World unable to function well without UN: official

UNITED NATIONS, May 5 (Xinhua) -- A United Nations official said the world would not function well without the organization.

President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Munir Akram made the statement at a UN General Assembly dialogue on multilateralism and diplomacy on Wednesday.

"We should all imagine what the world would be like without the United Nations system on a daily basis. Everything in the world functions on the basis of the system that has been put in place by the United Nations primarily," said Akram, who is also Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN

"Multilateralism is the United Nations," Akram said, noting that the UN is a "member state driven organization."

Speaking of the challenges facing ECOSOC members, Akram said it is "crystal clear" that COVID-19 "is the most serious health, economic and social crisis in the history of the United Nations."

"We had to address the pandemic. Science has succeeded, but solidarity has so far failed," said the veteran diplomat. "We need to ensure equitable and early access to the vaccine to all the peoples of the world."

Akram said ECOSOC has convened a special meeting and listed several recommendations for action.

Turning to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Akram said the goals are "a blueprint for our development, but the question is implementation by member states ... That should be our focus, rather than politicizing issues in one way or the other," said Akram.

The ECOSOC head said, "if we are going to achieve the SDGs, we have to conquer this pandemic, and we need to express the solidarity in order to conquer this pandemic."

On the issue of human rights, Akram noted that human rights are central. "What promotes human rights is human progress, is development, is the ability to give every person in the world a decent living standard."

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday held the Interactive Dialogue to Commemorate and Promote the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. The day was established on Dec. 12, 2018, through a UN resolution and was first observed on April 24, 2019.

Preserving the values of multilateralism and international cooperation, which underpin the UN Charter and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is fundamental for promoting and supporting the three pillars of the UN - peace and security, development and human rights.