UN helps avert another world war, says Ban Ki-moon

Former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday that the United Nations has succeeded in preventing another world war.

"Without the United Nations, the international community could have never succeeded in preventing another world war in the past 70-plus years," Ban told a UN Security Council meeting on the role of the UN Charter in maintaining international peace and security.

Highlighting the UN's role in a dramatically changing world, Ban said the world body's efforts in maintaining world peace and security "are needed now more than ever."

Thanks to the UN, the international community has made significant gains in eradicating extreme poverty, promoting public health, and scaling-up access to education, the former UN chief said.

The briefing was the third Security Council meeting on the UN Charter since 2015. On Feb. 23, 2015, a ministerial-level open debate on the charter was convened at the initiative of China, marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the founding of the United Nations.