Borrell urges EU support for UN chief's Article 99 invocation

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Dec 2023 09:29
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EU High Representative Josep Borrell urges member states to back UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' use of Article 99 to address the Gaza humanitarian crisis amid Israeli genocide.

The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, gives a farewell speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. (AFP)

The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has called on the member states of the EU in the United Nations Security Council to support the plea made by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to invoke Article 99 of the United Nations Charter. This request is aimed at addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

"The UNSC must act immediately to prevent a full collapse of the humanitarian situation in Gaza," Borrell said in a post on X.

I ask the EU members of the UN Security Council and like-minded partners to support @UN Secretary General @AntonioGuterres’s call.

The #UNSC must act immediately to prevent a full collapse of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) December 7, 2023

He further urged "Israel" to "enable all UN Agencies, including their Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Lynn Hastings, to provide urgent support to civilians in Gaza."

A flashback

This comes shortly after UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric announced, on Wednesday, that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres activated Article 99 of the United Nations Charter, issuing a letter to the President of the Security Council regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip.

The move marks the first instance of Guterres utilizing Article 99 of the UN Charter to call for the Security Council's action since assuming his position in 2017, as per Dujarric.

"This is the first time that Antonio Guterres has done [this] since he became Secretary-General in 2017," Dujarric told reporters, adding that the decision was made on the basis of the significant loss of human life.

He clarified that Article 99 grants the UN chief the authority to draw the attention of the Security Council to any matters that, in his judgment, could pose a threat to international peace and security.

Dujarric said the letter was received and distributed but has not received any response from the Security Council so far.

Anticipated to speak before the council to advocate for a cease-fire, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has faced criticism from Israeli occupation's UN Ambassador, Gilad Erdan.

Unsurprisingly, Erdan accused the secretary-general of utilizing Article 99 to exert pressure on "Israel", labeling Guterres' actions as "a new moral low" and demonstrating "bias against Israel."

"Israel" has consistently employed a strategy of portraying itself as the victim while simultaneously dehumanizing the oppressed. This approach shapes the narrative around its actions, often deflecting attention from the plight of Palestinians who are facing a genocidal war. The tactic has been a point of contention and critique in discussions surrounding the Israeli occupation and its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Dive deeper

In the letter, Guterres said he invoked the Article "to bring to the attention of the Security Council a matter which, in my opinion, may aggravate existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security."

The letter outlines the severity of the situation in Gaza, emphasizing the imminent danger faced by its civilians.

It also highlights the collapse of the health system in Gaza, unable to meet the needs of its people.

It is important to note that 111 UN employees have been martyred as a result of this genocide.

Guterres had previously said this represents the "largest loss of personnel in the history of our organization."

I've just invoked Art.99 of the UN Charter - for the 1st time in my tenure as Secretary-General.

Facing a severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza, I urge the Council to help avert a humanitarian catastrophe & appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared. pic.twitter.com/pA0eRXZnFJ
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) December 6, 2023

"Israel's" Permanent Representative to the United Nations Gilad Erdan justified their killing on the basis that "many UNRWA workers in Gaza are themselves members of Hamas. The time has come to bust the myth of UN-supplied facts," he said on November 10.