A Fair World is possible

Bern: 12 February 2025

A Fairer World is Possible’ themed panel organised in Switzerland
A panel titled ‘Stratcom Public Forum: A Fairer World is Possible’ was organised in Bern, the capital of Switzerland, by the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Directorate of Communications and the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Bern.
The panel was attended by Şebnem İncesu, Ambassador of Turkey to Bern, Fazlı Çorman, Consul General of Turkey in Zurich, İpek Zeytinoğlu Özkan, Consul General of Turkey in Geneva, Suat Şahin, President of the Swiss Turkish Community (ITT), Bayram Altuğ, Communications Counsellor of the Embassy of Turkey in Bern, international officials, academics, journalists and other guests.
The panel started with a video screening on ‘A Fairer World is Possible’ emphasising the need for reform in international institutions and continued with opening speeches.
Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun sent a video message to the panel.
Incesu, Ambassador of Turkey to Bern, stated in his speech that the world is changing, that there is a gloomy outlook for 2025 and beyond geopolitically, and that the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest report on global risks points to deepening tensions.
Incesu emphasised that Turkey’s main foreign policy goal is ‘peace’ and that this stance is maintained in line with Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s motto ‘peace at home, peace in the world’.
Incesu stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pointed out that peace can be achieved with the argument ‘A fairer world is possible’.
‘We are living in an unprecedented transformation’
In his video message to the panel, Ambassador Burak Akçapar, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations Office at Geneva, stated that despite the remarkable progress in the world, deep inequalities persist and said, ‘We are living in a transformation and an unprecedented transformation.’
Emphasising that many regions are trapped in conflict, Akçapar said, ‘The current system does not correct global inequalities, it deepens them.’
Akçapar stated that the UN was established with the noble mission of promoting peace, security and cooperation, and that it has achieved great things in many respects, but that it is essential to reform its system.

Stating that Turkey stands by everyone seeking a fair and equitable world order where no one is left behind, Akçapar said:
‘We cannot afford to maintain a system that ignores a large part of humanity. The idea that the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council can represent the whole world is both outdated and unfair. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has made it clear that the world is bigger than 5. A fairer world is not an abstract ideal. It is a necessity. We can do better. We can achieve it. It is within our power to build this.’
The need for reform in the UN came to the fore in the panel
Following the opening speeches, a panel titled ‘A Fairer World is Possible’ was organised.
Speaking at the panel moderated by Marmara University academic Gonca Oğuz Gök, Consul General in Zurich Fazlı Çorman stated that the reform discussions in the UN had been going on for many years and that he had witnessed some of them between 2007 and 2011 when he was working in New York.
‘It is clear that reform must start with the Security Council, the main organ of the UN that addresses peace and security challenges. Recent global challenges to peace and security have exposed the flaws of the Security Council in fulfilling its mandate. The permanent members of the UN Security Council have been criticised for prioritising their own interests in the Syria, Ukraine and Gaza crises over global peace and security. This perception of the behaviour of the permanent members of the UN Security Council has a negative impact on the credibility of the entire UN.’
Stating that the UN Security Council has refrained from taking steps on many urgent issues, Çorman said that this situation reveals the Council’s shortcomings and gives the impression that it is ‘dysfunctional’.
Stating that this situation is contrary to the founding principles of the UN and poses a serious obstacle to joint efforts to build a peaceful world, Çorman continued:
‘It will be important to focus on a pragmatic approach to move the reform discussions forward, focusing on constructively negotiating elements of convergence that can garner broader support. In order to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the UN this year with a clear conscience, members need to focus on what is at stake for the common good of humanity when negotiating reform. It is not an easy task to resolve the issues on which the negotiating groups are divided. It can only succeed if all members realise that there is much to lose with the passage of time, but much to gain for a ‘fairer world’ if reformed.’
Reforming the UN is not easy
Dina Abi Saad, who has been working as a reporter at the UN Geneva Office since 2014, stated that there are many crises and wars around the world and that there is a need for a reform in the UN system, but it is not easy.
Noting that it is not easy to reach a just and peaceful world, but all countries, especially countries with regional influence such as Turkey, should fight for this, Saad said that these steps to be taken will help the UN to find solutions in countries where crises are experienced.
Saad pointed out that it is unfair that the UN Security Council resolutions are rejected by only 5 permanent members and that this attitude leads to the victimisation of many countries and people.
‘My family was killed only because they were Palestinians’
Ahmad Alnaouq, a Gazan journalist and Human Rights Observer for the Geneva-based non-governmental organisation Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Watch (Euro-Med), said that although he is a journalist and human rights activist, he is a victim of the international system.
Noting that he lost more than 20 family members in Gaza and survived because he was not there, Alnaouq said that what Israel did in Gaza was ‘genocide’ and that family members were killed in their homes.
Alnaouq said, ‘My father, my brothers, my nephews and nieces were all killed by a bomb. That bomb was made in the US, the UK and some European countries. They were killed just because they were Palestinians.’
Alnaouq said that dozens of resolutions were passed in the UN General Assembly against Israel, but they were never implemented and criticised the lack of sanctioning power of the UN.
Alnaouq said, ‘We were killed only because we were Palestinians. We were killed because we were not European. We see an international division where some people are more valuable than others.’
Catherine Fiankan-Bokonga, President of the Association of Press Officers Accredited to the UN Office at Geneva (ACANU), emphasised that the world is guided by the 5 Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, but this situation must change.
Fiankan-Bokonga stated that the last year was also difficult for journalists, and pointed out that people were prevented from learning about countries such as Turkey that play a very important role.
‘Switzerland is no longer neutral’
Swiss journalist Philipp Gut stated that Switzerland has lost its importance in the international arena and said, ‘Switzerland is no longer a neutral country.’
Reminding that the Ukraine Peace Conference was organised in Switzerland in June last year, Gut criticised the fact that Russia, a party to the war, was not invited to this conference.
Gut said, ‘If you want to reach peace or a ceasefire, you have to talk to everyone. Even if we are in a state of war, we should talk. Switzerland is no longer outside this picture and is not neutral.’
Reminding that Turkey organised a conference in Istanbul and invited the parties after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian War in February 2022, Gut congratulated Turkey for this attitude.
Gut emphasised that Western, US and Swiss diplomats prevented the establishment of peace at the conference in Istanbul and wanted the war to continue.
On the other hand, the 100th Anniversary of Turkey Photography Exhibition was also opened within the programme.
The programme ended with the screening of a documentary on the achievements and life of painter Devrim Erbil.