Elizabeth Spehar, Under-Secretary-General for Peacebuilding, spoke at a meeting on the UN’s cooperation with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in maintaining international peace and security.
Their members come from Europe and Asia and include China, Russia, several former Soviet states, India, Pakistan and Iran.
Partnership for Peace
Ms Spehar noted that the founders of the UN recognised the need for collective efforts to ensure peace in an increasingly complex world, which requires partnership at all levels.
“Now, more than ever, a more effective United Nations depends on stronger and deeper cooperation “With regional and sub-regional organizations,” she said.
“Today, the stakes for international peace and security could not be higher. Tensions and competition between states challenge the principles enshrined in the UN Charterresulting in lost trust, new conflicts and the risks of escalation and spillover that affect all regions, including Eurasia,” she said. “This also affects our ability to respond effectively to global challenges.”
Security and climate threats
Ms Spehar said the meeting came at a time when the Eurasian region is facing rising tensions and emerging threats that require joint action.
These challenges range from security – preventing violent extremism, combating human trafficking and unresolved border issues, for example – to the impacts of climate change, such as accelerated glacier melting and water scarcity.
She emphasized the work of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia which actively cooperates with the three organizations, including with a view to implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
Attention is also paid to the way in which developments in Afghanistan affect stability in the region.
“As regards Ukraine, as the Secretary-General has noted on several occasions, it is time for a just peace based on the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions“, she said. “The United Nations stands ready to support all meaningful efforts and initiatives towards this end.”
The leaders of the three organizations also gave a speech in the Council.
Central role for the UN
SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming pointed to the current “complex and profound changes” affecting international relations, with new threats and challenges constantly emerging.
“As a result, global peace and development are confronted with a variety of uncertainties and destabilizing factors. Under these circumstances, no country or regional organization can remain immune,” he said.
“We need and must promote international cooperation, with the UN playing a central coordinating role in jointly responding to the threats and challenges and jointly maintaining security, stability, development and prosperity at the regional and international levels.”
New models of collaboration
The CSTO believes that countries cannot address today’s growing threats and challenges alone, Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov said in his speech.
He noted that the functions of regional organizations have expanded over the UN’s existence and that they are “closer to the source of problems,” spotting conflicts as they arise and taking preventive measures based on available resources.
“By strengthening regional stability based on the national interests of member states, regional organisations can create an alternative to the ineffective and outdated models of cooperation and create new and more effective mechanisms to ensure cooperation,” he said.
“Therefore, they contribute to expanding the possibilities for free and successful internal development of states by implementing mutually beneficial and equal international cooperation in the emerging multipolar world.”
Towards greater cooperation
Cooperation with UN bodies “has always been and will remain a priority area of international activity” for the CIS, Secretary-General Sergei Lebedev said.
The various meetings and events between the two organizations “clearly indicate that there are still prospects for expanding our cooperation,” he added.
Mr Lebedev expressed his readiness to intensify cooperation, including to strengthen international security and in the humanitarian and economic fields, “always guided by the Charter of the United Nations and the generally accepted principles, norms and principles of international law.”
