UN General Assembly resolution demands that Israel “immediately end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory.” Main news of the day | Wednesday: General Assembly, Middle East, Future Summit, Afghanistan UN
Main news of the day in the UN and the world: General Assembly resolution on Palestine, UN reaction to explosions in Lebanon and Syria, Secretary-General’s statement ahead of Future Summit, humanitarian response plan for Afghanistan.
UN General Assembly Resolution on Palestine
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding that Israel withdraw its forces from the occupied Palestinian territories. 124 delegations voted for the resolution, proposed by the State of Palestine in collaboration with dozens of other countries. 43 countries abstained, 14 voted against. The resolution demands that Israel “put an immediate end to its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory.” The document also specifies a deadline: “no later than 12 months after the adoption of this resolution.”
Explosions in Lebanon and Syria
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is deeply concerned by reports that multiple communications devices exploded in Lebanon and Syria on 17 and 18 September, killing at least 11 people and injuring thousands, his spokesman said in a statement on behalf of the UN chief. The secretary-general urged all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint to prevent further escalation. Earlier on Wednesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also issued a statement stressing that the impact of these explosions on civilians is unacceptable.
Statement by UN chief ahead of Future Summit
“I have one very important message today: a call for Member States to demonstrate a spirit of compromise.” The UN Secretary-General made this statement on Wednesday, just a few days before the start of the Future Summit and the opening of the General Assembly’s general debate. He noted that the discussion of the Summit’s outcome documents is in its final stages. During his traditional annual press conference ahead of the High-Level Week at UN Headquarters in New York, Antonio Guterres emphasized that global challenges are emerging faster than the international community can address them. The UN chief called on member states to do everything possible to ensure that the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration for Future Generations are signed.
Humanitarian Response Plan for Afghanistan
The de facto authorities of Afghanistan have ensured a “period of stability unseen in decades” in the country, but the humanitarian situation there continues to deteriorate due to a reduction in international funding. This was stated by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva at a briefing in the UN Security Council. “The de facto authorities are exacerbating this crisis with policies that do not sufficiently focus on the real needs of the people and undermine their economic potential,” she said. The special representative noted that the current humanitarian response plan, which requires three billion dollars, is only 30 percent funded.