Guterres warns Security Council of ‘dangerous erosion’ of international law

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Tuesday of a “dangerous erosion” of respect for international law, telling a high-level open debate of the Security Council that core principles are being challenged or ignored.

Guterres cited principles including sovereign equality, territorial integrity and the prohibition of force. He said the weakening of those norms was contributing to spreading impunity.

The secretary-general highlighted the proliferation and intensification of conflicts globally, pointing in particular to the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine. He also noted growing external interference, including the provision of weapons such as drones.

Guterres urged efforts to strengthen the multilateral system and called on Security Council members to uphold the UN Charter consistently. His warning placed current conflicts and outside intervention within a broader concern over the durability of the postwar legal order.