UN Charter AT 80: A Call To Reclaim Its Purpose : Jordan Ryan / FOGGS

Article shared by Gautam Banerji

Many of you must have seen this and taken note of the signature campaign.
Best
Gautam

Dear Colleagues, former UN system staff members, As a result of small-group discussions and mounting concerns on the state of our world, multilateralism and the UN, our PRG colleague Jordan Ryan has prepared this statement (https://www.foggs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/UN-CHARTER-AT-80-Call-by-former-UN-system-staff_PRG-plus-23-May-2025.pdf) on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter that we believe deserves the support of all of us.   Under the pressure of current developments, we will not wait to circulate the statement on 26 June 2025, which is the actual 80th UN Charter Day, but plan to issue it on 28 May. Those who have signed by then -- please fill out this electronic signature form (https://forms.gle/JBJKt8GbWNrr2ses5) -- will have their names included in the initial publication of the statement. We will continue to collect signatures thereafter and there will be an updated list of signatories issued by 26 June.   Please circulate widely among former UN system colleagues for their signature, and consider ways of advertising in the press of your respective countries / regions / municipalities, even translating the statement to your national / local languages from 28 May onwards. This succinct and powerful call has to be heard by as many people as possible. Kind regards, Georgios Kostakos Executive Director

FOGGS - Foundation for Global Governance and Sustainability www.foggs.org | info@foggs.org UN CHARTER AT 80:  A CALL TO RECLAIM ITS PURPOSE  On June 26, 1945, the founding nations signed the UN Charter—not in peace, but  in defiance of war's devastation. An act of hope and resolve.   Eighty years later, that hope faces its gravest test.   We who have served the UN and its Charter have witnessed its promise, its  fragility, and its effectiveness.   Today, the principles we swore to uphold are under systematic assault.   War rages. Authoritarianism spreads. Facts drown in propaganda. Young people  face exclusion and despair.   This is not merely about ignoring international law. This is about the systematic  dismantling of the rule of law—piece by piece, norm by norm.   The UN transcends the Security Council. The UN is a platform for negotiations, a  guardian of international law, delivering education and healthcare, protecting  workers, and preventing conflicts from turning violent. While peacekeepers  courageously prevent massacres, the Charter's true promise lies in preventing wars  before they begin. These gains did not come easily. They can vanish overnight.   This anniversary calls for reckoning, not ritual.  We call for moral clarity. A return to the Charter's values—peace, development,  human rights, rule of law, and faith in human dignity. A renewed commitment to  truth over lies, integrity over corruption, solidarity over silence.   When this international order collapses—and without urgent action, it will— rebuilding it will take generations.   We call for strengthening international law, preventing violent conflict, and  transforming global financial systems to create opportunity for everyone,  everywhere, rather than perpetuate inequality.   Young people deserve our action, not our apologies.   This is our moment to act. If we fail, the legacy we leave will be one of  abandonment, not courage.  Signed by former senior UN officials and international civil servants worldwide.