UN Security Council meeting
Dec. 11, 2023 (GIN) – A resolution that would have demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza failed to pass by one vote – that of the U.S. – in the U.N.’s Security Council at a special meeting called Saturday by the Secretary General.
It was the sixth meeting of the Council to discuss temporary stops to the fighting since war started in October but it has succeeded only once.
Saturday’s resolution won support from all 13 Council members, including three permanent members (China, France and the Russian Federation), all three members from African nations, with one permanent member (United Kingdom) abstaining.
Presented by the United Arab Emirates, the resolution would have also demanded immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access.
Sec’y General Antony Guterres said he called the special meeting by invoking Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations, “because we are at the breaking point.”
“There is a high risk that the total collapse of humanitarian systems could have devastating consequences,” he said. “The threat to the safety and security of U.N. staff is unprecedented. More than 130 of my colleagues have already been killed, many with their families. This is the largest single loss of life in the history of our organization.”
Article 99 enables the U.N. chief to call the Security Council on any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance on international peace and security.
The resolution presented by the United Arab Emirates was co-sponsored by some 97 member states within 24 hours, said Mohamed Issa Abushahab (UAE).
The text was rushed to the floor after 63 days of conflict and more than 18,000 people killed.
Carolyn Abena Anima Oppong-Ntiri of Ghana, one of the three African delegates, explained her vote addressing the quickly deteriorating situation in Gaza. She urged the Council to “act as an honest broker for the peaceful settlement of the Israel-Palestinian question based on the two-state solution.”
Michel Xavier Biang representing Gabon said his delegation voted for the ceasefire due to a sense of responsibility to put an end to the bloodbath. “We are very clear that we want an immediate ceasefire,” he said decisively to a scrum of UN reporters.
As talks at the Climate Summit enter their final stage, negotiators remain far apart on the future role of fossil fuels. Oil producer group OPEC headed by Saudi Arabia, along with Russia and others oppose any language targeting fossil fuels in a final document while China’s top climate envoy, said on Saturday that a deal can only be considered a success if it includes an agreement on fossil fuels. He called this the hardest climate summit of his career.
Without an agreement among the members on Sunday, negotiators will have just one full day to resolve differences ahead of the conference’s scheduled end on Tuesday before noon.
“It’s getting close to the end point, so that new text really has to find areas of convergence that’s much beyond where we are right now,” said Rachel Cleetus, policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Targets of the conference currently include tripling renewable energy and nuclear power deployments, slash coal use, and curb emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane.
If honored, these targets could lower global-energy related greenhouse gas emissions by 4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2030 – a number that represents only about a third of the emissions gap that needs to be closed in the next six years to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels as agreed to in the 2015 Paris Agreement.