Statement by the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, at the Security Council Open Debate on "Promoting international peace and security through multilateralism and peaceful settlement of disputes" - July 22nd, 2025

Mr. President,

We were encouraged by the choice of topic for this Open Debate. It joins other previous events, such as China`s, last year, and Brazil`s, the year before, which also explored the relationship between multilateralism and the UN`s role in the peaceful settlement of disputes.

Each of these debates, on their own, have been very enriching. Yet, together, they point to something even larger: a sustained interest in reexamining the role of this Council and its tools, particularly in the current context of increasing number of conflicts, geopolitical polarization and distrust.

The discussion is especially relevant this year, as we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the United Nations amid ever more urgent and widespread calls for comprehensive and ambitious reforms. Sometimes, reform may include rediscovering or reenergizing what exists. This should be the case of the pacific settlement of disputes under the Charter.

Chapter VI has pride of place in the enumeration of the powers of the Council, for various reasons. Not only is it logical and morally correct to begin from the least coercive measures but it is also more efficient and effective. Just as in medicine, where good primary care can prevent much costlier and riskier visits to the emergency room, so too with the sequencing of powers of the Council.

For too long, this Council has functioned as an emergency room. This has made its interventions high risk and high cost. Interventions at the ER stage are often unsuccessful. Too little, too late.

Emergency rooms have their uses, but they cannot be our main or only resource. We must invest on the role of the Council as a provider of "primary care".

Chapter VI, if used correctly, has three key advantages. First, chapter VI can provide useful tools for reestablishing one of the most essential aspects of multilateral diplomacy, which we seem to have lost: trust. When trust is eroded, there is little the international community can do to solve major
challenges.

Second, the very non-coercive nature of Chapter VI measures increases the sense of ownership by the parties to the dispute, which often leads to durable solutions and sustained processes.

Thirdly, effective Chapter VI action can reinforce the legitimacy of the Council. The excessive focus on Chapter VII has meant that the Council has been pulled between extremes, caught between inaction and haphazard action. Both of these extremes have hurt the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Council.

Mr. President,

At the open debate organized by Brazil in 2023, my delegation suggested concrete ideas for strengthening the Council`s Chapter VI tools. These included better funding and more appropriate mandates for Special Political Missions and the establishment of subsidiary bodies for sustained oversight of Chapter VI measures, similar to how the sanctions committees monitor Chapter VII action. These tools could be incorporated in any future improvement in the Council`s work.

Yet there is also much that the Council can do now and by itself, with its existing tools. From the Korean Peninsula to the Middle East and to Europe, we see real "diplomatic gaps" that could and should be filled by Council engagement under Chapter VI. Better and more effective coordination with the peacebuilding commission should also be a fruitful avenue to be explored.

President Lula recently spoke about the need to "recommit to diplomacy and rebuild the foundations of true multilateralism". For this Council, that means rediscovering its Chapter VI toolbox in order to provide diplomatic solutions that are more efficient, inclusive and durable. In diplomacy, as in health, prevention is the best policy.

I thank you.