Chilean president urges UN reform, Security Council changes

By Maryam Ashalem de Andres

ISTANBUL (AA) - Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast urged reform of the UN, asking it Tuesday to reduce bureaucracy, redirect its budget and reform the Security Council so its decisions are respected.

Speaking during the general debate of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, Kast said the UN must respond with greater determination to global conflicts and challenges.

“The United Nations must hold those responsible to account, and it must do so with the determination and energy we have not seen so far,” he said. “This organization has not risen to the challenges of these events.”

Kast proposed reducing bureaucracy within the UN and directing its budget toward areas “where lives are at stake.”

He also wants to suspend agendas he considers non-priority to refocus the UN on issues that require greater attention.

The president also proposed reforming the Security Council so that its decisions “are respected again.”

The 81st General Assembly debate opened Tuesday and runs through Sept. 28, bringing together heads of state and government to address global peace, security and development.

The session is being held under the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”

Kast also focused on transnational organized crime, urging greater international coordination against groups involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, human trafficking and killings.

He said those organizations should be treated as terror groups and confronted as threats to democratic states.

Kast highlighted Chile’s participation in the Americas Shield initiative, saying it reflected the country’s commitment to working with other nations against transnational crime.

The president also cited domestic security measures, saying the homicide rate had fallen 11.5%, while irregular border crossings had declined 86%, with expulsions increasing 50% from the previous year.

“People enter Chile through the door, not through the window, with their documents in order,” said Kast.