“UN should be reformed” — Interview with Sodiq Safoyev

Kun.uz conducted an interview with the First Deputy Chairman of the Senate and former Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Sodiq Safoyev about the UN, the increasingly criticized organization.

According to Safoyev, the UN was created for a completely different world. Today, the global order has changed, but the organization remains the same.

Seventy-nine years ago, after the end of World War II, the giant states of that time decided to establish a global organization — the United Nations. On October 24, 1945, the organization officially began its activities. Today, 193 states are members of the UN. Membership in the organization provides the image of an equal subject in the international arena.

According to the UN Charter, the main task of the organization is to protect humanity from the scourge of war, to fight against the factors that cause war, to ensure international security, and to take collective measures for world peace. However, humanity still suffers from wars and conflicts. Lives are being lost, and money is being invested in killing people. This, of course, casts a shadow on the prestige and reputation of the international organization and the UN, known as the "Palace of Peace."

According to Safoyev, the time has long come to reform the UN. Because the organization was created for a completely different world. Additionally, the key operational structures of the UN appear more like an “elite club” that serves the interests of donor countries — the rich and giant states.

Moreover, the diplomat believes that seeking and expecting solutions to international problems solely from the UN is a big mistake.

“In our youth, there were people who would say, ‘I will write a letter to the capital. If it’s not resolved there, I’ll go to the UN.’ This is a mistake and a misunderstanding. The UN is not an international government,” he says.

The chief administrative officer of the UN is the Secretary-General. Portuguese diplomat Antonio Guterres has held this position since 2017. He visited Uzbekistan on June 30–July 1 as part of his tour to Central Asia. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev awarded him with the high-level "Dostlik" (Friendship) order. According to Safoyev, during the meetings, Guterres recalled his first visit to Uzbekistan as a tourist.

“I first came to Uzbekistan as a tourist 20 years ago. The changes are significant compared to the current state of the country,” Safoyev quotes Guterres.

Additionally, Safoyev mentioned that the permanent members of the UN Security Council have not changed, and global powers like India, Japan, and Germany are still not included in this structure. The veto power of the permanent members often leads to deadlock on many issues.

“One day, Uzbekistan should also be a member of this council,” Safoyev says.