Secretary-General Urges Security Council to ‘Rally World’ to Use UN Charter Tools to Settle Disputes Peacefully

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres' remarks to the Security Council open debate on advancing political solutions in the Middle East: Mediation for Dialogue and Lasting Peace, in New York today:

The Middle East is being pulled deeper into crisis - and the consequences reach far beyond the region. This week has brought wider attacks and further deterioration. I am profoundly concerned it could trigger a full resumption of conflict.

Escalation in the Middle East reverberates across borders and continents. Through political tensions, displacement and rising insecurity. Through markets and trade routes, through food and fuel costs, a brutal price is being paid by the region's people.

And it is extending to the wider world, particularly the most vulnerable countries and communities. That's why today's discussion matters so much.

Let me start with the dramatic events in Lebanon. Since March, we have witnessed a serious escalation - as Israel intensified its operations in Lebanese territory and Hizbullah fired deeper into Israel. We have seen the killing of civilians.

Entire communities uprooted, and extensive demolition of homes and civilian infrastructure, in southern Lebanon. The forced displacement of over a million civilians. The killing of seven UN peacekeepers - including one last week.

And through it all, the risk and reality of more escalation. All parties must work towards a diplomatic settlement. A settlement that fully respects the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized borders - in line with Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).

I fully support a monopoly on weapons by the Lebanese Government. The process must start with a comprehensive ceasefire respected by all parties everywhere, alleviating the suffering of communities on both sides of the Blue Line.

And I urge a continued United Nations uniformed presence following the departure of UNIFIL - as proposed last week in my letter to this Council. I commend the United States for facilitating talks between Israel and Lebanon. I hope further negotiations will contribute to lasting peace and stability. Meanwhile, I appeal to all parties to implement the ceasefire agreements. No more attacks, no more excuses.

We must address the crisis that lies at the root of wider regional instability. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has gone unresolved for decades. It's time to get serious about the only credible way forward.

An end to the occupation and a two-State solution, where two independent, sovereign, democratic States - Israel and Palestine - live side by side in peace and security within their secure and recognized borders on the basis of pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States - in line with international law, UN resolutions and other relevant agreements. Delay and denial only perpetuate injustice - fuelling extremism in the region and further afield.

The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory - namely Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem - is rapidly deteriorating. Despite the ceasefire announced eight months ago, Gaza still faces profound uncertainty and immense human suffering. Violence is on the rise, with civilians killed on a daily basis.

Humanitarian operations remain heavily constrained. Basic human needs - for clean water, sanitation, food, shelter, health care and more - are going unmet. And the Israeli Government is declaring its intent to control 70 per cent of the Strip.

I urge all parties to implement in full and without delay the Comprehensive Plan facilitated by the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye. I recall Security Council resolution 2803 (2025) and stress that all efforts must adhere to international law, including relevant Security Council resolutions. I also call for the immediate removal of obstacles systematically undermining the nature and scale of humanitarian relief in Gaza.

The provision of humanitarian aid must never be used as a bargaining chip. The ceasefire must be consolidated, paving the way for recovery and reconstruction. Any sustainable solution in Gaza must be consistent with international law and ensure that Gaza and the West Bank - including East Jerusalem - remain unified. Gaza is and must remain an integral part of a Palestinian State.

Simultaneously, there are alarming reports coming from the occupied West Bank: Reports of settler violence - now averaging six attacks per day. The demolition of homes, destruction of farms and confiscation of land. The relentless expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.

The ongoing displacement of Palestinians at levels not seen since 1967. The threat of an attempted annexation that would - like the decades-long occupation - have no legal validity. The risk of making a two-State solution impossible - when there is no other viable option.

And throughout, the presumption of impunity. These injustices must stop. Member States must comply with all their obligations under international law. No exceptions.

Let me turn now to the Gulf region, where the ceasefire is more like a lesser-fire - as we have seen with the escalating attacks and rhetoric over the last 48 hours.

We should not minimize the risks of lesser fire becoming full fire, or in [other words], full war. For long periods, civilians and civilian infrastructure have come under attack in multiple countries. All threats to national sovereignty and territorial integrity are violations of international law.

At the same time, restrictions on navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz are causing hardship and instability across the world driving up energy prices and disrupting supply chains, making fertilizers more costly - and hunger more prevalent - pushing up inflation and piling on debt, and in fragile States, raising the risk of fresh conflict.

Even in the best-case scenario, these shocks will be felt for many months - with developing countries bearing the heaviest impacts. I call on all parties to honour the ceasefire and redouble efforts to reach a lasting agreement. I am particularly thankful to the Government of Pakistan for its active mediation. And I welcome the important contributions of Egypt, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.

The world needs to see a complete ceasefire. With navigational rights and freedoms restored, in line with international law and Security Council resolution 2817 (2026). And serious negotiations on the nuclear issues - ensuring that Iran's nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful.

It's time to explore a new security architecture for the Gulf - based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States, non-interference in their internal affairs and enhanced multilateral cooperation.

Any escalation of conflict in the region casts a shadow over Syria. After 13 years of violence, its people are finally tasting peace. Council Members witnessed this first hand on a visit to Damascus six months ago.

You saw what this transition needs to succeed - from inclusivity and rule of law to transitional justice, intercommunal dialogue and reconstruction. Your continued support for the UN's role and enhanced presence in Syria will enable us to deliver on these objectives as one UN.

Consolidating peace in Syria also requires respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We cannot let progress be jeopardized by further use of force or wider regional instability.

In Yemen, we have a recent example of mediation in action. Last month, the United Nations supported a group of mediators between the parties to reach an agreement on the release of 1,600 conflict-related detainees.

This was part of the implementation of the 2018 Stockholm Agreement - and the largest release agreement since the conflict began. But, tensions persist. Threats by the Houthis to curtail navigational rights and freedoms in the Bab al Mandeb must stop at once.

And I strongly urge the Houthis to immediately and unconditionally release all arbitrarily detained UN personnel - as well as those from NGOs [non-governmental organizations], civil society and diplomatic missions.

Our colleagues must be allowed to perform their functions independently and without hindrance - in line with the Charter and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.

Dialogue is our best and only hope for peace. We have seen it in Colombia, where this Organization has had the privilege of supporting a hard-won peace agreement.

And we must pursue it wherever there is conflict. In the Middle East, in Ukraine, in Sudan and beyond.

The UN Charter gives us the rules and the tools. The Security Council can rally the world to use them.

Last year, in resolution 2788 (2025), you yourselves urged all Member States to utilize effectively the mechanisms for pacific settlement of disputes - as outlined in Article 33 of the Charter.

This Council holds primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations, including by settling international disputes peacefully.

I commend those Member States, regional organizations and other actors discreetly and openly pursuing the peaceful resolution of conflicts around the world.

The United Nations will continue to provide technical expertise and operational support in preventing and resolving disputes, drawing on our decades of experience in this arena.

My good offices and the Charter's tools for the pacific settlement of disputes are always at your service.

As for the Middle East, I urge this Council to put its full weight behind the two-State solution - the key to a just and lasting peace in the region.

There is no alternative. And there is no time to waste.