LONDON
Former South African Minister of International Relations and current chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation Naledi Pandor on Saturday called for urgent reforms to the United Nations, criticizing disparities in global responses to humanitarian crises.
Speaking at an international panel discussion titled “A Fairer World is Possible” in London, hosted by Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, Pandor highlighted the unequal treatment of global conflicts, particularly in Palestine, Ukraine, and the Rohingya crisis.
She noted that while South African apartheid was recognized as a crime against humanity, Palestinians continue to be denied fundamental freedoms without similar international condemnation.
“The plight of the Rohingya would be a very clear example,” she said, emphasizing the failure to protect marginalized communities despite commitments under the UN Charter.
Pandor also pointed out the contrast in global responses to Ukraine’s war with Russia compared to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, arguing that the latter has not received the same level of international concern and support.
Call for UN Security Council reform
To ensure fairness in global affairs, Pandor stressed the need for a fundamental overhaul of the UN, particularly the Security Council.
“We need to be more thoughtful within the UN body, and when we refer to reforms, I think what we’re speaking of is really a fundamental alteration of the composition, the functions, and the decision-making of the UN Security Council,” she said.
She also called for greater impartiality in enforcing Chapter Seven of the UN Charter, which deals with peace and security, to hold all oppressive regimes accountable.
Global South must unite
Pandor lamented the lack of a geopolitical counterweight to Western dominance since the collapse of the Soviet Union, arguing that this imbalance has weakened multilateralism and left the Global South at a disadvantage.
“In our own struggle, in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, we had a counterweight to the powerful force of the North, and that was really the Soviet Union. Today, there is no counterweight. We’ve allowed the existence of a unipolarity that is a real harm to multilateralism,” she said.
She urged Global South nations to unite within the UN system, using their collective voting power to push for long-overdue reforms.
“We, unfortunately, are a majority as the South in the UN body, but we are the weakest of the voices that we hear in global affairs,” Pandor said. “So we need the South to wake up. We need to form a formidable force, because we have to alter the context that is currently confronting all those who suffer oppression.”
Expressing hope for change, she said: “I do believe that freedom is possible, that a fair world is possible. I’ve lived my life believing it. We fought apartheid because of such a belief.”
