It has been historic as the 79th session of the UN General Assembly came into view, as for the first time, Palestine has been accorded a seat in the UN General Assembly Hall next to UN member states. However, all this development does not amount to full membership in the 193-member UN body.
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Authority’s envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, sat down at a desk with a nameplate reading “State of Palestine,” between Sri Lanka and Sudan. This comes months after a resolution in May, which upgraded the status of Palestine in the UN and granted it more rights.
The resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority-143 in its favor, which includes India. This special arrangement allows Palestine to participate in the sessions of the General Assembly and UN meetings, without creating any precedent. Egypt’s Ambassador Osama Mahmoud Abdelkhalek Mahmoud termed it as a moment of big importance and desired that the President of the General Assembly confirm the arrangement. The UNGA President assured him that all arrangements had been made.
However, Israel has criticized this move as reflecting political favoritism. And in violation of the principle that UN membership and its privileges are for sovereign states.
This essentially reflects India’s continued support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Even as it condemned acts of terror, like the recent one on October 7 by Hamas. It has balanced it with the call for a Palestinian homeland. The Ministry of External Affairs in India once again reiterated the support for a sovereign, independent. And viable state of Palestine to coexist peacefully with Israel.
The President of the 79th General Assembly is the former Prime Minister of Cameroon, Philemon Yang. Mr. Yang took over from Dennis Francis. He said he intends to give greater attention to conflict resolution in Gaza, Haiti, and Ukraine. He said human rights would be at the center of debate in the Assembly.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated Yang, pointing to a difficult global context as the session opened. According to him, last year brought turmoil with issues like poverty, inequality, and climate change. There was nonetheless hope for further movement in those areas. He also called for collective action against such problems and emphasized the role of the General Assembly in finding solutions.
Guterres called for action on many fronts: updating the Sustainable Development Goals. Including combating poverty and lack of equality; economic growth, and jobs; overcoming the political fault lines; and preventing further climate change. Besides, he underlined capability and determination to adequately finance sustainable development in developing countries. For the progress in technology not to take place at the cost of, but for, humankind’s prosperity.
Looking ahead, the UN Headquarters in New York will host the “Summit of the Future” on September 22-23. Immediately before the high-level debate of the General Assembly. General Debate, September 24-30, will revolve around the theme. “Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development, and human dignity for present and future generations.”
Among other initiatives, the negotiations will aim to establish a “Pact for the Future” to bolster global cooperation in addressing today’s challenges. High-level meetings will tackle issues such as nuclear disarmament, rising sea levels, and strengthening global health systems against antimicrobial resistance.
ANI