United nations: Stressing that conflicts are “diplomacy delayed and dialogue denied,” Pakistan urged the global community to transform preventive rhetoric into concrete action during Thursday’s United Nations Security Council high-level debate.
‘Diplomacy must not be the instrument we scramble for after peace has failed,’ Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations (UN), told the 15-member Council.
Convened by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the session specifically reviewed the impact of Resolution 2788, the landmark framework unanimously adopted the previous year under Pakistan’s presidency, underscoring Chapter VI of the UN Charter, which mandates the pacific settlement of international disputes through negotiation, inquiry, and mediation.
The resolution requested the UN Secretary-General to provide recommendations to further strengthen mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes, one year following its adoption, which drew high raise from the Council members while outlining their positions.
In his remarks, the Pakistani envoy maintained that relying on mediation and regional cooperation must be the global norm rather than an exception. He pushed for the Security Council to shift away from merely reacting to conflicts and instead prioritize diplomatic mechanisms to halt disputes from escalating.
Pakistan, Ambassador Asim Ahmad said, has firm belief in the pacific settlement of disputes.
“On the core issue bedeviling peace and stability in South Asia – the longstanding Jammu and Kashmir dispute – Pakistan remains committed to a peaceful settlement in accordance with the numerous resolutions of the Security Council,” he said.
Those resolutions, he added, affirmed the principle of self-determination of the Kashmiri people and provided that the final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir would be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite to be conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.
Following the directives laid out in Resolution 2788, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed the Council, delivering concrete recommendations to bolster UN mediation capabilities and encourage member states to effectively utilize the tools outlined in Article 33 of the UN Charter.
Continuing his remarks, Ambassador Asim Ahmad referred to the recent practical manifestation of Pakistan’s attachment to peaceful settlement — the effort undertaken to facilitate a lasting resolution to the conflict in West Asia.
“Together with brotherly countries and partners, Pakistan continues to play a constructive mediating role between Iran and the United States, facilitating engagement that culminated in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the initiation of subsequent negotiations,” he said.
The Islamabad MoU, he added, was a clear demonstration of what determined diplomacy could achieve: channels were opened, parties were brought together, precious lives were saved and all efforts redirected towards dialogue.
“We regret the renewed outbreak of hostilities and the interruption of the diplomatic process, which has once again exposed the region and the wider world to grave risks,” the Pakistani envoy said, hoping that all parties would exercise restraint and return soon to the negotiating table.
“We believe that whenever negotiations falter, the answer is not in less but more determined diplomacy. Pakistan will continue its earnest efforts in that spirit.”
Responding to UN chief’s recommendations, Ambassador Asim Ahmad proposed the following measure to strengthen UN’s role in dispute settlement:
— The Council should engage at the earliest signs of friction – not when a crisis has already erupted. The most consequential success of this Council may be the crisis that is prevented from escalating.
— The Council should establish structured follow-up for the implementation of its resolutions. A Council resolution must not mark the end of the Council’s engagement. It must initiate an accountable implementation that should lead to resolution of the conflict.
— The Council should make early and effective use of Article 34. Impartial enquiry, discreet fact-finding, technical assessment and reporting by the Secretary-General can establish a credible understanding of events, counter disinformation, reduce miscalculation and provide an objective basis for diplomacy.
— The Charter’s mechanisms must not remain an abstract catalogue of possibilities; they must become readily available options for timely action. The Secretariat should develop a practical Chapter VI toolkit.
— Stronger political and material support must be provided to the Secretary-General’s good offices and the impartial role of the Secretariat. At the same time, the Mediation Support Unit must receive adequate resources.
— Where disputes involve questions of law, the Council should encourage recourse to the International Court of Justice, arbitration or other appropriate legal mechanisms. Where necessary, it should also consider seeking advisory opinions from the Court.
— Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations must become more systematic, and,
— The Council should periodically review its Chapter VI practice– assessing where early engagement succeeded, where opportunities were missed, which mechanisms proved effective and how lessons can be institutionalized.
“Together with the Charter, Resolution 2788 will continue to remain a living framework for prevention, diplomatic engagement and practical cooperation,” Ambassador Asim Ahmad said, noting that . It is an important beginning – not the completion of the task.
Pakistan, he said, hopes that Member States will continue, in the years ahead, to advance its implementation.
At a time when armed conflicts were growing across regions, he said, the costs of delayed diplomacy were becoming more evident.
“Every new crisis underscores a simple truth: there is no military substitute for a just and lasting peace. We must therefore place renewed emphasis on prevention, dialogue, mediation and the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the Charter.”
“Let Resolution 2788 help strengthen a United Nations that does that more effectively, delivering peace and justice in the true spirit of the Charter.”
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres unveiled concrete recommendations for peaceful dispute settlement, following Pakistan-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 2788 (2025).
In this regard, Guterres stressed leveraging Chapter VI mechanisms to counter widening geopolitical divides.
His actionable roadmap outlines practical steps for the United Nations, member states, and regional organizations to strengthen diplomacy. The core recommendations include:
Expanding Preventive Diplomacy: Urging member states to utilize Article 33 of the UN Charter early, favoring dialogue, mediation, and arbitration to prevent conflicts from escalating.
Enhancing Good Offices: Maximizing the Secretary-General’s good offices and mediation support teams to facilitate discreet and open conflict resolution.
Empowering Regional Cooperation: Calling for stronger collaboration between the UN and regional or sub-regional organizations for locally-owned de-escalation strategies.
“Today, conflicts are increasing in number, complexity, length and scope,” Guterres said, adding: “Impunity is spreading. Violations are going unanswered.”
Warning that “the situation is getting out of control,” he said: “It is teetering on the edge of the unimaginable.”
Urging the restoration of navigational rights and freedoms around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, he said: “International navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab must be fully restored.”
“Diplomacy is the only way forward,” Guterres added.
Turning to Gaza, Guterres said civilians continue to pay a heavy price despite a ceasefire, with people being killed in their homes and communities “as Israel increases its control of Gaza.”
“At the same time, living conditions remain intolerable, and horrific diseases are spreading, with humanitarian operations heavily impeded,” he said.
In the occupied West Bank, Guterres warned of “creeping annexation” amid violence, extensive Israeli military operations, occupiers’ expansion, and “large-scale displacement.”
“The region is being pulled into an ever-widening circle of confrontation,” he said.
