UN alliance reaffirms commitment to international legal standards News
Basil D Soufi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
UN alliance reaffirms commitment to international legal standards

The United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), and European Union (EU) issued a joint statement on Sunday reaffirming their commitment to international legal standards amid growing global “disregard” for established legal frameworks.

Meeting at UN Headquarters during the General Assembly’s 80th session, the three organizations explicitly condemned the “rising number of instances of lack of respect for international law, international humanitarian law and human rights law,” while emphasizing strict adherence to the UN Charter as the foundational legal instrument for international relations.

The alliance called for coordinated enforcement of Security Council mandates. Sunday’s statement specifically voices support for UN Security Council Resolution 2773. Resolution 2773, adopted in February, condemns the M23 rebel movement’s offensive in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and demands that M23 immediately cease hostilities and withdraw from controlled areas, while also calling on Rwanda to end its support for M23 and withdraw its forces from Congolese territory.

Sunday’s statement also calls for continued efforts in support of UN Security Council Resolution 2719. Adopted in 2023, Resolution 2719 allows the UN to help pay for AU peacekeeping missions using money from UN member countries, covering up to 75 percent of costs on a case-by-case basis.

This partnership shows the three organizations are working together to uphold international law at a time when many observers fear that international legal standards are being ignored. The trilateral alliance aims to strengthen the rule of law and encourages nations to work through established international institutions.