NEW YORK, Sept 28 — Conflicts in West Asia and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are no longer issues affecting only the region concerned, as their repercussions are also being felt far beyond its borders, said Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

The Foreign Minister said the developments showed that the impact of wars today is no longer confined to the countries or regions directly involved, but also affects people around the world in terms of the economy and daily life due to increasing interconnectedness among countries.

“In the past, the effects and suffering of war were felt by those directly involved, but now, because the world is interconnected, war is not only confined to the respective regions but its effects are also felt elsewhere.

“The war, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the conflict in West Asia are also being felt by families in Southeast Asia through rising prices of goods, higher fuel prices and various other impacts,” he said.

He said this at a press conference after delivering Malaysia’s national statement at the General Debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) here on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said the United Nations (UN) needed to return to the principles on which it was founded to ensure that the lessons of war remained at the heart of efforts to prevent human suffering and destruction.

He said that after several decades, the world appeared to be increasingly forgetting the suffering caused by wars, even as conflicts continued in Europe, Africa and West Asia.

“Many have forgotten the suffering endured by people around the world, and how war brings suffering and destruction,” he said.

Mohamad said international confidence in the UN was declining, with what he described as a serious “trust deficit” emerging.

He also called for reforms at the UN and particularly its Security Council (UNSC), especially regarding the use of veto power, which should not be exercised arbitrarily, particularly in matters involving crimes against humanity, genocide and other crimes.

He said numerous resolutions had been passed at the UN level, but decisions could be stalled when they reached the Security Council and were vetoed, even when they had received broad support from UN members.

“Even when more than two-thirds of the votes at the United Nations approve a resolution, it still does not become a reality,” he said.

Mohamad said the situation could also be seen in the continued violations of international law and international humanitarian law, while appropriate action could not be taken.

He said if the situation was not addressed, the UN would continue to fail to fulfil the objectives expected of it by the international community.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said developments in artificial intelligence (AI) needed to be regulated with clear guidelines to prevent it from being misused as a weapon that could harm humanity, particularly in the context of warfare.

“AI needs to be regulated. If it is not regulated, it will become another force capable of causing harm,” he said. — Bernama