The key global issue is not the clash of north and south: it’s who supports international law and who doesn’t | Jean-Noël Barrot

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We are being told that the world is divided between a “global north” and a “global south”. But what exactly is meant by that? An economic difference? Of the 20 leading global economies, several are in the south. In the south, some countries are many, many times richer than their neighbours. A climate difference? The climate crisis affects every country in the world, and especially small island states and the poorest countries. The 10 greatest emitters, if we go by CO₂ emissions per inhabitant, are split between countries in the north and south.

Are we talking about a migration difference? A huge number of migrations are between countries in the south. A political divide? In both the north and the south, there are those who support collective solutions, and conversely, those who support efforts to withdraw from global affairs. In both the north and the south, there is competition between regional powers. In both the north and the south, there are countries that comply with international law and others that flout it.

Yes, we are living in a fragmented world, but is this happening at the line of geographical division between north and south? Certainly not. The UN doesn’t recognise this artificial division either. It focuses on categories of countries that need the most international support.

The real line of division is the one that separates those that support the international rules-based order from the rest. The discussion we should be having, at G20 meetings and everywhere else, is not the clash between north and south, but between those that support the law and those that support power by force.

The French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot.

In France, our moral compass is not guided by north or south, but by justice. We do not avert our eyes from any crisis or violation of international law. A country under attack is a country under attack, and an aggressor country is an aggressor country. This distinction does not change based on whether the country is in the north or the south.

That is why France at once condemns violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza and the West Bank, the 7 October terrorist attacks against Israel, the war of aggression led by Russia against Ukraine, and the atrocities perpetrated by Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. That is why it is fully committed to maintaining the ceasefire in Lebanon, after working towards its adoption alongside the US. That is why it is working to bring an end to the clashes in the Great Lakes region, where M23 rebels continue to violate the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is why France is working so that Syrian men and women can live in peace and freedom in a sovereign, peaceful Syria that is reintegrated in its regional environment. And I have travelled to each of these regions to strongly reassert our beliefs.

Because France does not use double standards. And the voice of France, which tirelessly defends equality and law, will continue to be heard, at a time when law is contested, if we strengthen international law. This implies that there is a role for everyone to play in global governance, and therefore, that it must be reformed. Every second we waste on the path to multilateralism reform fuels claims its institutions are illegitimate. France would like to see crucial projects for the future of peace and global governance to be completed between now and 2026, when our country will hold the presidency of the G7.

As the 80th anniversary of the UN’s creation approaches, let us move forward with determination so that our institutions reflect today’s world, and so that a rightful place can be given to our African partners in global governance, the UN security council and international financial institutions. We must also make progress on practical implementation of the Paris pact for peoples and the planet initiated by the French president, Emmanuel Macron. Because no country should have to choose between fighting poverty and fighting climate breakdown. Because we need private funding so that development assistance is sufficient, and because we must innovate to support developing countries.

I believe that South Africa would like this to be a key aspect of its current presidency of the G20. It can count on France’s full support.