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UN backs Palestinian bid for membership

The assembly adopted a resolution with 143 votes in favour and nine against – including the US and Israel – while 25 countries abstained…reports Asian Lite News

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognising it as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favourably”.

The vote by the 193-member UNGA on Friday was a global survey of support for the Palestinian bid to become a full UN member – a move that would effectively recognise a Palestinian state – after the United States vetoed it in the UN Security Council last month.

The assembly adopted a resolution on Friday with 143 votes in favour and nine against – including the US and Israel – while 25 countries abstained. It does not give the Palestinians full UN membership, but simply recognises them as qualified to join.

The UNGA resolution “determines that the State of Palestine … should therefore be admitted to membership” and it “recommends that the Security Council reconsider the matter favourably”.

While the UNGA alone cannot grant full UN membership, the draft resolution on Friday will give the Palestinians some additional rights and privileges from September 2024 – like a seat among the UN members in the assembly hall – but it will not be granted a vote in the body.

Prior to the vote, Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s ambassador to the UN told the UNGA that “voting ‘Yes’ is the right thing to do and I can assure you, you and your country for years to come will be proud to have stood for freedom, justice and peace in this darkest hour.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the resolution’s passage showed that the world stands with the rights and freedom of the Palestinian people, and against Israel’s occupation.

“I think strategically speaking, this [the vote] is not going to make any difference to Gaza,” Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said. “It is far more symbolic. It is an important milestone for Palestine for achieving status in the world arena.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, condemned the vote and said that the UN is now welcoming a “terror state” into its ranks. “The United Nations was founded with the mission of ensuring such tyranny [of the Nazis] never raises its ugly head again,” he said.

“Today, you are about to do the exact opposite and advance the establishment of a Palestinian terror state, which will be led by the Hitler of our times.”

An application to become a full UN member first needs to be approved by the 15-member Security Council and then the UNGA. If the measure is again voted on by the council it is likely to face the same fate: a US veto. Bishara said that stances towards the US likely affected Friday’s vote.

“I think a good number of votes [in favour] were against the United States as much as they were for Palestine, and I think a good number of votes were abstaining under pressure from the United States.”

Israel’s brutal retaliation for Hamas’s October attack gave the impetus for the move to upgrade Palestine’s status after the full membership bid failed. Many US allies like France, Australia, and Japan voted for the resolution, while others like Britain, Germany, and Italy abstained, leaving Washington with a small coterie of mostly small states voting with it and Israel against the resolution.

More than 34,000 people, most of them women and children, have been killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza, from where Hamas launched the attack in which about 1,200 people were killed and about 240 were kidnapped.

After Israel’s invasion of Gaza destroyed its infrastructure and limited the supply of food to the territory, UN officials have warned of a looming famine there.

Israel ordered the people of Gaza to move south to avoid the impact of the invasion and more than 1.2 million are huddled in the small area of Rafah, which is now threatened with an imminent attack by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis said before the vote: “Today, this untenable situation continues to deteriorate at alarming speed — bringing countless innocent victims into its deadly fold and pushing the region further to the brink of full-scale catastrophe.”

“This General Assembly is convoked today to pronounce itself within its powers and mandate — and to uphold the functions and responsibilities bestowed upon it by the United Nations Charter,” he said while calling upon the members “to purposely assess the situation before us with nothing else in mind, but a commitment to peace as our utmost ambition”.

Several countries referred to the harrowing situation in Gaza, while also condemning the Hamas attack and imprisonment of the hostages. Many also emphasised the need for a two-nation solution of independent Israel and Palestine existing side-by-side, the basis of which would be the recognition of Palestine as a full member.

OIC welcomes UNGA vote

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcomed on Friday the UN General Assembly’s adoption of a historic resolution, with a sweeping majority, stressing that Palestine’s state is qualified to become a full member and granting it additional rights.

In a statement, the OIC said this resolution expressed an international consensus on backing the legitimate rights of Palestinian people, including self-determination, freedom, justice, independence and the need to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.

It affirmed its absolute support for the legitimate rights of Palestine’s state in embodying its political and legal position at the UN, like that of the rest of the world’s states, as a gain that should have been implemented for decades, according to the statement.

ALSO READ-UN Votes To Back Palestinian Bid For Full Membership

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UN report warns of emergency levels of food insecurity in Afghanistan

The UN agency stated that the situation is getting “worse” in Afghanistan due to the increase in malnutrition. One of the main causes of the rise in malnutrition in Afghanistan has reportedly due to the decrease in humanitarian supplies to the nation…reports Asian Lite News

An estimated 15.8 million people in war-ravaged Afghanistan will experience crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity in 2024, said a United Nations (UN) report released on Thursday.

According to the 2023 UN Afghanistan Annual Results Report, the majority of Afghanistan’s population is unable to procure basic needs such as healthcare, food, livelihood and housing, Xinhua news agency reported.

“As 2023 began, families across Afghanistan continued to struggle to feed their children. Nine out of 10 people were not consuming an adequate amount of food, the cost of which absorbed an overwhelming 89 per cent of household incomes,” it said.

According to the 2023 Global Hunger Index, Afghanistan ranked 114th among 125 countries with sufficient data to calculate the index scores.

War-torn Afghanistan with a population of about 40 million has been facing poverty and economic hardships since the withdrawal of US-led forces in August 2021.

Meanwhile, the United Nations World Food Programme in Afghanistan has warned regarding the rise in malnutrition among women and children in the country, according to Khaama Press.

The report highlights that during the previous three years, the number of admissions for malnutrition in Kabul has tripled.

The UN agency stated that the situation is getting “worse” in Afghanistan due to the increase in malnutrition. One of the main causes of the rise in malnutrition in Afghanistan has reportedly due to the decrease in humanitarian supplies to the nation.

According to Mishro, a nurse at a malnutrition ward, the mental and psychological health of women has declined over the last two years, and the number of malnutrition cases in Afghanistan has been rising, Khaama Press reported.

She underlined that there is not enough room for these patients and that undernourished moms have contributed to their children’s malnourishment.

“For women who are malnourished, the situation is not good in 50 per cent of cases,” she continued.

Meanwhile, World Food Programme has also highlighted the rise in the number of malnourished women in the nation.

This occurs at the same time that human rights organisations are becoming increasingly concerned about Afghanistan’s rising rates of poverty and malnutrition, particularly among women.

Afghan people have been leaving their homes because of poverty, insecurity and conflicts in the country.

Moreover, Afghanistan’s women have faced numerous challenges since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Taliban leaders have also disregarded international calls for women and girls to be given access to education and employment. Apparently, they have also issued warnings to other nations not to meddle in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Afghanistan: 15.8M People in Food Insecurity Crisis

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Whistleblower alleges UN cover-up of special favours for China

The evidence also includes a submission from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)…reports Asian Lite News

In a significant revelation, former Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly has levelled serious accusations against the United Nations, alleging a disturbing nexus between the OHCHR and the Chinese government.

The UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has published written evidence received as part of its inquiry into international relations in the multilateral system.

Reilly, acting as a whistleblower, claimed that the OHCHR has been providing “dangerous ‘favours'” are “being rendered by OHCHR to the Chinese government” and “these favours fall into a broader effort of the Chinese government to instrumentalise the UN to serve its national interests”. Her evidence alleges a “UN cover-up of special favours for the China,” informed UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee in a press release.

Reilly alleged that “during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals” that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the General Assembly who ultimately oversaw the process and had significant influence over the final texts put to the Assembly”. Her evidence alleges that the China “imposes a secret conditionality across UN agencies that the monies so provided may not be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan”.

Her written evidence includes allegations that “the Chief of the Human Rights Council Branch in OHCHR, a French national, was secretly providing the China with advance information on which human rights activists planned to attend the Human Rights Council”. It alleges that “UN officials at all levels deliberately lied to member states, including the UK delegation, who enquired about the UN policy of handing names – including of UK citizens and residents – to the PRC without their knowledge or consent,” the release added.

Her evidence alleges that “in cases where the China was provided with names of NGO delegates in advance by the UN Secretariat, the delegates have reported that family members were visited by Chinese police, forced to phone them to tell them to stop their advocacy, arbitrarily arrested, placed under house arrest for the period of the meeting, disappeared, sentenced to long prison terms without cause, tortured, or, as regards Uyghurs, put in concentration camps”.

She alleges that “in some cases, their family members died in detention. In at least one case, a person named on the China’s list, who attended only a side event, later returned to China and died in detention”. She alleges that “in at least one case, the Chinese government issued an Interpol red notice against an NGO delegate,” it also said.

Reilly alleges that “self-censorship extends to the Secretary-General… [who] stated that any resolution of my case would be ‘difficult,’ expressly due to the fact the favours I reported were accorded to the PRC.”

The evidence includes allegations that “reports of both the WHO and [United Nations Environment Programme] UNEP on the origins of covid were edited to reduce references to the possibility of a laboratory leak”.

The evidence also includes a submission from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The FCDO’s evidence says that China is working to “shape the multilateral system to align more with a state-centric, authoritarian world view,” the release said.

On Russia, the FCDO says that Russia “plays a mostly disruptive role across the multilateral system”. Discussing the engagement of isolated countries with the multilateral system, the FCDO says that “Iran uses its position within the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to disrupt and push back against complying with its legal obligations, and often runs in multilateral elections”.

Organisations such as the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, China Strategic Risks Institute, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, Hong Kong Watch, the Foreign Policy Centre and the Council on Geostrategy have submitted evidence, as well as individual experts and academics, such as Bill Browder.

At 14:00 today (April 16) the Foreign Affairs Committee held its first evidence session in this inquiry, hearing from whistleblower Reilly and other expert witnesses, including Lord Malloch-Brown.

The Committee’s inquiry into international relations in the multilateral system looks at how a broad range of countries are using multilateral organisations, be that through engaging and influencing, working around them or obstruction.

It follows on from the Committee’s report “In the room: the UK’s role in multilateral diplomacy” which concluded that autocratic states were attempting to aggressively co-opt strategically important multilateral organisations and to fundamentally redefine their founding principles, according to the release (ANI)

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UN panel considers Palestinian bid for full membership

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had initially submitted a UN membership application in 2011, though it wasn’t deliberated upon by the Security Council…reports Asian Lite News

The President of the United Nations Security Council, on Monday, forwarded an application by the Palestinian Authority seeking full membership of the UN to its membership committee for consideration. Vanessa Frazier, Malta’s Permanent Representative to the UN, disclosed that the 15-member committee is slated to deliberate on Palestine’s status and make a decision by the end of the month. Frazier emphasized the importance of adherence to the council’s procedural norms, highlighting that any council member can present a resolution for membership voting at any time.

The membership committee convened on Monday afternoon to initiate the evaluation process. Its task involves scrutinizing the application’s merits before determining whether to advance it to the Security Council for a vote. For approval, the application necessitates at least nine affirmative votes, devoid of any vetoes from the council’s five permanent members: the US, Russia, China, France, and the UK.

The urgency of granting full UN membership to the State of Palestine was underscored by the Arab group of nations at the UN, who articulated it as pivotal for advancing conflict resolution efforts in the region based on a two-state solution. Abdulaziz Al-Wasil, Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative to the UN and current President of the Arab Group, expressed hope for requisite support in this endeavor.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had initially submitted a UN membership application in 2011, though it wasn’t deliberated upon by the Security Council. However, the subsequent year, the General Assembly accorded the “State of Palestine” the status of a non-member observer state.

Despite the recent submission of a letter by the Palestinian Authority to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging reconsideration of the membership application, current US legislation poses a significant hurdle. Granting full UN recognition to a Palestinian state would necessitate the cessation of funding to the UN and its agencies by the US, in compliance with existing laws.

The discourse surrounding Palestine’s UN membership evoked strong reactions, with Israel’s UN Ambassador, Gilad Erdan, vehemently opposing it, labeling it as rewarding criminal acts. This sentiment was echoed by Russia’s Permanent Representative, Vasily Nebenzia, who questioned the credibility of objections from parties rejecting the two-state solution. Meanwhile, Palestine’s Permanent Observer at the UN, Riyad Mansour, reiterated the imperative of recognition and membership for ending the occupation, emphasizing the need for global solidarity to achieve peace.

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‘Don’t need UN to lecture us on fair polls’

Jaishankar’s comments came in response to a query regarding a spokesperson for UN Secretary General statement that they “hope” that in India, people’s “political and civil rights” were protected…reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday dismissed a senior UN official’s recent remark on elections in India, saying that he does not need the global body to tell that the elections in the country should be “free and fair”.

His comments came in response to a query regarding a spokesperson for UN Secretary General statement that they “hope” that in India, people’s “political and civil rights” were protected and everyone is able to vote in a “free and fair” atmosphere.

Jaishankar, who was in Thiruvananthapuram to campaign for his ministerial colleague and BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar in the Lok Sabha polls, also said that the UN official made the comment on the Indian elections last week in response to a “very loaded question” during a press briefing at the UN.

“I don’t need the United Nations to tell me our elections should be free & fair. I have the people of India. The people of India will ensure that elections are free & fair. So, don’t worry about it,” the minister told reporters during an interaction here.

Last week, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric was asked about the “political unrest” in India ahead of the upcoming national elections in the wake of the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of the opposition Congress Party’s bank accounts.

“What we very much hope that in India, as in any country that is having elections, that everyone’s rights are protected, including political and civil rights, and everyone is able to vote in an atmosphere that is free and fair,” Dujarric had said.

Earlier, Mathew Miller, the US department of state spokesperson, was put on the spot during a press briefing on Wednesday when a journalist questioned him on the country taking a stand on the arrest of Indian opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal but not doing the same on arrests of Pakistani opposition leaders.

At a press briefing, the journalist said the US department of state issued daily statements on the arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of assets of the Congress party. He questioned why the US has such a strong stance for Indian opposition, but maintained its silence on the political prisoners in Pakistan.

Mathew Miller refused to categorise both cases into one and said that the US wanted to see everyone in Pakistan treated with consistent rule of law and human rights.

Miller said, “I would not agree with that characterisation. We have made clear on a number of occasions that we want to see everyone in Pakistan treated consistent with the rule of law, treated with respect for human rights, as is our position with respect to any country in the world.”

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. He is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, his judicial custody is expected to end on April 15.

On Tuesday, responding to the US, Germany and the UN remarks over Indian politics, after Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest, external affairs minister S Jaishankar used the word “Maryada”, saying that “we are sovereign countries and should not be interfering in each other’s internal affairs”.

“These are old habits. These are bad habits…The word I use is ‘Maryada’ among countries, we are sovereign countries. We should not be interfering in each other’s internal affairs. We should not be passing comments about each other’s politics,” Jaishankar said at a press conference.

Stating that other countries don’t hold a right to comment on India’s politics, the external affairs minister said, “Because once, if this becomes a rule, where do you stop? So we have been, in the cases where it has happened, we have told the diplomats of that country very clearly that we take very strong objection to it.”

New Delhi had earlier lodged a strong protest against Washington’s “closely monitoring” remark on the arrest of Kejriwal.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had summoned the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Gloria Berbena to its office in South Block in Delhi. The meeting lasted for more than 30 minutes.

The MEA later in a statement said, “We take strong objection to the remarks of the Spokesperson of the US State Department about certain legal proceedings in India.”

“In diplomacy, states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others. This responsibility is even more so in the case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents,” the statement said.

India’s legal processes are based on “an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes,” the MEA said while underlining that “casting aspersions on that was unwarranted”.

India on Saturday (March 23) summoned the German deputy chief of mission in Delhi and lodged a strong protest against that country’s foreign ministry’s remarks on the arrest of Kejriwal.

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to the now scrapped liquor policy case.

ALSO READ- UAE partners with UN Climate Security Mechanism

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 UAE partners with UN Climate Security Mechanism

The initiative also includes unearmarked funding for the CSM itself, allowing for versatile use in supporting global efforts for climate, peace and security…reports Asian Lite News

The United Arab Emirates, a long-standing advocate for climate, peace and security and addressing global challenges related to climate change, announced a new US$1.2 million partnership with the United Nations Climate Security Mechanism (CSM).

The partnership entails a two-year annual contribution of US$600,000 from the UAE, demonstrating the nation’s commitment to strengthen the UN’s capacity to address the interlinkages between climate change, peace, and security. The UAE is the first donor from the Global South to contribute to the CSM.

Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister for Energy Transition and Sustainability Affairs, said, “The UAE has consistently sought to address the enormous risks of climate change on the UN Security Council, and through the UAE’s presidency of COP28, to foster regional and global peace, justice, and sustainable development. Today, we take another important step in our commitment to proactive diplomacy and international collaboration on pressing global issues. This partnership with the UN Climate Security Mechanism reinforces our support for the multilateral system by supporting vital climate peace and security programming around the world, as well as dedicated funding for a climate advisor in Afghanistan to assess and mitigate the serious climate security risks in the country.”

As part of this partnership, the UAE will fund a Climate Security Advisor position at the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), aiming to assess climate-related security risks and help develop risk prevention and management strategies. The initiative also includes unearmarked funding for the CSM itself, allowing for versatile use in supporting global efforts for climate, peace and security.

Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab, Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, said, “Afghanistan is one of the top 10 climate vulnerable countries on the globe – experiencing water shortages, floods, and other natural disasters that the country has little to no capacity to manage. We also know that targeted policy interventions and scaling up of climate adaptation measures can help address food insecurity and decrease humanitarian needs that are driven by climate change. Our partnership with the CSM is a testament to the UAE’s long-term commitment to advancing climate, peace and security and fostering climate adaptation, especially in the areas most vulnerable to climate change. It is also in line with the UAE’s unwavering dedication to the stability and prosperity of Afghanistan and its people, particularly its women and girls.”

Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said, “We are delighted that the UAE is now part of the Climate Security Mechanism. This partnership promises a positive impact on global climate, peace and security initiatives, including those for Afghanistan. The commitment of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and the Climate Security Mechanism to implementing the COP28 UAE Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace Declaration is steadfast.”

The UAE remains committed to advancing the climate, peace and security agenda across the UN system and around the world.

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‘Israel’s war undermining top UN court’

Naledi Pandor said that Israel had defied a January interim ruling by the ICJ that it should take action to prevent acts of genocide as it fights Hamas in the Gaza Strip…reports Asian Lite News

South Africa has hauled Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to allege genocide in the war triggered by the October 7 Hamas attack, infuriating Israel and drawing US criticism.

Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s foreign minister, said that Israel had defied a January interim ruling by the ICJ that it should take action to prevent acts of genocide as it fights Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“The provisional measures have been entirely ignored by Israel,” Pandor said at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace during a visit to Washington.

“We’re seeing mass starvation now and famine before our very eyes,” she said. “I think we, as humanity, need to look at ourselves in horror and dismay and to be really worried that we have set an example.”

Pandor added that Israel’s actions may mean other nations believe that “there’s license — I can do what I want and I will not be stopped.”

She said that South Africa’s post-apartheid democracy — in going through international institutions — was “merely practicing what is preached to us every day” by the West.

“The ICJ has not been respected. And the day an African disrespects (it) I hope we don’t go to that leader and say ‘Listen, you’re out of bounds — because you’re an African, we expect you to obey,'” she said.

South Africa has again petitioned the court in The Hague to order measures for Israel to stop “widespread starvation” triggered by its Gaza offensive.

Israel denounced the South African plea as “outrageous” and “morally repugnant,” pointing to its initiatives, including humanitarian pauses in fighting.

A UN-backed food security assessment determined that Gaza is facing imminent famine, with around 1.1 million people — about half the population — experiencing “catastrophic” hunger.

Last year the US ambassador in Pretoria accused South Africa of violating its stated neutrality in the Ukraine war by letting a Russian vessel dock to load military supplies, an allegation later walked back by Washington.

Pandor said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would visit South Africa in the coming months.

“We always wanted to have a situation where we would be able to be a facilitator” between Ukraine and Russia, she said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin skipped a summit last year in Johannesburg of the BRICS bloc of emerging economies. Putin is the target of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court, which South Africa as a court member would in theory be expected to enforce.

While the Biden administration has voiced hope of maintaining cooperation with South Africa despite disagreements, Congress is reviewing a bill that would reevaluate the entire relationship.

Introducing the legislation last month, Republican Representative John James said South Africa has been “building ties to countries and actors that undermine America’s national security and threaten our way of life,” naming China, Russia and Hamas.

Pandor said US lawmakers had failed to consult South Africa and that democracies should allow differences of opinion.

“To seek to punish South Africa because there’s a disagreement on particular policy areas is the most unfortunate response,” she said.

South Africa, which has a long history of support for the Palestinians and has compared their struggle with its history under an apartheid system, has launched a separate case at the ICJ accusing Israel of “genocide” in its bombardment of Gaza.

More than 50 countries are to present arguments to the ICJ on the legal implications of Israel’s occupation.

Last month, representatives from Algeria, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil and Chile presented their positions.

The 15-judge panel has been asked to review Israel’s “occupation, settlement and annexation… including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures”.

Israel has pushed on with building illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank, now home to more than 500,000 Jewish settlers and 3 million Palestinians.

Israeli settlers have become increasingly more violent. Their actions have been condemned by world leaders, especially in the past few months, as Israel attacks Gaza.

But South African representative Pieter Andreas Stemmet told the court that the settlements have extended the “temporary nature of the occupation into a permanent situation in violation of the Palestinian right to self-determination”.

Meanwhile, Israel has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) not to issue emergency orders for it to step up humanitarian aid to Gaza to address a looming famine, dismissing South Africa’s request to do so as “morally repugnant”.

In a legal filing to the top United Nations court, made public on Monday, Israel said it “has real concern for the humanitarian situation and innocent lives, as demonstrated by the actions it has and is taking” in Gaza.

Lawyers for Israel denied allegations of deliberately causing humanitarian suffering in the besieged enclave, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and hunger is rising. They said South Africa’s repeated requests for additional measures are an abuse of procedures.

ALSO READ-Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations

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UN secretary-general ‘deeply troubled’ by situation in Rafah

Guterres also called for funding and support of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East…reports Asian Lite News

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Egypt’s border with the Gazan city of Rafah on Saturday to reiterate pleas for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

His visit comes after the UN Security Council’s failure to pass a resolution to halt the Israeli offensive on Gaza, which is now entering its sixth month with a death toll nearing 32,000.

Speaking at the border, he urged the world to remind Gazans they are not alone.

“I am deeply troubled to know during this holy month of Ramadan that there are those who will not be able to have a proper iftar,” Guterres said.

He added that it is “a moral outrage” that there are thousands of aid trucks parked on the Egyptian side of the border awaiting access, while people in Gaza are facing starvation.

“While nothing justifies the actions of October 7, nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” Guterres said. “There are hardships, houses demolished, entire families and generations wiped out, while hunger stalks the population.”

He urged people to “stand on the right side of history,” adding, “It is time to silence the guns. We need a ceasefire. I will not give up. We should not give up, for the sake of humanity.”

Guterres also called for funding and support of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Prior to his press conference at the crossing, the secretary-general was received by Sinai governor Mohamad Shusha at El-Arish airport.

Shusha said that some 7,000 trucks are currently waiting in North Sinai to deliver aid to Gaza, but that inspection procedures demanded by Israel have held up the flow of aid.

Guterres also visited Palestinian evacuees from Gaza receiving treatment at Arish General Hospital in Sinai and said he was “moved” by their spirit.

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UN Adopts India-Backed Resolution on AI Safety

India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj said in a post on X after its adoption, “Happy to co-sponsor the Resolution on AI.”…reports Asian Lite News

Setting aside their polarising differences, all 193 countries joined together to adopt a landmark resolution backed by India, aiming to keep the world safe from the excesses of artificial intelligence (AI).

The UN General Assembly’s resolution passed unanimously on Thursday stressed “the urgency of achieving global consensus on safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems” in the face of “potential risk for accidents and compound threats from malicious actors”.

India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj said in a post on X after its adoption, “Happy to co-sponsor the Resolution on AI.”

The resolution was proposed by the US and the State Department’s factsheet about it said it builds on several initiatives, including the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI) Summit hosted by India in December.

The resolution emphasises the role of AI in promoting global development while making sure it protects private data and human rights and is tested for vulnerabilities before deployment.

The resolution, which calls for the development of regulations for “safe, secure and trustworthy” AI systems, also acknowledges the importance of domestic priorities and national and “subnational” policies in framing them.

The unanimity at the UN stresses the fears over AI’s potential to disrupt politics and society through deepfakes and spreading misinformation, and its more sinister capabilities in warfare, development of weapons and disrupting economies.

“In a moment in which the world is seeming to be agreeing on little, perhaps the most quietly radical aspect of this resolution is the wide consensus forged in the name of advancing progress,” US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield said of its significance.

She added that she worked with more than 120 countries for several months to achieve the consensus and had put the resolution’s draft through several edits.

For wider acceptance and tamping down dissidence, the resolution highlights AI’s role in helping developing nations, especially the poorest, and calls for bridging the digital divide among and within nations that AI could widen.

An important goal of the resolution is deploying AI for “achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions — economic, social and environmental — with specific consideration of developing countries and leaving no one behind”.

The resolution calls for measures to “promote innovation for the internationally interoperable identification, classification, evaluation, testing, prevention and mitigation of vulnerabilities and risks during the design and development and prior to the deployment and use of artificial intelligence systems”.

ALSO READ-India Stresses Two-State Solution at UNGA

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UN: Israel Using Starvation as ‘Method of War’

The UN rights chief cautioned that Israel’s stringent limitations on aid entering the conflict-stricken Gaza, alongside its persistent assaults, ould be seen as using starvation as a “method of war”…reports Asian Lite News

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a stark warning, suggesting that Israel’s ongoing limitations on humanitarian aid entry into Gaza, coupled with its conduct of hostilities, could potentially qualify as the use of starvation as a “method of war.”

“The extent of Israel’s continued restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza, together with the manner in which it continues to conduct hostilities, may amount to the use of starvation as a method of war, which is a war crime,” cautioned the UN rights chief Volker Turk.

The statement underscores growing concerns over the dire situation in Gaza, as access to essential supplies remains severely constrained amid escalating tensions.

Turk underscored the urgency of averting an imminent famine in Gaza, stressing that decisive action could mitigate the unfolding humanitarian crisis. “The projected imminent famine in Gaza can and must be prevented,” declared the UN rights chief, emphasising the gravity of the situation.

Highlighting the failure to heed previous warnings, the commissioner lamented the human-made nature of the catastrophe, insisting it was entirely preventable. “The alarm bells sounded over the past months by the UN, including my Office, have not been heeded. This catastrophe is human-made and was entirely preventable,” the statement read.

Attributing the dire conditions to Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid and commercial goods, displacement of the population, and destruction of vital infrastructure, the commissioner warned of dangerous coping mechanisms emerging among the desperate populace.

“Law and order is breaking down as people become increasingly desperate, and children have reportedly been sent to make the dangerous journey from northern to southern Gaza, unaccompanied in the desperate hope that they will find food and support among the 1.8 million people already displaced there,” the statement continued.

The commissioner condemned Israel’s blockade of Gaza, citing its severe impact on human rights and potential violation of international law.

Calling upon Israel to fulfill its obligations as the occupying power, the commissioner urged immediate action to ensure the provision of essential goods and humanitarian aid to Gaza’s population.

“The clock is ticking. Everyone, especially those with influence, must insist that Israel acts to facilitate the unimpeded entry and distribution of needed humanitarian assistance and commercial goods to end starvation and avert all risk of famine,” the commissioner demanded.

In addition to humanitarian aid, the commissioner stressed the necessity of a ceasefire and the unconditional release of hostages, underscoring the need for full restoration of essential services.

Recently, a UN-backed report warned of imminent famine over northern Gaza, where more than 1 million people are on the brink of starvation.

The dire situation, exacerbated by acute hunger affecting 70 per cent of the population, paints a grim picture of imminent catastrophe. With half of Gaza’s 2.2 million inhabitants facing severe food shortages, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projects famine could strike the north between mid-March and May 2024.

The crisis has already surpassed the threshold for famine, with reports of starvation-related deaths, including children and infants, reaching alarming numbers. Desperate measures such as scavenging for food, consuming grass and animal feed, and drinking contaminated water have become distressingly common. Mothers, unable to produce sufficient milk, struggle to nourish their babies, while overwhelmed health facilities grapple with the demand for infant formula, according to CNN.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed grave concern, labelling the situation as the worst-ever recorded in terms of catastrophic hunger.

Peace talks hit roadblock

 The ongoing indirect peace talks in Qatar capital have hit a roadblock after Israel refused to budge on many demands put forward on behalf of Hamas.

According to sources in the Israel defence ministry, the Israeli delegation led by Mossad Chief David Barnea told the mediators, including those from Qatar and Egypt, that they may not be able to release several Palestinian prisoners who are charged with grave crimes, including murder.

Hamas had demanded the release of 350 Palestinian prisoners who are in Israel jail for serious offenses, including murder.

The Israel side, according to information available, has also said that it wanted the release of its hostages in two slots. Earlier Hamas had said that they would release the Israeli hostages in three steps with women, elderly and injured given the first preference. The second slot ,according to the Hamas conditions, was to release the Israel women soldiers in captivity and the third step would feature the release of all those in custody, including male soldiers.

However, sources told IANS that the Israeli negotiators wanted all the male and female soldiers in custody to be released in the second slot.

This tough positioning of the Israel side has set a gloom over the peace talks on the first day itself. It may be recalled that the Israel security cabinet had put certain red lines for the negotiators and had firmly directed the team to be tough.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Defence Minister Yoav Gallant were given the entire charge of communicating with the Israeli negotiators if a situation arises.

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