UAE highlights plight of Palestinians at UN

Says innocent human life is being taken recklessly and violently in Gaza

Ina strong statement to the UN Security Council, the UAE expressed concern with growing disrespect for international law around the world, and particularly in the Middle East, at an Open Debate on upholding international law and the maintenance of international peace and security.

The debate was hosted by Andrzej Duda, the President of Poland, which holds the presidency of the Security Council for May.

“A world without a rulesbased international order is one filled with chaos and instability, one where rogue actors disregard international norms with impunity, the system of trusted relationships between countries is broken, and the most vulnerable across societies are left to suffer without recourse to justice,” said Lana Nussaibah, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN in New York.

Ambassador Nussaibah recalled the tragedy in Gaza on May 14 that resulted in the abhorrent murder of over 60 innocent Palestinian civilians perpetrated by a UN member state. “The lives of the victims men, women, and children are no less human than any other in this council, or any member state in this United Nations, but have been treated by the inaction of this body as if somehow they were less human than the rest of us, and suffer less, and grieve their losses differently,” she stressed. Ambassador Nussaibah said that the latest acts on the Gaza border violate multiple rules of international law and cannot be condoned or ignored by the international community.

Ambassador Nussaibah proposed that the council request a report from the Secretary-General on the various modalities of dispute settlement covered in Chapter VI of the UN Charter. This report would serve as a resource to member states and would outline the use and practice of the modalities in mitigating disputes that have come before the UN, lessons learnt from the practice, and guidance on applying the modalities for member states.

Nussaibah proposed that the council request a report from the Secretary-General on various modalities of dispute settlement under the UN Charter.