United Nations, CMC- President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Dennis Francis, Monday called for the implementation of “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza, where Israeli troops have been fighting members of the terrorist group Hamas since October 7 last year incursion into Israel.
“The bombardment must stop, now,” the Trinidad and Tobago diplomat said at the UNGA plenary meeting on using the “veto.”
Francis said that from the inception of the United Nations in 1945, the General Assembly and the Security Council share a single overarching duty: “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
“The purpose of our meeting today underscores the vital importance of that joint responsibility and the urgency for the two bodies to strengthen their collective efforts, within their respective mandates under the United Nations Charter, to preserve and promote global peace and security.
“In this context, I strongly urge member states to engage in today’s debate with a proactive, solution-oriented posture, mindful of all member states’ responsibility to exert every effort to avert further violence and to save lives.”
There have been calls to do away with the “veto” mechanism used by the five permanent United Nations Security Council members, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and France.
Francis said that while he welcomes the introduction and utility of the “Veto Initiative,” most especially about the accountability it seeks to foster, “it is nevertheless deplorable that compliant with the rules of procedure, this General Assembly must use it at all, in connection with the current deepening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
“As you know, the situation in Gaza is catastrophic. Unconscionable! Shameful. I am shocked and horrified at the reported killing and injury of hundreds of people during the disbursement of food supplies west of Gaza City last week,” he said, adding that this comes as the death toll in Israel and the Gaza Strip since October 7 has reached the 30,000 mark.
He said thousands of children have been killed; others are scrounging for food and watching their childhoods evaporate into the horrors of war.
“Moreover, recently published reports have indicated that several babies have died of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza. Countless communities have been decimated. Numerous families have vanished inter-generationally.
“Countless mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, all gone. As the French would say, “disparu” disappeared. Their dreams extinguished, their potential lost forever, and their futures obliterated.”
Francis said that 85 percent of Gaza’s population, or 1.9 million people, are internally displaced, and nearly 1.5 million of them now reside in Rafah – that is, more than six times the population before 7 October.
“I am deeply concerned about intensified Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, including in residential areas. In the words of UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, any ground operation in such a densely populated area would “leave an already fragile humanitarian operation at death’s door.”
I, therefore, urgently call for maximum restraint to prevail to save innocent civilian lives. Israeli restrictions on humanitarian access have drastically reduced the flow of lifesaving aid to a mere trickle.”
The Trinidad and Tobago diplomat said that UNRWA reports a 50 percent reduction in trucks entering Gaza daily from January to February.
“It is therefore essential that we rapidly and substantially increase the scale of humanitarian operations and ensure unrestricted access to all civilians in need.”
Francis said that the will of the international community, as already expressed in the vote by the overwhelming majority of the General Assembly’s membership, is unambiguous, clear, and persistent.
“And I feel duty bound to reiterate that will here today, as it cannot continue to go unheeded. First and foremost, an immediate humanitarian ceasefire must be implemented. The bombardment must stop now.
“Second, all parties must comply with their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law, especially protecting civilians and civilian facilities.
“Third, all hostages must be immediately and unconditionally released. And finally, full and unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance by those in need must be ensured.”
He said that while the Security Council acts on behalf of the entire UN membership, he was calling on “all members of the Council, especially the permanent members, to redouble their efforts to reach a consensus that would bring about a safe, just and immediate response, compliant with these demands.
“All parties must do their utmost to meet these demands and both preserve and save lives,” Francis said, recalling that this week marks a grim milestone of 150 days of violence, 150 days of violence breeding violence, despair, destruction, and devastation, and the dehumanization of people.
“Each day, this painful reality continues to entrench the feeling of frustration and disillusionment, especially by those caught in the crossfire and who look to the United Nations as a guarantor of the good.
“Each day that passes risks a deepening failure to meet our moral duties and obligations, and each life lost adds to the stain on our collective conscience. With resolve and urgency, let us, therefore, work much harder to end this conflict immediately and to lay down the foundations for a future where Israel and the State of Palestine can co-exist peacefully, two states living side by side in harmony, united by a single shared vision for a brighter, more hopeful destiny.”
and then , Dennis Francis, Monday called for the implementation){kind=link}