Anna FosterToday program host
The United States is acting with impunity and believes its power outweighs international law, the UN secretary-general told the BBC.
Antonio Guterres told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that there was a “clear conviction” in Washington that multilateral solutions were inadequate.
He went on to say that what is important is “the exercise of American power and influence, and sometimes in accordance with the norms of international law, in this regard.”
His comments come weeks after the United States attacked Venezuela and captured its president, and in the context of Donald Trump’s repeated threats to annex Greenland.
Guterres said the founding principles of the United Nations, including equality among member states, were now under threat.
President Trump has previously harshly criticized the United Nations.
In his speech to the General Assembly last September, he questioned its very purpose, claiming that he had himself “ended seven unending wars” and that the United Nations had “not even attempted to help in any of them.”
“Later I realized that the United Nations was not there for us,” he said.
In the wake of these damning reviews, Guterres acknowledged that his organization was struggling to ensure its members adhere to international law set out in the UN Charter.
He insisted the UN was “extremely involved” in resolving major global conflicts. “But the UN has no influence. The great powers have more influence.
He questioned whether additional influence would be used to bring about real and lasting solutions to such conflicts, or merely to find quick solutions. “There is a big difference between the two,” he pointed out.
Guterres also said his organization needed reforms to address the “dramatic problems and challenges” facing its 193 members.
“There are those who believe that the force of law should be replaced by the law of power,” the UN Secretary-General said.
“In fact, given the current policy of the United States, there is a clear conviction that multilateral solutions are not relevant and that what is important is the exercise of power and influence by the United States, and sometimes in accordance with the norms of international law.”
He argued that the United Nations Security Council, designed to maintain international peace and security, no longer represents the world and is “invalid.”
Currently, any of the permanent members of the Security Council – France, China, Russia, the UK and the US – can veto the resolution. Both Russia and the United States have used this power to thwart global efforts to end the war in Ukraine and Gaza.
Guterres argued that the veto was being used to advance the interests of individual member states and criticized the fact that “three European countries” were permanent members.
He called for changes to the composition of parliament to “regain legitimacy” and “give the world a voice” and limit veto powers to avoid unacceptable “blockages”.
Former Portuguese Prime Minister Guterres assumed the position of UN Secretary-General in 2017 and is scheduled to step down from that position at the end of this year.
In his annual address to the General Assembly, traditionally used to confirm the organization’s priorities, he warned of a chaotic world filled with “conflict, impunity, inequality and unpredictability” and identified “brazen violations of international law” as one of the greatest challenges facing the world order.
One of the ongoing conflicts that Guterres identified as central to the UN was the Gaza Strip.
For much of the war, Israel was banned from distributing aid to the district as it prevented international humanitarian groups from bringing aid into the territory.
At one point, Israel supported an external contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Organization, to carry out work that the United Nations had traditionally done for decades. Hundreds of Palestinians have died trying to access food at GHF sites.
Asked whether he saw the UN as powerless in Gaza, where it should have made a difference, he said: “Of course, but let’s be clear.
“For a long time, Israel has been saying that humanitarian aid is not distributed because the UN cannot. Of course, whenever Israel would not allow us to move into Gaza, we could not move into Gaza. Then a ceasefire was established and humanitarian aid flowed in large quantities.”
He emphasized, “If the conditions were there, we were ready.”
A few days ago, Guterres told the United Nations General Assembly that “solving the 1945 problem” would not solve the 2026 problem, referring to the organization’s founding structure.
Challenges continue, with the United States forcing a change in Venezuela’s leadership, Iranian regime forces killing thousands of protesters, and Donald Trump’s stated goal of annexing Greenland.
There are growing questions about the end of multilateralism and the failure of some world leaders to speak out and defend the rule of international law.
But Antonio Guterres said he remains positive.
“I think people are sometimes reluctant to confront the powerful. But the truth is that we will never have a better world if we do not confront the powerful.”
