As Secretary-General Urges Security Council Members to 'Lead by Example’, Delegates Call for Greater Use of UN Diplomatic Toolbox to Peacefully Settle Disputes

As Secretary-General Urges Security Council Members to 'Lead by Example', Delegates Call for Greater Use of UN Diplomatic Toolbox to Peacefully Settle Disputes

At today's Security Council open debate on the peaceful settlement of disputes, speakers called for greater use of the UN's diplomatic toolbox - including mediation, fact-finding and early action under Chapter VI of the world body's Charter - stressing that diplomacy is the only path forward with Council members leading by example.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that Council resolution 2788 (2025), adopted in July last year, urges Member States to fully use the peaceful dispute-settlement tools under Article 33 of the UN Charter, especially when "consensus seems out of reach".

The text, authored by Pakistan, requested the Organization's top official to provide concrete recommendations within a year to further strengthen mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes. Today's open debate, in which some 60 delegations participated, served as an opportunity to hear the UN chief's proposals and review implementation of the resolution.

Chapters VI and Chapter VII of the Charter provide the Council with distinct mechanisms for addressing threats to international peace and security. The former prescribes preventive mechanisms while the latter applies when there is a threat to peace or act of aggression, authorizing the Council to adopt binding enforcement measures, including sanctions and, if necessary, the use of military force.

Mr. Guterres said that amid growing conflicts, weakening respect for international law and immense civilian suffering in the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan, the Sahel and elsewhere, resolution 2788 (2025) underscores that civilians pay the highest price when force is prioritized over negotiation.

Secretary-General: Diplomacy Is Only Way Forward, Outlines Six Priorities

He added that the text reaffirms that "diplomacy is the only way forward" and, although it may not have prevented these conflicts, "it still holds the power to stop them".

The Secretary-General outlined six priorities: strengthening UN mediation and good offices to bridge differences; expanding the role of nimble and cost-effective regional offices and envoys; using Chapter VI tools earlier to "turn the temperature down" before conflicts escalate; increasing fact-finding to establish a "common, unvarnished understanding of the facts"; ensuring the meaningful participation of women, youth and civil society, noting that peace will remain elusive without inclusion; and urging all Member States to advance dialogue and confidence-building, stressing that "no diplomatic gesture is in vain".

Concluding his remarks, he declared: "The UN Charter remains humanity's best hope for peace". But it is only as strong as the commitment of those responsible for upholding it, he added, stressing that Council members "must lead by example".

Identify Risks Early, Create Conditions for De-Escalation

"Preventive diplomacy begins long before the first gun is fired," said Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Council President for July, speaking in her national capacity.

It requires identifying risks early, establishing facts, preserving dialogue and creating conditions for de-escalation. Yet, she warned, existing tools are often activated "too late" and lack the follow-up needed to influence events on the ground.

Citing resolution 2773 (2025) on her country's eastern provinces as a "litmus test" of the Council's credibility, she urged members to make prevention a "genuine collective reflex", stressing that the best conflict resolution is "the one that would have prevented it from breaking out in the first place".

Scaled Up Prevention Says $70 Billion Annually

Panama's delegate pointed out that "every dollar invested in prevention avoids greater human, economic and political losses when compared to the costs of peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance and post-conflict reconstruction".

"Yet," Liberia's representative said, "we continue to fund the funerals of peace while starving its cradle", citing the UN-World Bank estimate that scaled-up prevention saves up to $70 billion a year, yielding $16 in savings per every dollar invested. "We cannot keep congratulating ourselves for extinguishing fires that we failed to prevent."

He then proposed measures to strengthen conflict prevention: turn early warning into early action through practical partnerships between the Council and regional organizations, including the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and integrate natural-resource governance into UN mediation by adding specialists to Special Envoys' teams to negotiate resource-sharing arrangements.

Pakistan's representative called on the Council to act "at the earliest signs of friction", strengthen fact-finding under Article 34 and establish structured follow-up when resolutions remain unimplemented, urging for resolution 2788 (2025) to become "a living framework" for prevention, mediation and peaceful settlement.

"The world should not regress to the law of the jungle, where might is right," said his counterpart from China, urging Council members to bridge differences, seek consensus and avoid advancing divisive proposals whenever possible.

Delegates Highlight National Experiences, Mediation Efforts

Several members shared their national experiences while others highlighted their mediation roles. "Colombia has witnessed how dialogue, political negotiation and perseverance can turn seemingly intractable conflict into a path to reconciliation," said that country's representative. She stressed that peace is built through listening, mediation and addressing the root causes of violence, adding that the UN Verification Mission in Colombia stands as a "living testimony" to how Council tools can effectively support peace on the ground.

The representative of Türkiye, which co-chairs the Group of Friends of Mediation alongside Finland, said that his country's experience has shown that timely, inclusive and pragmatic mediation delivers results. He spotlighted both the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the Ankara Process involving Ethiopia and Somalia as examples of "results-oriented diplomacy".

Focus on Ongoing Conflicts

Discussions also centred around ongoing conflicts. Bahrain's delegate condemned Iran's continued attacks against the member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Jordan, in addition to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Recalling that some States targeted by Iran have previously played a positive role in mediating between Iran and the international community, he warned: "Nevertheless, this did not deter Iran from targeting those States."

The representative of the United States urged Iran to return to diplomacy, comply with Council resolutions and halt support to the Houthis. "The United States will act to help restore conditions in the Strait of Hormuz," she said. "Defending the UN Charter and returning back to basics is the clear and definitive road leading to peace, security and prosperity," she concluded.

Iran's representative said Pakistan's mediation produced a 17 June memorandum with the United States. While Iran had "acted in good faith", he said Washington, D.C., had "systematically breached its obligations" through military attacks and a maritime blockade. He added that the United States President "continues to show no respect for international law" and has threatened Iran's vital infrastructure. Such conduct could undermine mediation and reduce the UN Charter to "a mere piece of paper", he warned, urging Council action.

Cuba's representative condemned the "selective application of international law" and growing reliance on military force, which he said undermines the Security Council. He said United States policy towards Cuba "contradicts any kind of good-neighbourliness and peaceful relations between States", accusing Washington, D.C., of waging an increasingly aggressive multidimensional war and seeking to push Cuba "out of the global economy".

Role of International Court of Justice, Regional and Subregional Organizations

Ukraine's representative said that Kyiv's diplomatic efforts to end the Russian Federation's aggression failed not because diplomacy was insufficient, "but because Russia deliberately chose war and death over dialogue". He cited International Court of Justice orders concerning Crimea and the Kremlin's military operations and urged systematic use of investigation, mediation and judicial mechanisms, without requiring States to compromise sovereignty or territorial integrity. "It will only be possible to prevent future wars if those responsible for aggression and violations are brought to justice," he emphasized.

France's speaker added that the Court remains a cornerstone of the international legal order, "governed by right and not by might".

His counterpart from the Russian Federation cited "attempts to use the Court to geopolitical ends - including via mass third-party interventions in support of one of the parties to a given dispute", underscoring that "Ukraine's attempts to misuse judicial procedure at the Court are, time and again, being met with failure" and that Kyiv is now the respondent in a case regarding "Ukraine's genocide against Russians and the Russian-speaking population". She also said that "defending the Court against abuses and manipulation should be front of mind for the entire international community".

Some speakers emphasized the role of regional and subregional organizations in maintaining global peace and security under Chapter VIII.

Indonesia's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs said that local entities are "where prevention can actually happen" as they are often "the first to detect tensions". The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has instruments that cultivate trust, encourage dialogue, and renounce the use of force, including the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. Chapter VIII consultation must be "early and routine, not ceremonial". The Council should engage with regional partners "not after a ceasefire is signed".

Somalia's delegate observed that durable peace in Africa requires confronting "deep-seated grievances and structural injustices" linked to colonialism, urging UN-African Union cooperation in that regard.

"History shows that peace agreements are 35 per cent more likely to last at least 15 years when women are meaningfully part of those processes," said the representative of the United Kingdom. Denmark's delegate concurred that prevention requires investments in civil society and youth initiatives, and women's full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation.

Invoking former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld's vision of preventive diplomacy, the representative of Greece said: "The true spirit of the United Nations lies not in reacting to crises, but in preventing them before they take hold."

On that, Latvia's delegate said the selection of the next Secretary-General is a chance to align UN reform with a renewed vision for the Organization. Calling for a leader committed to the UN's founding principles, she stressed the need for the "strongest possible authority and mandate" from Member States. Such political capital would enable the Secretary-General to "create opportunities for peace" rather than "simply respond to crises".