President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday extended his congratulations on the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, reiterating Türkiye’s support for the organization’s founding principles while urging reform to make it more representative and accountable to all humanity.
In a written message marking United Nations Day, Erdoğan emphasized that the world body, founded in the aftermath of two devastating world wars to promote peace, solidarity and cooperation, has faced and overcome numerous challenges over eight decades.
“Today, as we confront wars, humanitarian crises, hunger, poverty, Islamophobia, terrorism and climate change all at once, the historical responsibility of the U.N. continues to grow,” Erdoğan said.
He stressed that the U.N. can only fulfill its duties by upholding its founding values and principles more strongly, adding that reforming the Security Council – tasked with maintaining international peace and security – is “critically important.”
Erdoğan said the Security Council had “failed to deliver” during the Gaza genocide, where international law and fundamental humanitarian values were “trampled underfoot.”
“More than 70,000 Palestinians, including over 20,000 children, have been massacred and 170,000 people injured, turning Gaza into a massive pile of rubble. Yet, the Security Council has failed to ensure the safety of not only innocent Gazans but even U.N. personnel,” he said.
Reiterating his call for reform under the motto “The world is bigger than five,” Erdoğan expressed support for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ “UN80 Initiative” to strengthen the organization for the future.
He also noted Türkiye’s goal of turning Istanbul – a city that bridges civilizations and continents – into a U.N. center, citing its strategic location, accessibility, and qualified human resources.
“As Türkiye, we will continue to work for peace, stability and security to prevail across our region and the world,” Erdoğan said, marking Oct. 24 as United Nations Day and renewing his call for global action to restore the organization as “the hope of humanity.”
