Security Council High-level Open Debate on ‘Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance’
Delivered by H.E. Rein Tammsaar, Permanent Representative of Estonia to the UN
20 February 2025, New York
President,
Estonia aligns itself with the statement by the European Union to be delivered later this afternoon. Let me add a few lines in my national capacity.
We welcome today’s important and timely debate. We also thank Secretary General for his briefing. Estonia fully supports the multilateral system, based on international law, with the UN and its Charter at its core. We also recognise that the multilateral system that has served us for nearly 80 years is increasingly challenged. And yet, an absolute majority of the UN member states are against attempts to reincarnate the neo-colonial and neo-imperial concept of spheres of influence supported by might is right modus operandi in the global affairs. Human rights are an indispensable part of international law based multilateral system with the UN and its charter at its core. Estonia, as a rule of law country itself, strictly follows the principle of universality and indivisibility of human rights and stands for these principles as a candidate for the UN Human Rights Council for 2026-2028.
To reinforce the multilateral system we need a strengthened legal order and revitalised UN. The Pact for the Future, that our leaders adopted in September, is a good start for striving towards the United Nations 2.0., but the true test now lies in our dedication to implement its provisions.
We also need to reform the UN Security Council as it is too often failing to act due to geopolitical ambitions of the key players and massive misuse of veto power. We have to improve the Security Council working methods; implement all the initiatives to limit the misuse of the veto, including the French-Mexican initiative and ACT Code of Conduct and take the “Veto Initiative” a step further. We have to assure full and consistent implementation of all provisions of the Charter, notably the Article 27(3) of the UN Charter, which stipulates that “a party to a dispute shall abstain from voting” in the Security Council. We should also strengthen the role of the General Assembly on matters of peace and security. The problem is not the lack of initiatives on our side. The real problem is the absence of the collective political will to push the reform of the UN forward and to resolutely defend the core values of the United Nations Charter. If we want to revert the decline of the political relevance of the UN, we should change this trend as soon as possible.
President,
Today I cannot but recall that in 2014 Russia illegally occupied Crimea and three years ago, Kremlin launched its full-scale aggression against Ukraine, gravely violating the principles of the UN Charter. The global community, including the UN General Assembly, has unequivocally condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. 3 years on, Russia is still the aggressor and Ukraine is still the victim of the aggression. Russia´s goals have not changed: they want to finish off Ukrainian nation and to erase sovereign Ukraine from the map. That´s why we remain steadfast in our support to Ukraine’s right for self-defence, according to Art 51 of the Charter. Our experience tells us that attempts to appease the dictator and to neglect the accountability for the crime of aggression and war crimes only leads to new crimes and bloodshed. If we will not be able to achieve just and lasting peace in Ukraine the global consequences for all of us will be ten times worse.
We reiterate our unwavering support to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters. By supporting just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and I do want to underline the importance of the “just” peace, we support the UN Charter and the international law. With this in mind, I would encourage all of you to support the upcoming UN GA resolution: “Advancing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine” to be adopted on the third anniversary of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, on 24 February.
President,
To conclude, Estonia is fully committed to do our share when it comes to strengthening multilateralism as well as when it comes to the UN reform so that this organization corresponds to the realities of the XXI century and can effectively tackle today´s numerous threats and challenges.
Thank you.