United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took a firm stance and vowed that he would continue seeking a ceasefire in Gaza despite the US veto on a Security Council resolution last week.
The veto left the global agency without a clear route map to stopping the conflict in the war-torn region that has lasted for several months now. In his address, Guterres spoke at the Doha Forum in Qatar but did not directly criticize the US.
UN Chief To Continue Seeking Gaza Ceasefire
Instead, he said that the UN Security Council was "paralyzed by geostrategic divisions," adding that world institutions "are weak and outdated." He noted that they were caught in a time warp that reflects a reality of eight decades ago.
The UN chief detailed why he had employed the rare article 99 of the UN charter to use his extraordinary powers to force the Security Council to address the Gaza crisis. He said that he wanted the council to press for efforts to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. He reiterated his appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire, as per The Guardian.
Guterres said that the Security Council failed to achieve that but argued that it does not mean that the ceasefire is any less necessary. He added that the previously passed UN resolution that called for more humanitarian aid is not being implemented.
The UN chief said that he has expended every effort to build momentum for a ceasefire in Gaza and that the developments on Friday left diplomats with few short-term options. UN officials are focusing on trying to make sure that Israel fulfills commitments that were made last week to allow more aid into Gaza.
However, this comes as some Arab foreign ministers believe that momentum for a ceasefire may only build ahead of Ramadan at the beginning of March. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani said that he will not give up on the negotiations to secure the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Related Article : US Vetoes UN Security Council Resolution Calling for Ceasefire in Gaza as Conflict Continues
Addressing Global Challenges
Al-Thani added that Doha will continue to pressure Israel and the Hamas militant group for a truce despite "narrowing" chances for such a move. According to Reuters, several political leaders of Hamas are based in Qatar, which has been leading negotiations between the two sides.
The head of UNRWA, which is the UN agency for Palestinians, said that the dehumanization of Palestinians has allowed the international community to tolerate Israel's continued attacks on Gaza. Philippe Lazzarini added that there was no doubt that a humanitarian ceasefire was needed in Gaza.
Guterres also said there needs to be a serious effort to bring global structures up to date, rooted in equality and solidarity. He added that they should be based on the UN Charter and international law.
The UN chief noted that it was now time to build bridges and find shared solutions to address various global challenges. According to UN News, Guterres said that beyond the Security Council, global governance is failing to manage two existential threats.
