US President Calls For Reforming Int'l Institutions

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (KUNA) -- The US President Joe Biden has called for reforming international institutions and building new partnerships to tackle the world's emerging challenges.
"We also recognize that to meet new challenges of our decades-old institutions and approaches, they must be updated to keep pace with the world," the US leader said at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
He suggested bringing in more leadership and capability that exists everywhere, especially from regions that have not always been fully included.
"We have to make sure we're delivering for people everywhere. That starts with the United Nations ... starts right here," he said.
President Biden affirmed that the US seeks a more secure, more prosperous, more equitable future for all people because "we know our future is bound to yours".
"No nation can meet the challenges of the day alone."
He argued that the UN must continue to preserve peace and prevent conflict and must also govern the benefits and challenges of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI).
Highlighting ongoing developments across regions, he pointed efforts to support a just and lasting peace, with two States for Israelis and Palestinians.
On the US relations with China, Biden said Washington seeks to responsibly manage bilateral competition so it does not tip into conflict.
"We are for de-risking, not decoupling" with Beijing.
The US leader called on the world to stand up against Russia's military operation in Ukraine.
He argued that the territorial integrity and human rights that form the foundation of the UN must be collectively defended.
"Yet, for the second year in a row, the annual debate at the UN General Assembly is darkened by the shadow of war, an illegal conquest brought without provocation by Russia against Ukraine," he said, expressing strong support for Kyiv.
He asserted that Russia alone bears the responsibility for this war and has the power to end it immediately.
He asked whether the independence of any nation is secure "if we allow Ukraine to be carved up".
"Russia believes that the world will grow weary and allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequence. But I ask you this: If we abandon the core principles of the UN Charter to appease an aggressor, can any member state feel confident that they are protected? If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?," he wondered.
"The answer is no. We must stand up to this naked aggression today to deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow."
"That is why the United States together with our Allies and partners around the world will continue to stand with the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity and their freedom" he vowed, adding that "It's not only an investment in Ukraine's future but in every country".
The climate crisis needs critical attention, he said, pointing to tragic flooding in Libya alongside historic drought and deluge at a time when the world is still dependent on fossil fuel.
"Record breaking heatwaves in the United States and China. Wildfires ravaging North America and Southern Europe. A fifth year of drought in the Horn of Africa. Tragic flooding in Libya that has killed thousands of people. Taken together these snapshots tell an urgent story of what awaits us if we fail to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and begin to climate-proof our world," he said.
"From day one of my Administration the United States has treated this crisis as the existential threat that it is, not only to us, but to all of humanity."
President Biden noted that that this year, the world's on track to meet the climate finance pledge made under the Paris Agreement: USD 100 billion to raise collectively.
"But we need more investment on public and private sector, especially in places that have contributed so little to global emissions," he said.
He underlined the need to intensify world efforts to o accelerate global progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), pledging Washington's commitment.
On security issues, he said the US destroyed the last of its chemical weapon stockpile in 2023. Meanwhile, Russia is "shredding" long-standing arms control agreements, he added.
Condemning the DPRK's continued violations of Security Council resolutions, he encouraged diplomacy to resolve outstanding issues.
Referring to Tehran's nuclear program and "destabilizing activities that threaten regional and international security," the US leader stressed that "Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon."
The Universal Declaration for Human Rights was adopted 75 years ago, but attention is still needed to tackle discrimination.
However, the power is "in our hands" to forge a safer, more sustainable world for all through partnerships and collective hope, he said.
"At this inflection point in history, we're going to be judged by whether or not we live up to the promises we made to ourselves, to each other," he said.
"Will we find within ourselves the courage to do what must be done, to defend the tenets of the UN?" he asked. "There's only one answer to that question. We must, and we will. Let's do this work together. Let's bend the arc of history for the good of the world. It's in our power to do it." (end)
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