Explanation of position delivered by Her Excellency Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana, at the 9790th meeting of the United Nations Security Council: “Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”
Thank you, Madame President.
Following five (5) weeks of intense negotiations and the vote in favour by fourteen (14) members, Guyana deeply regrets that the Security Council was unable today to adopt the resolution tabled by the elected Member States of this Council to pronounce on the apocalyptic situation in Gaza. The main objective of this draft resolution was to address some of the most critical issues that currently feature in Israel’s more than year-long war on Gaza. Those critical issues include the ongoing atrocities of a scale and intensity that cause the death toll to climb on a daily basis and which has now surpassed 43,000, the continued captivity of persons taken from Israel in the brutal attack of 7 October, and the humanitarian situation that appears to have reached its nadir but then still worsens in unimaginable ways.
The resolution just considered responded to these critical issues, building on the legally binding framework that the Council had established through the four previous resolutions adopted since 7 October. Importantly, the resolution would have gone further by adding several critical dimensions to that framework. Those include, for the first time, an unequivocal call for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza; an affirmation of the centrality of UNRWA’s role in the humanitarian response in Gaza; as well as an affirmation that respect for the International Court of Justice and its functions is essential to international law and justice and to an international order based on the rule of law. Contemplating the end of the war and the mammoth investments that would be required for reconstruction, the resolution sought to make a contribution to “day after” planning by requesting the Secretary-General to prepare a comprehensive report which would include a needs assessment for Gaza in the short, medium and long term. It is deeply disappointing, therefore, that these constructive contributions could not be added to the legally binding framework already in place on the war in Gaza.
Madame President,
Many have said that the ongoing annihilation of the Palestinian people is a major stain on our collective human conscience. Today, the Council had the opportunity to begin erasing that stain by demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire but despite our best efforts, and the almost universal support to go in that direction, the Council was again hamstrung by a veto.
Guyana hopes that the inability of the Council to adopt this resolution will not be seen by those who want to continue this war as a license to continue killing, starving and maiming innocent civilians.
The continuation of sheer misery cannot and must not be the fate of Palestinians. They need to see the seeds of peace being planted by this Council. They must see that this Security Council is giving peace a chance. Today that hope was dashed but it has not been eclipsed.
Notwithstanding, Guyana will continue to work with fellow Council members to try to achieve tomorrow what we could not achieve today. Not trying is simply not an option.
I thank you.
