Antonio Guterres said divisions within the UN Security Council were “dangerous”.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the world is entering an “era of turmoil” as the UN Security Council remains sharply divided over Israel's war in Gaza.
Guterres said he was “particularly alert” after Israel announced last week that it intended to focus its military offensive in the Gaza Strip on the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million people have fled. Stated.
“Such actions would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare, with untold regional consequences,” he told the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday. .
“Now is the time for a humanitarian ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages,” he added.
In response to the Palestinian group's attack on southern Israel on October 7, the Israeli military launched a devastating attack on Gaza with the aim of “destroying” Hamas. At least 1,139 people were killed in Hamas attacks, according to Al Jazeera's tally based on official information. Israeli person.
Since then, Israel has relentlessly bombarded the territory and launched a ground invasion, leaving much of Gaza in ruins. According to the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip, at least 27,708 people have been killed in Israeli attacks and more than 80% of the population has been forced to flee.
In his speech on Wednesday, Mr. Guterres also called for reform of the Security Council, which has failed to agree on a common view on the war in Gaza despite calls from several U.N. bodies for an emergency ceasefire.
“The United Nations Security Council, the main platform for issues of world peace, is bogged down by geopolitical rifts,” he said.
“This is not the first time the council has been divided, but it is the worst. Today's dysfunction is even deeper and more dangerous.”
Guterres added that unlike during the Cold War, when “established mechanisms helped manage superpower relations,” such mechanisms are gone “in today's multipolar world.”
“Our world is entering an era of chaos…a dangerous, unpredictable and completely free era of impunity,” he warned.
The UN Secretary-General has given world leaders the opportunity to take part in the Future Summit, to be held in New York in September on the sidelines of the annual general meeting, to “shape multilateralism for years to come.” encouraged them to make use of it.
He also said funding was “not keeping pace” as conflicts escalated around the world and humanitarian needs “are at an all-time high.”
