The topic was analyzed in a panel at the University of Santiago de Chile (Usach) organized by the Association of Jurists for Democracy and the Chilean Commission on Human Rights.

China’s ambassador to Chile, Niu Qingbao, called for support of the central role of the United Nations and pointed out the importance of respecting the principles of international law.

“The role of the UN must be strengthened, not weakened. Without the UN, the world would be worse,” he said.

Russia recognized the UN’s central role in global affairs and advocated strengthening it as a universal platform.

When reflecting on the future of the UN with its more than 80-year trajectory, it is worth remembering that despite all the criticism during this time there was no new world war, accumulated a vast experience of multilateral cooperation and consolidated a framework of international law, said Russian embassy adviser Vladimir Finyutin.

In turn, South Africa’s ambassador George Monyemangene recalled that the African continent has millions of inhabitants, yet is not represented as a permanent member of the Security Council.

In this regard, the ambassador of Cuba to Chile, Oscar Cornelio Oliva, declared that his country calls for a comprehensive and profound reform of the Security Council to transform it into a more democratic, transparent, representative and effective body.

He recalled that during a debate on 19 August in New York, the Cuban delegation had argued that the current functioning of the Council did not adequately respond to the needs of the international community or to the historical grievances of the countries of the south.

The Cuban delegation expressed the need to expand the Council in its two categories: permanent and non-permanent members, and advocated the elimination of veto power because this mechanism impedes essential decision-making and allows blocking initiatives supported by a majority of states.

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