Prime Minister Janša at the United Nations: It is time to put an end to double standards and to bring about real change

SLOVENIA, September 24 - In his speech, he called on the international community to turn words into action, to eliminate double standards in responding to global crises, and to strengthen the UN’s credibility through consistent respect for universal principles. He also put forward two concrete proposals for greater transparency and impartiality in the functioning of the United Nations.

The central message of the speech was clear: trust in the UN cannot be restored if the international community applies the same principles differently depending on the country, the conflict or political interests at stake.

“Trust begins with a simple question: Do we apply our principles consistently, or only when it is politically convenient?” emphasised the Prime Minister. He pointed out that the United Nations was founded on the universal principles of sovereignty, equal dignity, the rule of law, the peaceful settlement of disputes and the protection of human rights. “But these principles lose their meaning when they are applied selectively.”

The Prime Minister also recalled the initiative he had presented to the General Assembly 14 years ago, calling on the international community to establish a more effective mechanism for preventing genocide and other mass atrocities. He noted that, despite strong initial support, the initiative had not been implemented and that the world is now even further from achieving that objective.

As one of the key problems, he highlighted the different standards applied in responding to global crises. He emphasised that the suffering of both Palestinian and Israeli civilians deserves serious and sustained consideration, and that every civilian life matters. At the same time, he drew attention to the persecution of Christians worldwide, mass violence in Nigeria, human rights violations in Iran and rising antisemitism.

“If every civilian life matters, why does our urgency seem so different from one crisis to another? This does not mean caring less about one crisis, but caring more consistently about all of them,” he said. According to the Prime Minister, the international community’s response should be determined primarily by the scale, duration and severity of the suffering, rather than by geography, political alliances, media attention or political influence.

He also devoted a significant part of his speech to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a clear violation of the UN Charter and a direct attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a Member State. He pointed out that the international community had failed to effectively stop Russia’s aggression during the occupation of Crimea in 2014, and that this impunity ultimately led to a large-scale invasion in 2022.

“If a powerful state can seize its neighbour’s territory by force, every smaller state becomes less secure,” emphasised the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister called for the return of prisoners of war and civilian detainees, as well as Ukrainian children who have been forcibly displaced or deported. The objective must remain a just and lasting peace, based on the UN Charter and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ukraine must participate fully in all decisions concerning its future, and any settlement must provide credible security guarantees against renewed aggression. Slovenia will continue to support Ukraine on its path towards Europe.

Alongside these warnings, the Prime Minister also presented two specific proposals for reforming the functioning of the United Nations.

The first is the establishment of an independent mechanism, accountable to the General Assembly, which would annually compare the scale, duration and severity of the world’s major crises with the scale and nature of the international community’s response. Its purpose would not be to pass political judgements, but rather to increase transparency and to identify any patterns of selective response.

The second proposal is to strengthen safeguards against the political instrumentalisation of UN mandates and institutions. Their credibility must be based on transparent procedures, consistent criteria and equal standards of assessment for all Member States.

“If this organisation wishes to restore trust, it must begin by applying its own principles consistently,” the Prime Minister emphasised.

He also rejected the idea that the answer to the shortcomings of the current system lies in weakening multilateralism. On the contrary: “The answer is not to weaken multilateralism. It is to protect it from instrumentalisation.”

The United Nations, which delivers results for all, cannot, in his words, be an organisation that responds loudly to some crises and quietly to others. Trust will be restored when people’s suffering is, in itself, sufficient reason to take action, regardless of the political circumstances of any particular crisis.

The Prime Minister concluded his speech by calling on the international community to take responsibility for the future of the multilateral system.

“A United Nations that cannot uphold its own principles has no standing to ask the world for its trust. What we owe the people of the world is not sentiment. It is an institution consistent enough and far-sighted enough to be worthy of their trust,” he concluded.

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