Tag: United Nations

Categories
-Top News World World News

UN faces uncertainty as Trump returns   

Speculation about Trump’s future policies has already become a parlor game among wags in Washington and beyond, and reading the signals on issues important to the UN isn’t always easy…reports Asian Lite News

 

The United Nations and other international organizations are bracing for four more years of Donald Trump, who famously tweeted before becoming president the first time that the 193-member UN was just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. 

In his first term, Trump suspended funding for the UN health and family planning agencies, withdrew from its cultural organisation and top human rights body, and jacked up tariffs on China and even longtime US allies by flaunting the World Trade Organization’s rulebook. The United States is the biggest single donor to the United Nations, paying 22per cent of its regular budget. 

Trump’s take this time on the world body began taking shape this week with his choice of Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York for US ambassador to the UN. 

Stefanik, the fourth-ranking House member, called last month for a complete reassessment of US funding for the United Nations and urged a halt to support for its agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA. President Joe Biden paused the funding after UNRWA fired several staffers in Gaza suspected of taking part in the Oct 7, 2023, attack led by Hamas. 

Speculation about Trump’s future policies has already become a parlor game among wags in Washington and beyond, and reading the signals on issues important to the UN isn’t always easy. 

For example, Trump once called climate change a hoax and has supported the fossil fuel industry but has sidled up to the environmentally minded Elon Musk. His first administration funded breakneck efforts to find a COVID-19 vaccine, but he has allied with anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The funny thing is that Trump does not really have a fixed view of the UN, said Richard Gowan, UN director for the International Crisis Group think tank. 

Gowan expects that Trump won’t view the world body as a place to transact serious political business but will instead exploit it as a theater to pursue a conservative global social agenda. 

There are clues from his first term. Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 Paris climate accord and is likely to do it again after President Joe Biden rejoined. 

Trump also had the US leave the cultural and educational agency Unesco and the UN-backed Human Rights Council, claiming they were biased against Israel. Biden went back to both before recently opting not to seek a second consecutive term on the council. 

Trump cut funding for the UN population agency for reproductive health services, claiming it was funding abortions. UNFPA says it doesn’t take a position on abortion rights, and the US rejoined. 

He had no interest in multilateralism countries working together to address global challenges in his first term. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls it the cornerstone of the United Nations. 

The world is a different place than when Trump bellowed America First while taking office in 2017: Wars have broken out in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan. North Korea’s nuclear arsenal has grown, and so have fears about Iran’s rapidly advancing atomic program. 

The UN Security Council more deeply divided among its veto-wielding permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the US has made no progress in resolving those issues. Respect for international law in war zones and hotspots worldwide is in shreds. 

It’s really back to Cold War days, said John Bolton, a former national security adviser at Trump’s White House. He said Russia and China are flying cover for countries like Iran, which has stirred instability in the Middle East, and North Korea, which has helped Russia in its war in Ukraine. There’s little chance of deals on proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or resolving conflicts involving Russia or China at the council, he said. 

Bolton, a former US ambassador to the UN, expects Stefanik will have a tougher time because of the range of issues facing the Security Council. “What had been fairly sleepy during the first Trump term is not going to be sleepy at all in the second Trump term,” he said. 

The Security Council has been impotent on Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 invasion because of Russia’s veto power. And it has failed to adopt a resolution with teeth demanding a cease-fire in Gaza because of US support for Israel. 

The Crisis Group’s Gowan said Republicans in Congress are furious about UN criticisms of Israeli policies in Gaza and he expects them to urge Trump to “impose severe budget cuts on the UN, and he will do so to satisfy his base. 

The day-to-day aid work of global institutions also faces uncertainty. In Geneva, home to many UN organisations focusing on issues like human rights, migration, telecommunications and weather, some diplomats advise wait-and-see caution and say Trump generally maintained humanitarian aid funding in his first term. 

Trade was a different matter. Trump bypassed World Trade Organization rules, imposing tariffs on steel and other goods from allies and rivals alike. Making good on his new threats, like imposing 60per cent tariffs on goods from China, could upend global trade. 

ALSO READ: UAE hails COP29 progress on Loss and Damage Fund 

Categories
-Top News Asia News China

9 countries demand Taiwan’s inclusion in UN

Photo taken on Oct. 11, 2022 shows a plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly held to elect members of the Human Rights Council at the UN headquarters in New York. (Cia Pak/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua/IANS)

The representatives of the nine nations in the letter urged the UN to take proactive measures against the “malicious distortions” of UN Resolution 2758…reports Asian Lite News

Permanent representatives from nine of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, in a joint letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, advocated for Taiwan’s inclusion in the United Nations, Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

The joint letter was signed by representatives from Belize, Eswatini, Guatemala, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), and Tuvalu.

The representatives of the nine nations in the letter urged the UN to take proactive measures against the “malicious distortions” of UN Resolution 2758, which the allies believe threaten the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and jeopardise peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, according to CNA reported.

China claims that the UN resolution “confirmed” its “one China” principle, asserting that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is an “inalienable part of China.”

In contrast, Taiwan has argued that the resolution only addressed China’s representation at the UN and did not mention Taiwan or define its political status or establish China’s sovereignty over it.

The letter also called on the UN to uphold its principle of neutrality and “cease the incorrect interpretation of UN Resolution 2758 that unjustly prevents the people of Taiwan and the media from accessing the United Nations to visit, attend, or cover meetings and events.”

The letter was delivered to Guterres’ office in advance of the UN’s Summit for the Future and the General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly scheduled for next week, Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

After submitting the letter, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ Permanent Representative to the UN, Inga Rhonda King, remarked that it is hard to imagine Taiwan being excluded from the upcoming summit.

She emphasised Taiwan’s significant role in advanced semiconductor production and artificial intelligence technology, questioning how such a technological powerhouse could be left out of the negotiations.

Guatemalan Permanent Representative to the UN, Carla Maria Rodriguez Mancia, expressed hope that more countries would support Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN. She noted that the topics discussed at the summit make Taiwan’s participation especially relevant, highlighting its status as a thriving democracy and a hub of technology.

Carlos Fuller, Belize’s Permanent Representative to the UN, stated that Taiwan is one of the island nations most threatened by rising sea levels, making its exclusion from UN climate conferences a significant issue.

In a separate statement, Lee Chih-chiang, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, expressed gratitude to Taiwan’s allies for their strong support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN system.

He emphasised that a key priority for Taiwan’s UN campaign this year is to help the international community correctly interpret UN Resolution 2758 and to encourage the UN to find appropriate ways to include Taiwan. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Garcetti calls Biden ‘most pro-India President’ ever

Categories
-Top News World World News

UN adopts pact to bring multilateralism ‘back from the brink’

Delegates from Arab countries and leading international bodies delivered remarks at the passing of the pact…reports Asian Lite News

UN member states have adopted the Pact for the Future, a campaign by the organization to bring multilateralism “back from the brink.” The pact encourages countries to cooperate on tackling global issues including peace and security, the environment, finance and more.

It came on the first day of the Summit of the Future, held on Sept. 22-23 during the 79th UN General Assembly. The pact is as an attempt by the UN to revive trust in multilateralism and galvanize support for the organization’s Sustainable Development Goals, which were launched in 2015.

However, critics have described the pact as having been diluted and rendered toothless, with some warning that it may join a list of long-forgotten UN campaigns. Amid raging wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the UN has faced growing criticism over its inefficacy in confronting security issues and other challenges.

Delegates from Arab countries and leading international bodies delivered remarks at the passing of the pact. The motion to adopt the framework passed with 143 yes votes, seven no votes and 15 abstentions from member states.

Opposition was led by Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, followed by countries including Iran, Syria, North Korea and Sudan. Prominent regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, China and Malaysia, abstained. Among Arab countries, Saudi Arabia was supported in its abstention by Iraq and Oman.

Speaking after the passing of the pact, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the “strong engagement, creativity and spirit of compromise” of member states. “We are here to bring multilateralism back from the brink,” he said. “Our multilateral tools and institutions are unable to respond effectively to today’s political, economic, environmental and technological challenges, and tomorrow’s will be even more difficult and even more dangerous.”

The pact is annexed by a Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations, which cover technologies such as artificial intelligence and youth issues, respectively. In his speech, Guterres conceded to long-running criticism of the UNSC, in which the five states made permanent members in 1945 — the US, UK, France, Russia and China — still retain veto powers.

The UNSC “is outdated and its authority is eroding,” he said. “Unless its composition and working methods are reformed, it will eventually lose all credibility. “The Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations open pathways to new possibilities and opportunities.

“On peace and security, they promise a breakthrough on reforms to make the Security Council more reflective of today’s world, addressing the historic under-representation of Africa, the Asia-Pacific and Latin America.” UNGA President Philemon Yang hailed the pact as an attempt to “lay the foundations for a sustainable, just and peaceful global order — for all peoples and nations.”

Arab delegates from Yemen, Qatar and Iraq delivered remarks after the passing of the pact on Sunday. Prominent civil society figures and celebrities were present at the UN headquarters on the summit’s opening day to lend support for the pact, including Malala Yousafzai, singer Renee Fleming and Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

Qatari UN Youth Representative Ghanim Mohammed Al-Muftah called for action on disability rights in a speech to the chamber. “The decisions that we make today are not just about policies … They are about shaping a world where all children can thrive in an inclusive, safe and sustainable future,” he said.

But children in Gaza have “no choice,” Al-Muftah added, saying it is “in our hands to stop the violence” in the Palestinian territory. “The future belongs to our youth. We must ensure that they are prepared to take on leadership roles in order to be the change-makers … You must be the change you wish to see in this world.”

Yemeni President Rashad Al-Alimi told the chamber that despite the past decade being “full of suffering and difficult challenges” for his country, Yemenis “remain steadfast and determined in their quest for a better future.”

He added: “We are full of hope that we can prove that with your support and encouragement that countries that can go through conflict … are able to keep up with international progress.”

Iraqi President Mohammed Al-Sudani said his country is using technology and ingenuity to combat climate change and other challenges.

“We believe that science and technology are the foundation of sustainable development,” he said, adding that Iraq is committed to reinvigorating multilateralism and respect for international law.

ALSO READ: Report Reveals Secret Service ‘Failures’ Before Trump Assassination Bid

Categories
-Top News Economy World News

UN Chief Calls for reform of int’l financial system

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for reforming the international financial system, describing it as “outdated, dysfunctional, and unfair…reports Asian Lite News

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for reform of the international financial system which he described as “outdated, dysfunctional and unfair”.

In a video message to the first meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, which started in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Monday, Guterres said the upcoming conference provides a unique opportunity to tackle financing challenges “head-on” as reported by Xinhua news agency.

The conference, scheduled to take place in Spain from June 30 to July 3, 2025, “opens the door for world leaders to adopt ambitious reforms to deliver affordable long-term financing at scale, and deliver the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Stimulus,” said the UN Chief.

“It presents a unique opportunity to reform an international financial system that is outdated, dysfunctional and unfair — from the tax and debt architecture to the system of public development banks, to trade and investment rules, to the financial safety net and global governance,” he added.

Since world leaders met in Addis Ababa nine years ago and agreed on a transformative agenda committing public and private actors to align investment and policies with sustainable development, progress has been made, but many commitments remain unfulfilled, Guterres said.

The world is facing “seismic shocks” that make financing challenges harder to solve, and geopolitical divisions that undermine collective action, he stressed.

“Faced with sky-high debt burdens and costs of capital, developing countries have limited prospects of financing the Sustainable Development Goals.”

“I count on all of you to move forward with a determination to rescue the 2030 Agenda. And together, we can deliver not only a financial system, but a world, that is more just, equitable and sustainable,” Guterres concluded.

ALSO READ: Another Hindu Temple Vandalised in Canada

Categories
-Top News UAE News

UAE, UN discuss SDG cooperation at top political forum

Discussions centered on opportunities for knowledge exchange, international cooperation and partnerships that embody SDG17, partnerships for the goals….reports Asian Lite News

The UAE delegation to the United Nations (UN) High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development met with the UN’s Deputy Secretary-General on Wednesday to discuss how to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the next six years.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed met with the delegation, led by Abdulla Nasser Lootah, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Knowledge Exchange and Chairman of the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, at the UN’s headquarters in New York.

Discussions centered on opportunities for knowledge exchange, international cooperation and partnerships that embody SDG17, partnerships for the goals. In the meeting, the UAE delegation presented some of the country’s initiatives designed to support inclusive development to benefit individuals, society and the planet, while preserving resources for future generations.

As well as Lootah, the delegation included Rashid Mubarak Al Mansouri, Acting Secretary-General of the Emirates Red Crescent, Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Lieutenant Colonel Dana Humaid Al Marzooqi, Director-General of International Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Interior, and Hashem Al Attas, Senior Portfolio Manager MENA at Masdar.

Amina Mohammed said, “I look forward to continued cooperation with the UAE to accelerate sustainable development for the 2030 Agenda and beyond, ensuring a better future for communities around the world.”

Abdulla Nasser Lootah stated, “The UAE is committed to enhancing cooperation with the United Nations to eliminate poverty and hunger, promote climate action, establish strong and effective institutions, and create partnerships that support sustainable development goals.”
“Under the vision of its leadership, the UAE continues to establish strategic global partnerships, especially with UN development programs, to enhance knowledge exchange, stimulate sustainable development, and introduce innovative approaches – including the UAE’s – to achieving sustainable development.”

He added, “Today, after decades of hard work and close cooperation with countries, governments and organizations, the UAE has become a reliable global partner in achieving development goals and supporting peace, justice, and international institutions, including the United Nations.”

A large UAE delegation is participating in the UN HLPF on Sustainable Development, which runs until 17th July. Around 1,000 officials, experts, and specialists from around the world are taking part under the theme “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions.”

ALSO READ: UAE’s first living donor paediatric liver transplant at Burjeel Medical City

Categories
-Top News Arab News Asia News

UN Warns of Rising Tensions in Gaza, West Bank

The UN official also condemned the use of explosive weapons in populated areas…reports Asian Lite News

A UN official warned the Security Council of a deepening crisis in Gaza and the West Bank.

During a Security Council briefing, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland described the “catastrophic and horrifying” humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where civilians suffer under the impact of hostilities and a near-total breakdown of civil order, reports Xinhua news agency.

He reiterated the Secretary-General’s warning that further escalations “will only guarantee more suffering and potentially catastrophic consequences for the region.”

Wennesland condemned the ongoing Israeli settlement expansions as having “no legal validity” and being in “flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions.”

“I urge the Government of Israel to cease all settlement activity immediately,” Wennesland stated.

The UN official also condemned the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, which have destroyed neighbourhoods and vital infrastructure, including hospitals and UN premises.

Wennesland noted the increase in violence between Palestinians and Israeli forces and attacks by both Israeli settlers and Palestinians, emphasising that “all perpetrators of violence must be held accountable and swiftly brought to justice.”

He also expressed serious concerns over potential military escalations between Israel and Hezbollah along the Blue Line, the boundary separating Lebanese and Israeli armed forces.

Additionally, Wennesland addressed the Palestinian Authority’s fiscal crisis, exacerbated by Israeli financial constraints. He warned of severe repercussions for the Palestinian financial system, urging immediate action to resolve these financial issues to mitigate the economic and security situation in the occupied West Bank.

ALSO READ: Saudi launches geographical survey for renewable energy sites

Categories
-Top News Arab News Asia News

UN honours its fallen peacekeepers

Guterres presented the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award for 2023 to Major Radhika Sen of India, who served in the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo….reports Asian Lite News

The world body has held events at its headquarters in New York to honour the memory of the UN peacekeepers who lost their lives since 1948.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres laid a wreath at the Peacekeepers Memorial on the premises of UN Headquarters in New York to pay homage to the more than 4,300 UN peacekeepers who lost their lives since 1948, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

He later presided over a ceremony at which Dag Hammarskjold Medals were awarded posthumously to 61 peacekeepers from 33 countries who died last year serving under the UN flag.

The world is going through a difficult and dangerous time. The international community is deeply divided. Conflicts rage; divisions are rife; and there’s an alarming lack of political support for solidarity and practical solutions.

At every step, civilians — children, women and men — bear the brunt, said Guterres at the Dag Hammarskjold Medal ceremony.

“Our UN peacekeepers are more important than ever. Our Blue Helmets hail from all corners of the globe. But they are united in their mission of peace, carrying out their essential work in some of the world’s most dangerous places,” he said.

“What began with the deployment of a small number of unarmed military observers to the Middle East in 1948 has grown to be a global force for peace. Today, more than 76,000 women and men from 121 countries are deployed in 11 operations.”

Peacekeepers represent multilateralism in action. They protect the most vulnerable, preserve fragile cease-fires, defuse local conflicts, remove landmines and explosive remnants of war, strengthen the local institutions and democratic systems, and promote conflict prevention, he added.

Peacekeepers are often engaged in countries or areas where there is no peace to keep. Despite direct attacks by armed groups, harsh operating environments, and the emergence of new weapons of war, UN peacekeepers persevere, Guterres said.

“And we must support them.”

Guterres presented the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award for 2023 to Major Radhika Sen of India, who served in the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo.

The UN chief hailed Major Sen as “a true leader and role model,” saying her service is a true credit to the United Nations as a whole.

Thursday’s events formed the annual observance of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, which falls on May 29.

ALSO READ: Zelensky Appeals to Biden and Xi for Peace Summit Participation

Categories
-Top News India News World

UN Honours Indian Woman Major

Congratulating Indian Army Major Radhika Sen, Guterres called her “a true leader and role model….reports Arul Louis

Indian Army Major Radhika Sen has been selected to receive a UN award recognising her advocacy for women and girls while serving as a peacekeeper, Stephane Dujarric, the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, announced here.

Dujarric said that Guterres will present Sen with the 2023 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award on Thursday, which is observed as the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.

The award recognises the efforts of a military peacekeeper in promoting the principles of the 2000 Security Council resolution that calls for protecting women and girls from conflict-related sexual violence and sets gender-related responsibilities for the UN.

Congratulating her, Guterres called her “a true leader and role model. Her service was a true credit to the United Nations as a whole”.

Sen served with the Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) where she helped create the Community Alert Networks in North Kivu as a platform that brought in community leaders, young people, and women “to voice their security and humanitarian concerns”, according to the UN.

With her MONUSCO colleagues, she worked to address those concerns.

Guterres said that “with humility, compassion and dedication”, she earned the trust of “conflict-affected communities, including women and girls” as her troops engaged with them “in an escalating conflict environment in North Kivu”.

Sen said, “Gender-sensitive peacekeeping is everybody’s business – not just us, women. Peace begins with all of us in our beautiful diversity.”

“This award is special to me as it gives a recognition to the hard work put in by all the peacekeepers working in the challenging environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and giving their best to bring a positive change in the society,” she added.

Hailing from Himachal Pradesh, Sen is a biotech engineer who was studying for a master’s degree at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay when she decided to join the Army.

She was assigned to MONUSCO in 2023 as the Engagement Platoon Commander with the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion, and completed her tenure in April 2024.

Sen is the second Indian peacekeeper to receive the honour after Major Suman Gawani, who served with the UN Mission in South Sudan and received the award in 2019.

Of the 6,063 Indian personnel in UN peacekeeping operations, 1,954 serve with MONUSCO, 32 of them women.

The UN said that Sen, who led mixed-gender engagement patrols and activities, became a role model for both men and women by fostering “a safe space for men and women to operate together under her command”.

She also made sure that peacekeepers under her command operated with sensitivity to gender and sociocultural norms in the eastern DRC “to help build trust and thereby increase her team’s chance of success”, the UN said.

Among the activities she launched for women were English language classes for children, and health, gender, and vocational training for adults.

“Her efforts directly inspired women’s solidarity, providing safe spaces for meetings and open dialogue”, the UN said.

She encouraged women in the village of Kashlira, near Rwindi town, to organise themselves to advocate for their rights, particularly in local security and peace discussions.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

ALSO READ:

Categories
-Top News Arab News India News

Indian UN Employee First Foreign Victim in Gaza Conflict

The victim was identified as Col. Waibhav Anil Kale, who had started working a month ago as a security coordinator for the UN in Gaza…reports Arul Louis

An Indian working for the United Nations in Gaza has become the first non-Palestinian staffer to be killed during the current Gaza conflict when his vehicle was attacked on its way to a hospital in Rafah.

The victim was identified as Col. Waibhav Anil Kale, who had started working a month ago as a security coordinator for the UN in Gaza, according to The Washington Post, which quoted unnamed informed sources.

Kale, who worked for the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) joins the roster of more than 200 Indians who have died in the service of the UN.

The majority of them – 179 – are peacekeepers but many other Indian civilians, who like employees of the DSS are not peacekeepers, have died working for the UN in various capacities in trouble spots.

Earlier, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s Spokesperson Farhan Haq, who announced the death, did not identify him pending notification to his family and government.

Haq said that Guterres condemned the attack and called for a full investigation.

Another UN employee was injured in the Monday attack, he said.

The blame for the attack has not been fixed because the situation remains murky in Rafah.

Haq did not say who carried out the attack.

Al Jazeera broadcast clips showing windows with bullet holes on the attacked vehicle flying UN flags and bearing large UN markings.

From the nature of the damage, it did not appear to have been an air or heavy artillery attack.

He said that Monday’s victim was the first international employee of the UN killed in Gaza since October 7, although 188 Palestinian employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN arm for humanitarian services for Palestinians, have been killed.

“We will be working with the authorities on the ground to get restitution for all of those who have been killed,” Haq declared.

The Post said that according to its sources, Kale was a 46-year-old father of two teenage children.

Other media reports said that he had earlier worked for the Indian Army.

Israel Defense Forces said that according to an initial inquiry, Monday’s attack happened in an active combat zone and that it was not made aware of the vehicle’s movement.

Haq said that the DSS staffers were in the vehicle with clear UN markings that was in a convoy engaged in “their regular work [for which] they go to different locations to assess security conditions. And this was the European Hospital in Rafah”.

Asked what the UN was doing to seek justice for the UN employees killed in the conflict, Haq said, “In all cases, we are going to set up measures for accountability”.

“A lot of that, as you know, requires ultimately for an end to the conflict so that we can work these out,” he said.

Guterres reiterated his call for a humanitarian ceasefire and the release of the hostages taken by Hamas, which sparked the conflict with an attack on Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed and 128 were kidnapped.

Israel’s retaliation on Gaza, from where Hamas launched the attack, has killed about 34,000 Palestinians, most of them women, children or the aged.

Last month, four foreigners and three Palestinians working for a non-profit organisation, were killed in Gaza.

ALSO READ:

ALSO READ:

Categories
-Top News Arab News World

UN Votes To Back Palestinian Bid For Full Membership

The resolution on Friday won a resounding majority of 143 votes in favour, including by India. 25 countries abstained, while nine nations, including Israel and the United States, voted against the text, reports Asian Lite News

A resolution was passed in the United Nations with an overwhelming majority, supporting full membership of Palestine and pressing the Security Council to give “favourable consideration” to the bid, CNN reported.

The resolution on Friday won a resounding majority of 143 votes in favour, including by India. 25 countries abstained, while nine nations, including Israel and the United States, voted against the text.

Other nations that voted against the resolution were: Czechia, Hungary, Argentina, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea and

The text, put forward by the United Arab Emirates, grants new privileges to the Palestinian Authority in its current capacity as a non-member observer state, and calls for the UN Security Council – which must rule on Palestinian membership – to “reconsider the matter favourably.”

“The State of Palestine is qualified for membership in the United Nations,” it asserts.

Notably, India has always reiterated its stand for a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict. While, New Delhi has condemned any terrorist attack, including the October 7 attack by Hamas, it has also called for a homeland for Palestinians.

“We have supported a negotiated two-state solution, towards establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine within secure and recognised borders, living side by side in peace with Israel,” the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated in the Parliament in February. 

In his remarks before voting on Friday, Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour elaborated on the plight of Palestinians in war-torn Gaza.

“As we speak, 1.4 million Palestinians in Rafah wonder if they will survive today,” he told the assembly, referring to Israeli threats of a major attack on the densely populated city in southern Gaza, as reported by CNN.

He also thanked protesters on US university campuses and abroad who have demonstrated against the Israel-Hamas war.

“Our flag flies high and proud in Palestine and across the globe, and on the campus of Columbia University. It has become a symbol by all those who believe in freedom and is just ruled by all those who can no longer stand idly by in the face of such utter injustice,” Mansour said.

Israel foreign minister Israel Katz quickly condemned the resolution’s passage, describing it as an “absurd decision” that highlights “the structural bias of the UN” and rewards the actions of Hamas on October 7.

“The message that the UN is sending to our suffering region: violence pays off,” he said. “The decision to upgrade the status of Palestinians in the UN is a prize for Hamas terrorists after they committed the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.”

It is pertinent to note that while a General Assembly vote cannot confer UN membership, the approved resolution does endow the Palestinian Authority with new procedural rights and privileges, CNN reported.

Though, only member states can vote, the Palestinian Authority can now be seated among member states in alphabetical order, submit and introduce proposals and amendments, and co-sponsor proposals and amendments.

It can also make statements and explanations of votes. It has the right to reply on behalf of a group within the UN. The Palestinian Authority can also request proposals to be put to a vote and request items to be put on the UNGA’s provisional agenda.

Mansour further stated that the Palestinian Authority will now request full membership from the Security Council.

However, the US has already warned that it will likely veto such a request in the Security Council – a replay of its April veto of an earlier Palestinian membership request.

Following the general assembly vote on Friday, US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood described the resolution text as “unproductive,” saying a “durable peace” in the Middle East would mean bundling the two-state solution with other elements, as reported by CNN.

“Gaza cannot be a platform for terrorism, that there should be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza and that the size of Gaza’s territory should not be reduced,” he said.

Wood also suggested that the United Nations was the wrong forum for consideration of Palestinian statehood, telling the General Assembly that “it remains the US view that the most expeditious path toward statehood and UN membership for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authority.”

Angry Israeli envoy shreds UN Charter 

In a strong display of outrage, Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan shredded the UN charter at the United Nations General Assembly just before it passed a resolution for supporting full membership of Palestine.

The Israeli envoy Erdan called the resolution a “clear violation” of the UN Charter and said that it subverted the US veto in the Security Council last month. Erdan said he is “holding up the mirror” for General Assembly members while shredding the UN Charter.

“This day will go down in infamy. I want the entire world to remember this moment, this immoral act…today I want to hold up a mirror for you, so you can see what exactly you are inflicting upon the UN Charter with this destructive vote. You are shredding the UN Charter with your own hands,” he said.

He also alleged that the resolution opens up the UN for “modern day Nazis” referring to Hamas.

“Today, you are also about to grant privileges and write to the future terror state of Hamas. You have opened up the United Nations for modern day Nazis, to the Hitler of our times…So here it is. I present to you the future outcome of today’s vote…the soon-to-be President, Yahya Sinwar, President tyrant of the State of Hamas, sponsored by the UN, and he owes his deepest gratitude to you, the General Assembly,” the Israeli envoy added while holding up an image of Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza.

“At the end of my speech, I tore the ‘UN Charter’ to pieces, to illustrate what the assembly is doing in its support for the entry of Palestinian terrorism into the UN,” Erdan later posted on X. (ANI)

ALSO READ: US Says Israel Violated ‘International Humanitarian Law’