UN General Assembly
2012

its centenary. Former Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali recognized the role of the Netherlands in the international legal order by naming The Hague the legal capital of the world. We need international law to protect people, societies and nations, or, as former Secretary-General Kofi Annan recently wrote, the United Nations Charter was issued in the name of we the peoples, not we the Governments. So we need a stronger international legal order, first, to preserve peace and security; secondly, to protect freedom; and thirdly, to promote prosperity. That is the task that we face. A strong international legal order helps to preserve peace and security. To achieve that goal, we need greater unity. I regret the persistent disagreement in the Security Council. It has prevented the United Nations from taking decisive action on Syria. The world is in desperate need of a strong, united and determined Security Council. Mediation, arbitration and judicial settlement are indispensable for the peaceful settlement of conflicts. We should cherish and develop those tools, as Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson has so rightly said.