António Guterres (UN Secretary-General) on Upholding Navigational Rights and Freedoms- Security Council Media Stakeout

For those that have not enjoy that they've enjoyed.
Good morning.
Holidays are over.
Secretary-General will make some remarks and then we'll take a few questions.
Today, conflicts in different regions are converging in their impact on the world's most vulnerable people.
In the Middle East, ongoing attacks and the disruption of maritime traffic in the strait of Armuz and the Red Sea around Babel Mab are constraining the movement of energy, fertilizers, and other essential commodities.
In the conflict following Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine, attacks are threatening shipping routes vital for the export of oil, grain, and other agricultural products.
These crises are choking arteries of global trade and squeezing the global food system especially hard.
The result is clear, higher prices, deepening hunger, weaker harvests, and greater suffering, especially for the world's most vulnerable people.
In the strait of Hormuz alone, transits have come to a near standstill.
Meanwhile, oil prices remain about 36% higher since the start of the conflict.
Global container rates are 84% higher than a year ago, and the cost of fertilizers and other essential inputs are also sharply increasing.
Navigational rights and freedoms are not abstract principles, they are international law.
Those rights and freedoms are vital for international peace and security and for the flow of food, energy, and essential goods on which billions of lives depend.
And so my appeal is clear.
We need full respect for international law, including the law of the sea and international humanitarian law, protection for civilian shipping, infrastructure, and civilian seafarers, the upholding of navigational rights and freedoms, an immediate end to attacks against commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the Black Sea, the full restoration and respect of navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Armuz and an end to attacks against shipping in the Red Sea and around Babel Mendab.
Maritimme choke points must never become instruments of coercion.
And the world's food supply must never become collateral damage of conflict.
In March, I established a task force to develop and propose practical mechanisms, including to address humanitarian needs triggered by the Strait of Armus crisis.
This particular effort is led by the Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, UPS and includes Unktad, the International Maritimme Organization, and the International Chamber of Commerce.
They have worked with others to develop a practical and time bound confidence building mechanism focused initially on fertilizers and related raw materials, but with the ability to be extended to other products.
The mechanism would not authorize passage through the state of Hormuz or alter the rights or obligations of any member state under international law.
Sovereign decisions remain entirely with participating member states.
But the United Nations would serve as a neutral facilitator, and the purpose is simple to reduce immediate risks, support more orderly and predictable transit, and help rebuild the confidence necessary for diplomacy and de escalation.
It can be operationalized quickly.
International support for this effort has been encouraging, particularly from vulnerable countries that understand what is at stake when maritime lifelines are disrupted.
What is needed now is the cooperation and political will of the parties.
I urge all concerned to engage seriously and constructively.
This mechanism is not a substitute for fully restoring navigational rights and freedoms or for the political solutions needed to end these conflicts.
But it is a practical first step, a demonstration that even amid conflict, it is possible to reduce risks, protect civilians, and safeguard the movement of essential goods.
The alternative is continued disruption, deeper mistrust, and mounting hardship for people far beyond the regions directly affected.
But I want to be very clear.
The unimpeeded exercise of navigational rights and freedoms is a cornerstone of peace security and shared prosperity and must be respected.
Protecting it is a legal obligation and a humanitarian imperatives.
Today, more than ever, millions of vulnerable people around the world depend on the collective ability of all parties to uphold it.
I thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr.
Secretary-General, Edith Letter from the Associated Press, and we hope you enjoyed your vacation.
I Can you please tell us some details, explicit details of how this mechanism is going to work and have you discussed it with the parties and what was their reaction? Thank you.
The head of Hun ops has been in intense contacts with all countries involved in order to see the possibility of putting in place a mechanism that would be a mechanism of registration and verification of the ships carrying at least in the initial stage, fertilizers and related products, but of course, open to others and with the conflicting mechanism in Oman.
We have everything ready to do it.
Of course, it can only be done if the countries that are involved in this conflict all agree to accept the mechanism.
It will be a mechanism of verification of monitoring, and the conflicting in order to make sure that these products would be circulating without impediment.
Just a quick follow up.
When are you planning to propose this to them? Are there going to be some meetings about? We have already had all the parties involved have a detailed knowledge of what the mechanism of the mechanism would work.
Gabriel? Thank you, Mr.
Secretary-General Gabriel Azando from Al Jaeer English, a follow up to that question, sir.
The IRGC has already claimed that they control the Strait of Hormuz.
Under this mechanism, would the UN still need authorization from the IRGC or Iranian authorities? Let's be clear.
Our position is that freedom of navigation must be respected in all circumstances.
What we say is that if at a certain moment this is not yet possible, we would be ready with the agreement of the parties.
We would be ready to have a mechanism that, of course, would not exercise the sovereign rights of states.
These would need the sovereign agreement of the states involved.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you.