UNA-UK has written to all major UK political parties, asking them for a statement on the United Nations. By shedding light on the approaches taken by different parties we hope to contribute to an informed national conversation on foreign policy, and help raise awareness of the ways in which the international system delivers benefits to British citizens.
Read more on this initiative and read other parties' statements
The Green Party's approach to the United Nations
The Green Party is deeply committed to multilateralism and the UN's three pillars of human rights, peace and security, and sustainable development. We view the UN as critically important but in need of reform and democratisation. There is a disjuncture between international decision-making, national policies and the engagement and experiences of people on the ground.
Greens recognise that all peoples and nations have fundamental security interests in preventing armed conflict and fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and that the UN is most effective when it works as a constructive partnership of governments, international agencies and organisations of experts and practitioners, and civil society, including community organisations.
Our approach is to work with the UN, other relevant bodies, Global Green partners and communities on the ground to address the impacts of environmental pollution and implement changes to minimise further climate chaos, including through funds to enable climate change adaptation and resilience through the UN Adaptation Fund. We will provide resources for green economic and energy initiatives and to support communities and countries to protect endangered species and marine and terrestrial environments against further human-induced harm.
To strengthen the effectiveness and legitimacy of the UN and associated bodies and enable it to reflect the real needs and interests of all countries and peoples, Greens advocate reform of the UN Security Council, including ending the system of five permanent seats with veto power. This dates back to the Second World War and impedes UN action to deal with 21st century challenges. This should go together with a more transparent and democratic process for selecting and appointing the UN Secretary-General and other key officers, with genuine regard for gender balance and geographic representation.
Reforming and equipping the UN to fulfil its vital mission requires cooperation, respect and participation for the poor and disadvantaged as well as the dominant nations in UN decision-making. Too often we see the richest and most heavily-armed, polluting countries – dominated by patriarchal attitudes and governments – control decision-making that affects the fundamental survival and security of the most vulnerable people and countries in the world. The Green Party will work to implement UN Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and associated resolutions, which mandate the fuller engagement of women in negotiations and bodies dealing with national, regional and international peace and security, recognising how oppression, violent conflicts, industrial pollution and habitat destruction disproportionately harm women and children.
Green Party priorities for UK action on UN objectives include implementing the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and constructive participation in the UN's multilateral negotiations on a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading to their elimination. The UK needs to put in place effective resources to achieve and implement these important agreements. Greens would reverse recent decisions to boycott the UN multilateral disarmament talks and spend billions on a successor to Trident nuclear weapons. Rather than pursuing environmentally risky technologies such as fracking and nuclear power plants, we would enable Britain to take the lead in investing in green technologies and jobs for sustainable, renewable energy production and conservation, working cooperatively with UN members across the world.
