international law. “(Russia) is guilty of serious violations of the law, ethics and honour,” he claimed.
Ukraine’s fate is linked to peace and security in Europe and in the world, “because who could feel protected from its strongest, most violent and most greedy neighbors if we let Russia triumph as if nothing had happened?”
He was keen to help Ukraine achieve a just and lasting peace and said France would continue to provide the country with essential defence equipment and support its remarkable resistance.
Regarding the Middle East, he acknowledged that Israel had a legitimate right to protect its people and deny Hamas the means to attack it again. But the war in Gaza “has gone on for too long (and) too many innocent people have died.”
He stressed that a ceasefire must be declared as soon as possible, the hostages must be released and massive humanitarian aid must be delivered to Gaza.
While the international community must show the political will to achieve a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the immediate risk is that of regional escalation, Macron said.
“We urge Israel to stop the escalation in Lebanon, and Hezbollah to stop launching rockets towards Israel. We urge anyone who provides (Hezbollah) with the means to do this to stop,” he said.
“There must be no war in Lebanon, there cannot be any war,” he stressed.
Finally, Mr Macron said he was in favour of expanding the composition of the Security Council. As he saw it, Germany, Japan, India and Brazil should be permanent members, as well as two countries that Africa would designate to represent it. New elected members should also be admitted.
But this reform alone would not be enough to restore the Council’s effectiveness, he warned. He called for a change in the body’s working methods, a reduction in the veto power in cases of mass crimes and greater focus on operational decisions needed to maintain peace.
“It is time to restore efficiency so that we can perform better on the ground,” he concluded.