President John Dramani Mahama has called for renewed respect for international law, insisting that the United Nations Charter must take precedence over what he described as the cynical doctrine that “might makes right".

Speaking during the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday, September 24, President Mahama said the world was witnessing a dangerous drift towards unilateralism, lawlessness and the erosion of multilateral norms.

"The United Nations must learn from the lessons of the League of Nations. The UN Charter must reign supreme over the cynical doctrine that "might makes right". The veto power must never serve as a licence for impunity. Sovereign equality cannot be a privilege reserved only for nations aligned with global superpowers," he said.

He said the credibility of the international system was particularly being tested by the ongoing conflict involving Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and the occupied territories.

President Mahama called for an end to diplomatic euphemisms surrounding the humanitarian situation in Gaza and urged all parties to respect international humanitarian law.

"Nowhere is this crisis of credibility more painful than in the ongoing persecution of the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, and the occupied territories. We must stop using diplomatic euphemisms to veil the human carnage taking place in Gaza.

How many more innocent lives must be lost before the world acts with decisive moral authority? The blood of five-year-old Hind Rajab, and the more than 20,000 children killed in this brutal conflict, cries out to the conscience of the world."

Ghana, he reaffirmed, remains committed to the recognition of the sovereign State of Palestine and supports a viable Two-State solution in which Israel and Palestine coexist in peace and security with guaranteed borders.

He also condemned acts of terrorism by Hamas that triggered the conflict, stressing that international humanitarian standards must be applied consistently.

“Our moral standards cannot be selective,” President Mahama said.