Doha, Qatar: UN Secretary-General H E Antonio Guterres appreciated the State of Qatar’s mediation efforts to reach a humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip, enabling the entry of more humanitarian aid, and the release of a number of hostages.
Addressing the Doha Forum 2023 opening session, he thanked Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the government of the State of Qatar for their mediation efforts to reach a humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip, noting that the UN Security Council, which serves as the principle forum for international conflict resolution, has become paralyzed by geostrategic divisions, which has hindered reaching solutions on a number of issues, including those of the Middle East.
The UN Secretary-General said that the violent Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip was met with silence by the Security Council, and after more than a month a Council resolution was issued that was not implemented, and this delay had a heavy price, which exposed the SC’s credibility to great damage.
He referred to the letter he addressed last week to the UNSC President, in which he used Article 99 of the UN Founding Charter for the first time since taking office, which allowed him to draw the Security Council's attention to the fact that there is no effective protection for civilians in the Gaza Strip, in light of the number of civilian casualties reached an unprecedented number, in addition to the collapse of the health care system and thus the collapse of the humanitarian system.
He said the humanitarian situation may deteriorate into a catastrophe with undesirable implications and consequences, highlighting his calls for the UN Security Council to reach a humanitarian agreement for a ceasefire to avoid this catastrophe. The UN chief stressed that building a shared future is ideal for the current stage, and therefore it is necessary to build bridges and find common solutions to global challenges, through partnership and solidarity, which was demonstrated in its best form at the Doha Forum to push ambitious agendas forward to build a shared future towards a better world. He said the weakness of the current institutions, with the economic, social, and political relations having changed radically, stressing the need for serious efforts to advance social structures based on solidarity, the UN charter and international law.
Lamenting the world’s inability to deal with existential threats of climate and technology, he called for reducing carbon emissions and achieving climate justice, with emissions having reached an unprecedented level due to fossil fuels. He also urged fossil fuel companies to use their enormous resources to lead the renewable energy revolution, considering that they are capable of solving many of the problems that are suffocating the world.