Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said the U.N. Security Council is limited in its ability to resolve international disputes, pointing for instance to recent arms deals between North Korea and Russia in violation of Security Council resolutions.

The minister made the remarks Wednesday during an open debate on “leadership for peace” in New York, where he called on other Security Council members to address the root causes of regional and global conflicts.  

The minister urged North Korea and Russia to comply with the council’s resolutions, saying the arms trade between the two nations exemplifies the UN body’s failure to fulfill its role.

Cho said many of today’s humanitarian challenges, ranging from poverty and the refugee crisis to resource allocation, are interlinked with security and development.

To tackle the root causes, he called for an integrated, consistent approach that links humanitarian assistance and development to peace and security.