Defend Charter of United Nations, Renew Multilateralism, Deputy Secretary-General Urges in Remarks to Danish Parliament

Following are Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed's remarks to the Danish Parliament, in Copenhagen today:

Thank you so much for welcoming me back to Copenhagen. Every time I come, I am reminded of what Denmark stands for: Steadfast commitment to international cooperation and solidarity with humanity. Since the founding of the United Nations, the Danish Government and people have exemplified what it means to stand up for the values and the principles of the Charter. In every corner of the globe, Danish professionals bring expertise and integrity to the work of the UN. To the world, Denmark is a humanitarian powerhouse. And a driving force behind the Secretary-General's Call to Action on Human Rights.

As a member of the Security Council, you have been relentless in advancing critical agendas - on women, peace and security, on climate - and unequivocal in calling for women to exercise real power, not merely fill the seats. And I commend the Prime Minister for her leadership on this path.

Our divided and unequal world desperately needs to summon the kind of courage that Denmark has shown on the global stage. That's why it is fitting for this conversation to happen here, in Folketing, the people's house. Because the Charter of the United Nations begins with three words: "We the peoples." Not "we the Governments." Not "we the powerful." "We the peoples."

Our world today is caught in a turbulent tailspin. To break out of it, we would need to make use of the proven instruments of solidarity, of human rights, a rules-based order centred in multilateralism. Sadly, today, our founding Member States undermine the very institution they established in 1945 for peace, human rights and development. Regressing to a time when power, not principle, ruled the day. The disastrous results were evident. The legacy of that era lies at the heart of the unmet vision of the Charter, seen in the crises we are still grappling with today.

We are seeing threats to sovereignty and territorial integrity, including some that are closer to home, threats that strike at the heart of the Charter's fundamental obligations. We must not stand by and be mere spectators at the chipping away of multilateralism, veto by veto, until one day we look up and we realize the scaffolding that protected our peace and prosperity has collapsed.

Make no mistake, we stand to undermine the Charter, and by extension the United Nations, a space that allows us all to come together for humanity, all with equal voice, but I often say not equal muscle. But we do give visibility and hope for the hopeless. We must protect the Charter. It is our moral compass; it points to our North Star: The inherent worth and dignity of every human being on a safe planet.

To keep this compass, to reclaim this space, we must have the courage of our convictions, I believe on three fronts.

First, we must fight to secure and invest in peace. The Security Council and the General Assembly have continued to affirm this through resolutions on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and through decades of resolutions supporting a two-State solution for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side. The General Assembly has interrogated the veto, making clear the will of the masses and the majority of nations. These are the Charter's values that have been brought to life, but the very foundation those resolutions rest on is being attacked.

On the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Kenyan Ambassador to the UN, Martin Kimani, spoke at the Security Council, and he spoke of, I quote, "nations that looked ever backward into history with a dangerous nostalgia". Dangerous nostalgia is what's threatening international cooperation now that the rule of law can be interpreted by the whims and caprices of a strong arm. The belief that empires can be rebuilt, and that might makes right.

And as the Secretary-General reminds us recently, the Charter is not an à la carte menu. All countries have an obligation to uphold it. To respect international law. To safeguard peace. And to uphold human rights. And ensure the dignity of all peoples.

Today, the Member States with the greatest courage of their convictions are often not those that are leading with military might. They are South Africa stepping up for Palestine. Or the Gambia taking a stand for the people of Myanmar. In fact, it's the courage and the audacity of smaller countries that are holding the line on the Charter. They understand this simple truth: That if the rules don't protect the vulnerable, they offer protection to no one. You either stand up for a rules-based order, or you pay the price of ignoring it. Yesterday, the price was Venezuela; tomorrow, it may be Greenland.

Second: We must endeavour to accelerate sustainable development, because it is the only sustainable investment in peace and human rights. Since 1990, extreme poverty has been halved and halved again. Over 130 million children survived who would not have otherwise. In a single generation maternal mortality reduced by 40 per cent. And we have seen increasing numbers of girls in school.

But geopolitical tensions are turning back that clock on these gains, threatening the promise of the 2030 Agenda. Trade wars are closing off markets that have lifted millions out of poverty. And we're watching a global rollback of the hard-won rights of women and girls. There's a direct line from political instability to development emergencies - you cannot separate the two.

Here's what we know: Without sustainable development, peace cannot and will not hold. It is no coincidence that nine out of the ten countries with the lowest human development indicators are currently experiencing conflict. Inequalities loom large when people are left behind.

The Sustainable Development Goals are an expression of our common values, and an investment in our shared prosperity and stability. And yet - the money is flowing in the wrong direction. In 2024, military spending hit $2.7 trillion - a record high. Meanwhile, we fall short by $4.2 trillion every year for basic development needs. And this really must change.

Davos this week will see the rich getting richer - profits going into the hands of very few. Last year, the wealth of billionaires grew by $2 trillion while the poorest half of humanity owns just 2 per cent of global wealth. Last year, in Sevilla, the UN Conference on Financing for Development showed us how to create fiscal space for sustainable development, address the debt crisis, and reform the international financial architecture that keep so many outside.

Third: If we are to be fit for purpose, 80 years on, we must reset the UN to preserve multilateralism, an important space for humanity. When COVID-19 hit, international cooperation made it possible to mobilize vaccines at lightning speed; albeit, many were left behind. When Ebola threatened to spread across continents, that same spirit of cooperation, through the UN system, stopped it in its tracks. The Pact for the Future brought 193 nations to consensus when everyone said it was impossible. Each of these examples shows global solidarity and what it can deliver.

But the hardware of international cooperation - our institutions - is showing its age. And the software is long overdue for a reboot. The disruption rattling our world today is an opportunity to build a newer, more networked multilateralism. That is exactly what we aim to do with the UN80 Initiative that the Secretary-General has put forward for Member States to consider. To build a UN that can help humanity keep its bearings in turbulent times.

It is about building a UN system that delivers more effectively, with greater impact, amid the reality of fewer resources and greater needs on the ground in countries. UN80 sets out a series of paradigm shifts to strengthen the UN system and to prepare us for the challenges ahead - across human rights, peace and security, humanitarian and sustainable development. We are breaking down silos and strengthening collaboration across our agencies to enable impact in the lives of people.

Countries face challenges that do not fit into neat categories or boxes. They are complex, interconnected, and we need to deliver solutions that reflect that reality. This is how we make the UN future-ready, how we renew and we protect multilateralism. Crucially, none of it will happen without the support of Member States.

So, I am asking all countries, including Denmark, lead the charge and commit to a reformed UN that delivers on the promise of the Charter and the realities of today. Our world is facing immense turbulence, and there are some who would be happy to see the UN on its deathbed. We have lost ground. Some even have lost faith. But we have not lost sight of hope. We continue to look forward with determined resolve.

Countries like Denmark show us that renewal is possible when there is the courage to stand up, to engage, to adapt, and to rebuild for a changing world. This building where we meet today has burned to the ground twice. In 1794. In 1884. Each time, Denmark chose to rebuild. But you did more than restore what was lost. You built for a new era.

The first palace was made for a monarchy. The second, a constitutional age. But the current iteration of the Christiansborg Palace was designed for democracy, bringing all three pillars of governance under one roof. The United Nations was born in the same way, out of the ashes, to say "never again".

Today, in a turbulent and uncertain world, we are again being called to rise to the occasion. The question is: Who will muster the courage to lead the way? Will it be small States, like Denmark? Will it be developing nations? Will it be a call to action that cuts across all nations?

We know what brought us to this moment, the question is who will turn the tide against "might is right". The decision to act requires the courage of one's convictions, to put back "we the peoples" at the centre of our human endeavours, as we navigate the UN in a turbulent world. As Nelson Mandela taught us for many decades in prison, "it always seems impossible until it's done".