UN chief for new style to stop war

United Nations : New UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday called for a “whole new approach” to prevent war, vowing to boost the world body’s mediation capacity to tackle global conflicts.

Making his first address to the Security Council since taking office, Guterres said too much time and too many resources were being spent on responding to crises rather than preventing them.

“People are paying too high a price,” he said. “We need a whole new approach.”

The ex-prime minister of Portugal and former head of the UN refugee agency took over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1 with a promise to shake up the world body. But Guterres is confronted with a deeply divided Security Council that has notably been unable to take decisive action to end the nearly six-year war in Syria, where more than 310,000 people have been killed.

The rules-based international order “is under grave threat,” he said, describing the UN response to global crises as “fragmented.” He announced plans to launch an initiative to enhance mediation as part of his commitment to a “surge in diplomacy for peace,” but he did not offer details.The 67-year-old is expected to have a more hands-on approach than his predecessor.