UN Charter is not a-la-carte menu: Guterres

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a General Assembly event to mark the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 26, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called out the selective application of the UN Charter, saying it is not an a-la-carte menu.

"Today, we see assaults on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter like never before: the threat or use of force against sovereign nations; the violation of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law; the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure; the weaponization of food and water; the erosion of human rights," he told a UN General Assembly event to mark the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter.

"On and on, we see an all-too-familiar pattern: follow when the charter suits, ignore when it does not," he said. "The Charter of the United Nations is not optional. It is not an a-la-carte menu. It is the bedrock of international relations. We cannot and must not normalize violations of its most basic principles."

The UN Charter is a declaration of hope -- and the foundation of international cooperation for a better world," said Guterres. "The charter has given us the tools to change destinies, save lives, and deliver hope to the most desperate corners of the world. And we can draw a direct line from the creation of the United Nations and the prevention of a third world war."

Upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter is a never-ending mission, said Guterres, stressing the need more than ever to respect and re-commit to international law -- in words and deeds.

"On this anniversary, I urge all member states to live up to the spirit and letter of the charter, to the responsibilities it demands, and to the future it summons us to build -- for peace, for justice, for progress, for we the peoples," he said.

The UN Charter, the foundational treaty of the world body, was adopted on June 25, 1945, at the San Francisco Conference and was signed by delegates the following day.