Belgium at UN calls for equal application of international law

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that international law must be applied consistently across all conflicts, warning that principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and civilian protection should not become selective standards depending on geography. Prevot specifically cited Palestine, Sudan, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti as regions where humanitarian principles must hold the same weight as in Europe. "No human life is worth less than another. Civilians remain civilians. They must be protected," he said.

The Belgian minister linked the principle of legal consistency to the war in Ukraine, noting that allowing borders to be changed by force would threaten security elsewhere. He described humanitarian assistance as neither "an optional expense, a reward or a bargaining chip," adding that "the same standard must guide us when it comes to international humanitarian law. Its rules do not apply only when they suit us."

Institutional reforms

Prevot also pressed for reforms to the United Nations structure while cautioning against changes that would undermine the organization's core functions, and he called for greater representation for every world region. Turning to artificial intelligence, he warned governments against stifling innovation through fear while stressing that technology cannot be left to regulate itself. "We must neither hold back innovation out of fear nor assume that it will regulate itself," he said.

The foreign minister used his address to defend the independence of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, stating that both institutions rest on the principle that "power cannot be its own judge." He pledged that Belgium would stand with judges and staff facing pressure for carrying out their mandates, according to the ministry. Prevot delivered his remarks on Tuesday during the UN General Assembly's general debate in New York.