Macron urges “choose global order over ‘law of the jungle’
French President backs multilateralism, UN reform and stronger global rules at UN General Assembly
- Macron warns against a return to “law of the jungle”
- Calls for stronger international law and UN reform
- Backs Ukraine and Palestinian rights
- Urges inclusive global rules for artificial intelligence
By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – President of France Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said that the world faces a stark choice: “Do we want to live with a return to the law of the jungle or do we want to live in a civilized international society?”
He addressed the General Assembly said France was committed to both the UN itself and a revival of multilateralism to “tackle common challenges together”.
Macron declared enumerating crises and wars, “we will not yield to defeatism.”
He said that international law does not describe reality, but rather outlines the limits of acceptable behavior.
President Macron added that the forgotten lessons of the 20th century can be seen in the current wave of “industrialised” war crimes and a new era of barbarism.
“The Geneva Conventions are being dismantled”, he lamented, citing Sudan’s El Fasher and the destruction of Gaza, among other humanitarian crises.
“There cannot be peace without justice,” though, and France will continue to support the International Court of Justice (ICJ), he said.
“We simply cannot accept this new order of impunity which some are trying to erect.”
He expressed support for Security Council reform to boost effectiveness, which includes opening it up to new members especially from Africa and to allow it to take action in the face of mass violations of international law.
He said a significant portion of his speech was advocating for reducing divides between the North and the South, which was crucial to address climate change, health and development.
Macron acknowledged this would require reopening a dialogue about common history, cultural relationships and restorative justice.
He strongly condemned “double standards” on the issue of sovereignty: “How many times have we heard that people’s sovereignty mattered in Europe, but that when it comes to the Middle East and Africa we could just as well do without it?”, he said.
“Every time some States wish to run roughshod over the will of certain peoples, to change a system, to topple a regime, every time this resulted in ever greater chaos,” he emphasised.
He reiterated support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion and for restoring freedom of navigation in the Hormuz Strait.
Macron also stressed his support to Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank, saying that though some claim peace has been achieved in Gaza, humanitarian corridors have not materialised earning him a round of applause.
He focused on the dangers of AI, and specifically on the fact that the vast majority of people and countries appear to have no voice in the debate over AI regulation.
Macron stressed that it should not be left only to the US and China, and a handful of private actors.
He added that the stakes are too high, over a technology which could threaten “the security of our States, of our hospitals, of our banks”.
