slams

Antonio Guterres appears to take aim at the US, which recently slashed its contribution, telling the UN to ‘adapt or die’.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has lashed out at world leaders he accused of turning their backs on international cooperation amid “self-defeating geopolitical divides” and “brazen violations of international law”.

Addressing the UN General Assembly on Thursday, the UN secretary-general slammed “wholesale cuts in development and humanitarian aid”, warning that they were “shaking the foundations of global cooperation and testing the resilience of multilateralism itself”.

“At a time when we need international cooperation the most, we seem to be the least inclined to use it and invest in it. Some seek to put international cooperation on deathwatch,” he said.

Last annual speech

The secretary-general, who will step down at the end of 2026, held off naming offending countries, but appeared to refer to deep cuts to the budgets of UN agencies made by the United States under the “America First” policies of US President Donald Trump.

While other countries have also cut funding, the US announced at the end of last year that it would be allocating only $2bn to United Nations humanitarian assistance, representing a small fraction of the leading funder’s previous contributions of up to $17bn.

Trump’s administration has effectively dismantled its primary platform for foreign aid, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), calling on UN agencies to “adapt, shrink or die”.

Setting out his last annual list of priorities as secretary-general for the year ahead, Guterres said the UN was “totally committed in the cause of peace in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and far beyond and tireless in delivering life-saving aid to those so desperate for support”.

The UN chief insisted humanitarian aid be allowed to “flow unimpeded” into Gaza, said no effort should be spared to stop the Russia-Ukraine war, and urged a resumption of talks to bring about a lasting ceasefire in Sudan.

Those three deadly, protracted conflicts have come to define Guterres’s time at the helm of the UN, with critics arguing the organisation has proved ineffective at conflict prevention.

The organisation’s top decision-making body, the Security Council, is paralysed because of tensions between the US, Russia and China, all three of which are permanent, veto-wielding members.

North Korea on Tuesday denounced a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Russia’s recent air strike on Ukraine, defending Moscow’s action as a just exercise of the right to self-defense.

Kim Song, North Korea’s permanent representative to the U.N. issued a statement condemning the UNSC meeting Monday (New York time) after Russia launched a barrage of missile attacks on Ukraine last week.

“It is just an extension of the customary practice of the Western cavilers who used to groundlessly slander the just exercise of the right to self-defense of a sovereign state,” read the statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

The North’s envoy denounced Ukraine’s military action against Russia as a “terrorist act” as Moscow earlier warned of a response against Ukraine following Kyiv’s drone attacks in early January.

“The terrorist act targeting the absolute sovereignty of a country can never be justified, and retaliation of justice can never be demonized by any assertion,” Kim said.

North Korea has sent thousands of troops and weapons to support Russia’s war with Ukraine amid deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Somalia says it is concerned the recognition serves as a pretext for the forced relocation of Palestinians.

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, is a “direct and grave threat to international peace and security”, Somalia has said.

In a letter penned to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday, Somalia rejected the move as a violation of its sovereignty, calling it “morally indefensible”.

Last week, Israel became the first country to formally recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state. Israel described the move as being in the spirit of the United States-brokered Abraham Accords, which normalised ties between Israel and several Arab countries.

“We further note with deep concern reports that this recognition may serve as a pretext for the forced relocation of Palestinians to Northwestern Somalia,” Somalia’s letter to the UNSC stated.

“Israel’s actions not only set a dangerous precedent and risk destabilising the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region but also undermine collective efforts and pose a serious threat to regional and international peace and security,” Somalia also stated in the letter, urging UNSC members to uphold its sovereignty.

Abu Bakr Dahir Osman, Somalia’s representative to the UNSC, echoed the letter’s sentiments,

“This region [Somaliland] is not legally entitled to enter into any agreement or arrangement, nor to receive recognition from any other state,” Osman said.

“This act of aggression aims to promote the fragmentation of Somalia and must be rejected and condemned unequivocally by all Member States,” he added.

Recognition rejected

The United Kingdom on Monday said that it does not recognise the independence of Somaliland, and reaffirmed its support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

It urged efforts between the Federal Government of Somalia and the Somaliland authorities to “address differences and work together to face common threats”, stating that armed groups benefited from internal divisions in the country.

Other countries have also declined to recognise Somaliland, including China earlier on Monday.

“No country should encourage or support other countries’ internal separatist forces for its own selfish interests,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters at a regular news conference.

South Africa’s Foreign Ministry, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, on Monday urged the international community to “reject this external interference and support a united, stable Somalia”.

However, Tammy Bruce, the US deputy representative to the UN, said that “Israel has the same right to establish diplomatic relations as any other sovereign state”.

“Several countries, including members of this Council, have unilaterally recognised a non-existent Palestinian state, yet no emergency meeting has been convened,” Bruce added, chiding what she said were the UNSC’s “double standards”.

“We have no announcement to make regarding the recognition of Somaliland, and there has been no change in US policy,” Bruce added.

Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991, after a civil war under military leader Siad Barre. The self-declared republic controls part of northwestern Somalia and has its own constitution, currency and flag.

It claims the territory of the former British Somaliland protectorate, but its eastern regions remain under the control of rival administrations loyal to Somalia. It has sought international acceptance for more than three decades without success.

Dec. 26 (Asia Today) — Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, on Tuesday accused the Democratic Party of Korea of twisting itself “in every possible way” to avoid a special prosecutor investigation, pledging to step up talks with the People Power Party on joint action after Christmas.

Speaking to reporters after a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly, Lee said discussions on coordinated resistance would intensify once Christmas had passed, citing the physical toll of a near 24-hour filibuster carried out by People Power Party lawmaker Jang Dong-hyuk.

“There may be talk of hard-line measures such as hunger strikes or head-shaving protests,” Lee said. “But for now, the priority is to pressure the Democratic Party to give a clear answer.”

Lee noted that he himself had engaged in a prolonged hunger strike nearly nine years ago, adding that he was neither afraid of political confrontation nor short of ideas.

He branded the Democratic Party’s stance as “classic double standards,” arguing that while aggressive investigations had already been pursued against one political camp, similar scrutiny was being blocked when directed at the party itself. “That does not meet any reasonable standard of fairness,” he said.

Lee also pointed to the case of Kwon Seong-dong, a former People Power Party floor leader, who has been standing trial in detention for months based on testimony from the same individual. “If that measure was justified, then the special prosecutor into the Unification Church should be handled just as swiftly,” Lee argued, warning that delays could be seen as allowing time for evidence destruction or coordination of statements.

On prospects for passing the special prosecutor bill before the end of the year, Lee again pressed the Democratic Party, criticizing it for claiming time constraints while continuing to push through other legislation. He questioned whether efforts to revise laws aimed at removing National Assembly Vice Speaker Joo Ho-young should take precedence over the special prosecutor issue.

Lee dismissed suggestions from within the People Power Party to pursue the bill through a fast-track procedure, calling the idea unrealistic. “Rather than scattering the debate, this issue demands a serious and weighty response, as the public is watching closely,” he said.

–Copyright by Asiatoday