UN General Assembly President: UN 'paralyzed' in face of challenges

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 Nov 2023 13:00
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As the genocide in Gaza rages on, the president of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dennis Francis, slams the UN Security Council for not fulfilling its duty.

UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis delivers his closing remarks to the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, September 26, 2023. (AP)

The president of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dennis Francis, criticized the UN Security Council for not fulfilling its duty to maintain international peace and security.

He highlighted during a session on council reform that conflicts and wars persist in various parts of the world.

Francis pointed out that the UN is facing challenges in addressing these issues due to divisions within the Security Council, describing the organization as "paralyzed."

"During this major transformation, the UN Security Council remains dangerously unable to fulfill its basic duty to maintain international peace and security," he said.

He emphasized the importance of implementing structural reforms in the Council to ensure the credibility of the entire United Nations.

These remarks come shortly after the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the US of using its veto power in the UN Security Council to hinder international efforts to end the bloodshed in Gaza, affirming that all UN representatives jointly called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, but the Security Council is paralyzed due to the US position.

The UN failed on Gaza with three US vetos

Blaming the US policy on Gaza for the ongoing escalation and its blocking of peace initiatives, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said on November 11, "Washington’s blocking of peace initiatives for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip at this point and its one-sided policy of the past few years, aimed at preserving the status quo (which is what they [the Americans] said), as well as it’s so-called quiet diplomacy, in fact were nothing but an unwillingness to implement what countries and nations had agreed on."

"The lack of any progress in the negotiation process was sure to lead to an escalation," he added, stressing that "this in turn may trigger an expansion of the conflict and fuel other potential and simmering conflicts in the region."

At the time, the Russian envoy stressed that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian struggle "should in no way involve attempts to drive the Palestinian people from their homeland." A real solution to this "long-standing issue" should be based on international law, Nebenzia concluded.

It is worth noting that the US and its allies vetoed three resolutions for a ceasefire, while Russia and China voted against a US-sponsored resolution. The US proposed humanitarian pauses, claiming that a comprehensive ceasefire would benefit Hamas.

So far, more than 11,500 Palestinians, including at least 4,630 children, have been killed by Israeli strikes since October 7, with concerns raised about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.