A panel titled 'Stratcom Public Forum: A Fairer World is Possible' was held in the administrative capital of the Netherlands, The Hague, jointly organised by the Directorate of Communications and the Embassy of Türkiye in The Hague.
The panel was attended by Selçuk Ünal, the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to The Hague, Sudan's Charge d'Affaires in The Hague Omaima Mahmoud Ahmed Alsharief, former Dutch Ambassador to Ankara Nikolaos van Dam, as well as counsellors and members of the diplomatic corps working in diplomatic missions in The Hague, alongside international officials, academics, journalists, and other guests.
The panel, which commenced with a video screening titled "A Fairer World Is Possible" that underscored the necessity of reforming international institutions, moved on with the opening remarks.
The Presidency’s Head of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, addressed the panel via video message.
In his speech, the Ambassador of Türkiye to The Hague, Ünal, stated that an important theme reflecting the current discussions on the effectiveness of the existing international order was selected, adding, "I am confident that today’s discussions will produce valuable insights into how we can address common challenges regarding the effectiveness of the international order."
He subsequently stated that the motto, "The world is bigger than Five", encapsulates President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call for reform in the United Nations (UN). He further noted that, as Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan recently emphasised at the Munich Security Conference, the international system is confronted with substantial challenges to achieving peace.
Ünal stated, "A fairer world requires the prioritisation of justice and equity which is predicated on multilateralism. We are of the opinion that regional ownership is key in the pursuit of political solutions to conflicts. Issues in Palestine, Syria, Ukraine, and Africa, and particularly Gaza serve as illustrations of this. Türkiye is making every effort to contribute to the resolution of all global conflicts.”
Head of the External Affairs Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, Jonathan Agar, said in his speech that in addition to the threats it receives, the Court is also backed by numerous countries.
International Relations Professor at the Free University of Brussels Koert Debeuf said that Belgium, during its tenure as a member of the UN Security Council, closely monitored the Uganda issue. He also noted that the process underscored the necessity for a fairer and more functional UN structure.
Debeuf said, “The veto power is an outdated practice. Eighty years ago, five countries had the power to make all the decisions. Despite the fact that the UN General Assembly has a substantial majority in favour of recognising Palestine as a state, this attempt is impeded by a veto. This highlights a clear injustice. Additionally, there is also a lack of multiculturalism and injustice in representation.”
Assoc. Prof. İsmail Çağlar from the Directorate of Communications emphasised that the current political system has failed and noted that serious war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed in different parts of the world, with Israel's crimes in Gaza in particular. He also noted that these crimes often go unpunished.
According to Alberto Turkstra, an expert at the Diplomatic World Institute, the UN system lacks the necessary capacity to address the complex challenges of the 21st century. Turkstra noted, “To this day, 69 countries have never held a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council. Each time a veto is exercised in the UN Security Council, it must be referred to the UN General Assembly, and the decision of the General Assembly must be considered valid.”
Dr Arnold Yasin Mol from Leiden University asserted that the demand for a fairer world comes not only from developing countries but also from students in the rich countries of developed Western civilisation.
At the end of the program, the participants had the opportunity to enjoy a screening of the documentary “Devrim” (Revolution). The documentary chronicles the life of Turkish painter Devrim Erbil, from his initial discovery of painting in Anatolia during the Second World War to his evolution into a universal artist.