Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, briefing the Security Council this morning, outlined a new proposal to relaunch peace talks with Israel — including the rapid convening of an international summit on the matter, and the subsequent creation of a multilateral mechanism to guide the process — while also demanding that the United States reverse its decision to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem.
Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council at the briefing on the Middle East, in New York today:
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the United Nations human rights office released their annual report on the impact of armed conflict on civilians, finding that 10,453 civilians had lost their lives or suffered injuries in 2017. While down 9 per cent from 2016, casualties were caused mainly by suicide bombings.
The Food and Agriculture Organization launched a $1.06 billion appeal to help vulnerable communities in 26 countries fight hunger, seeking to reach 30 million people who rely on agriculture and have been affected by climate-related shocks, notably in Bangladesh, Somalia and Yemen.
Emergency fuel for critical facilities in Gaza will become exhausted within 10 days, the acting United Nations Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory warned today. Currently, the nearly 2 million Palestinian residents there receive electricity for no more than eight hours a day.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Jamie McGoldrick of Ireland as Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. He succeeds Robert Piper of Australia, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his commitment and dedicated service.
Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks at the opening of the 2018 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in New York today:
Global consensus on the question of Palestine could be eroding, making it more difficult to achieve concerted action at a time when it was more important than ever, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Palestinian Rights Committee as it opened its 2018 session.
United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock and United Nations Development Programme Head Achim Steiner are in Somalia to bring attention to the recently launched $1.5 billion aid appeal to avert famine and build resilience in the country. Some 5.4 million people need life-saving humanitarian assistance.
Twenty-five years after the historic Oslo Accords, the United Nations had fallen into a pattern of managing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, rather than resolving it, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council today, underscoring the Organization’s responsibility to help the sides return to negotiations and quickly show results.
