Merve Aydogan
09 March 2023•Update: 09 March 2023
ANKARA
International institutions established as instruments of international law do not function and do not make the expected contributions to global peace and stability, according to the Turkish parliament speaker.
Mustafa Sentop, during his speech at the 8th MIKTA Speakers’ Consultation in Istanbul, said the world is going through a critical period with conflicts, crises, and wars.
The optimistic atmosphere in the international environment that began after Cold War "completely dissipated," Sentop stressed, saying: "Terror organizations increased their activities, conflicts and crises increased, large-scale wars broke out."
"In the rapidly globalizing world, the impacts of conflicts, crises, economic or social incidents remain within a certain border, and these events, which have global consequences, sometimes affect even the smallest settlements in our countries. For this reason, it is of great importance for all of us to ensure global peace and stability," he said.
Sentop continued, criticizing the UN's inability to contribute to global peace and security saying the UN, "born with dysfunctions from the beginning due to anti-democratic procedures such as the right of veto in the UN Security Council, linking the protection of global peace and stability to the political interests of some countries and transforming international law into the law of the powerful, is now far from meeting today's needs."
"International system's need for reform is not a matter of the last few years," he added.
Citing Türkiye's efforts for permanent peace in the Russia-Ukraine war, Sentop said: "We are still making great efforts to bring the sides to the table, to achieve a cease-fire and finally to establish peace.
"However, there is no prediction about when the war will end, since there are no multilateral diplomatic efforts apart from our efforts. Multilateral international institutions are as ineffective as ever, and there are those who prefer to fuel the war instead of stopping the bloodshed and preventing destruction."
He further emphasized that it is clear that more fair, pluralistic, and more inclusive decision-making mechanisms in international institutions should be established urgently.
"Of course, it is not only the UN that needs to be reformed. Unfortunately, there is the same need for all international institutions and organizations," Sentop said, adding: "International institutions, from the Council of Europe to NATO, from the IMF to the World Trade Organization, needs to be reformed substantially."
MIKTA was initiated by the foreign ministers of the member countries -- Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Australia -- on Sept. 25, 2013 on the margins of the 68th UN General Assembly.
It aims to contribute constructive solutions to regional and global challenges, as well as to enhance the effectiveness of global governance.
It wants to strengthen its cooperation to raise its voice on global issues and gain influence within international organizations.
MIKTA countries also work to strengthen their economic and political ties.
