Dear friends,

High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly opens in New York later this month. This is an opportunity for leaders to defend the international rule of law, now under severe attack.

Violations of international law are nothing new. But they have grown more frequent and more normalised in recent years and, ironically, are carried out by the very powers supposed to be its chief guarantors, as permanent members of the UN Security Council. Each violation of international law emboldens others. Knowing that there is no credible referee, the unacceptable becomes normal. The system grows weaker. 

The rule of law is often dismissed as an abstract or technical subject, or even a colonial legacy. This is emphatically not the case. Such narratives only make it easier for autocrats to dismiss it, especially at a time of growing geopolitical tension.

We can only regret that public scepticism about international cooperation is rising. People need to recognise what the international rule of law and its institutions deliver. They provide indispensable global public goods in multiple areas – for international peace and security, public health, communications and transportation, and the environment, among many others. They make our everyday lives safer and more predictable. Dismiss them and the most vulnerable will pay the highest price.

The world now faces multiple existential threats: nuclear weapons, the climate and nature crisis, pandemics and poorly regulated artificial intelligence. No country can tackle these challenges alone. The rule of law is the framework that makes cooperation possible. 

This is why The Elders are launching a new campaign on international rule of law. We will defend those who champion it, challenge the ‘might-is-right’ narrative and push for concrete institutional reforms to close loopholes that enable violations.

We urge everyone attending this UNGA High-Level Week to speak with one voice to insist that rights must be respected, and those who abuse them must be held to account. A stronger, fairer, more consistent rule of law is vital to overcome our greatest threats and protect our fundamental freedoms. 

With thanks for your ongoing support,
Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León