Friends of the UN Charter Meet in New York

During the week of sessions of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, Lao, Nicaragua, Palestine, Russia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Syria, and Venezuela held the first ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter.

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Besides analyzing the recent challenges and threats to the UN Charter, the Group reflected on issues of common interest and ratified its commitment to the validity of multilateralism.

"We reaffirm that the UN Charter, its purposes and principles remain timeless, universal, and indispensable not only to preserve and promote international peace and security, the rule of law, economic development, social progress, and human rights," it said.

They are also essential to “achieve a more peaceful, prosperous, just and equitable world, as well as a system based on the rules established in that universal and legally binding instrument, which constitutes an achievement for humanity and a true act of faith in the best of humanity,” the Group pointed out.

The UN Charter Friends expressed their concern about the behavior of some countries that resort to unilateralism to the detriment of international cooperation and solidarity, “which must be deepened now more than ever, even in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to forge collective, inclusive, and effective solutions to 21st century common challenges and threats.”

During the first ministerial meeting, the participants also highlighted their support for the nations that are victims of the U.S. arbitrary sanctions, which violate both the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and basic norms of international law.

"We renew our call for full respect for the inalienable right of the peoples to self-determination, as well as for the territorial integrity and political independence of all nations," they said, and invited other countries to join the Group of Friends to promote a common agenda aimed at ensuring that "no one is left behind."