Small states with a longstanding and ongoing conflict, like Cyprus, absolutely rely on the effectiveness of the Security Council the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the UN Poly Ioannou said during a discussion on the 2018 report of the Security Council, at the United Nations General Assembly.
“The Council should be resolute in recognising, condemning, and addressing unauthorised use of force,” she said at the meeting on Thursday night.
We cannot overstate the importance of having a Security Council that is not distracted from focusing purely on threats to peace, the use of force, and conflict resolution, she added.
Ioannou also referred to the importance of upholding the primacy of international law when making decisions, adding that the Security Council “must consistently apply the same set of rules that we have collectively elaborated and mainstreamed in international relations.”
When resolving conflict, justice cannot be sacrificed for the sake of peace, or peace will not be sustainable, she noted.
The Cypriot official also remarked that the high number of conflicts in the world today shows that “the performance of the Council is suboptimal.”
Where the Council is too divided to take action, the General Assembly has more powers to act than it is currently using, Ioannou said. The key to delivering as an organisation may lie in achieving the right synergies between the General Assembly and the Security Council, she concluded.
