UN
Speaking before the Amnesty International World Assembly on Friday, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres condemned the «surge in deaths and destruction» in Gaza and the «indifference» and «inaction» of many members of the international community.
«I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction we see among too many members of the international community. The lack of compassion. The lack of truth. The lack of humanity,» said the UN chief via teleconference to representatives of Amnesty International gathered for their World Assembly.
In Gaza, ravaged by war and famine, «children dream of going to heaven, because at least, they say, there’s food there,» he added.
Heroic UN Employees
Mr. Guterres is the first UN Secretary-General to address the World Assembly of this NGO, which promotes the defense of human rights and advocates, in particular, for the release of prisoners of conscience.
This is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience
He noted that «heroic» UN employees «continue to serve under unimaginable conditions» in the Palestinian enclave and that “many of them are so stunned and exhausted that they say they feel neither dead nor alive.”. « »We're setting up video calls with our own humanitarian workers who are starving to death right before our eyes.".
According to the UN Secretary-General, this is not just a humanitarian crisis; «it is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience.».
He promised that the UN would continue to speak out «at every opportunity,» but acknowledged that «words do not feed hungry children.».
The UN Is Ready to Take Action
«The United Nations is ready to make the most of an effective ceasefire to significantly scale up humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip, just as we did successfully during the previous truce,» he said. «Our plans are ready and finalized. We know what works and what doesn’t.».
He pointed out that since May 27, the United Nations has recorded more than 1,000 Palestinians killed while trying to access food. «I repeat: 1,000 people—killed not in combat, but out of desperation—while the entire population is starving.».
Faced with this dire situation, he stated that action was needed. He called for «an immediate and permanent ceasefire,» «the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,» «immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access,» and, at the same time, «urgent, concrete, and irreversible measures toward a two-state solution.».
In the field, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Friday that the situation, which was already catastrophic, was rapidly deteriorating.
«In Gaza, systems and services are on the verge of collapse, as we have been telling you for several days,» explained Stéphanie Tremblay, a spokesperson for the Secretary-General, during a press briefing in New York.
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, said Thursday that the UN has a plan to save as many lives as possible. He shared this plan with member states. The plan «outlines the steps needed to end the horror, the constraints facing humanitarian operations in Gaza, and the solutions we are proposing to address them,» Ms. Tremblay said.
Rise of Authoritarian Practices
Looking beyond the war in Gaza, the UN chief lamented that «powerful forces are opposing human rights and the international system designed to protect and defend them.» He cited the attacks against the International Criminal Court (ICC) and against the international human rights system and its representatives, as well as the flagrant violations of international law, whether in Sudan or Ukraine.
Addressing the theme of this year’s Amnesty International World Assembly—which is dedicated to combating the rise of authoritarian practices—he noted that «around the world, we are witnessing a rise in repressive tactics aimed at undermining respect for human rights.» «And these tactics are spilling over into some democracies,» he added.
«This is not a series of isolated events. It is a global contagion. Political opposition has been crushed. Accountability has been dismantled. Equality and non-discrimination have been trampled upon. The rule of law has been trampled upon,» said the Secretary-General.
«On the other hand, civil society—the driving force of any free nation—is being stifled. We see activists and journalists being silenced, or even murdered. Minorities are being scapegoated. Women and girls are being deprived of their most fundamental rights, in the most brutal way in Afghanistan. And all of this is amplified by digital technologies,» he added.
According to him, «many countries strongly defend human rights,» but «we must urge all countries to defend them—systematically and universally, even—or especially—when it is inconvenient for them.» «We must urge them to protect and strengthen the international human rights system. We must demand accountability for human rights violations—without fear or favoritism,» he added.
