United Nations deputy secretary-general Amina Mohammed has called on Nigeria and other countries to protect the UN Charter, urging them to “stand up for a rules-based order” or pay the price.

Ms Mohammed made the call in a speech to the Danish Parliament on Thursday,

The UN’s founding document “is our moral compass”, she said, calling for renewed commitment to multilateralism rooted in solidarity, international law, and human dignity.

She stressed the need to invest in peace, which the Security Council and General Assembly have both affirmed through resolutions on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in support of the two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

These are examples of how the Charter’s values “have been brought to life”, “the very foundation those resolutions rest on is being attacked.”

Ms Mohammed said that “dangerous nostalgia is what’s threatening international cooperation now, that the rule of law can be interpreted by the whims and caprices of a strong arm.”

She stated that the secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, recently reminded that the Charter was not an à la carte menu and that all countries have an obligation to uphold it.

According to her, trade wars are closing off markets that have lifted millions out of poverty. And we’re watching a global rollback of the hard-won rights of women and girls.

Ms Mohammed said, “In 2025, military spending reached a record high of $2.7 trillion, yet funding for basic development needs faces a $4.2 trillion annual shortfall, which must change.

“Davos this week will see the rich getting richer – profits going into the hands of very few. Last year, the wealth of billionaires grew by $2 trillion dollars while the poorest half of humanity owns just two percent of global wealth.”

Ms Mohammed pointed to the UN conference on financing for development, held in Spain last year , which “showed us how to create fiscal space for sustainable development, address the debt crisis, and reform the international financial architecture that keep so many outside”.

She underscored the need to “reset the UN to preserve multilateralism”.

Ms Mohammed said, “In this regard, the UN80 initiative on system-wide reform aims to build a global body “that delivers more effectively, with greater impact, amid the reality of fewer resources and greater needs on the ground in countries”.

She asked all countries, including Denmark, to “lead the charge and commit to a reformed UN that delivers on the promise of the Charter and the realities of today”.  

(NAN)