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69th Plenary Meeting of General Assembly 72nd Session
More people than ever before, displaced by conflict and natural hazards, required aid and relief from the international community, the General Assembly heard today as speakers stressed the need to strengthen coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations.
“The great privilege of having a voice in these hallowed halls comes with a huge responsibility to our people,” said General Assembly President Miroslav Lajčák (Slovakia).
In a statement delivered by Assembly Vice-President Zina Andrianarivelo-Razafy (Madagascar), Mr. Lajčák said that 65 million people in 2017 had been forcibly displaced, more than ever before, while 377 million in 2016 had been affected by natural hazards.
He said using people as pawns for narrow political victories was to deny a common humanity. Preventing and resolving conflict was a first line of defence against conflict‑induced crises. Vulnerability and poverty were also root causes of immense human suffering. All parties must allow humanitarian access and the targeting of humanitarian and medical personnel must be condemned. Protection must also be extended to those who experienced gender‑based and sexual violence.
Postponing action until Monday, the Assembly heard introductions of the following four draft resolutions under its cluster on humanitarian and disaster relief assistance: “Safety and security of humanitarian personnel and protection of United Nations personnel” (document A/72/L.22), “International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development” (document A/72/L.23), “International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development” (document A/72/L.24) and “Assistance to the Palestinian people” (document A/72/L.25).
By the terms of draft text, “Safety and security of humanitarian personnel and protection of United Nations personnel”, the Assembly would urge all States to make every effort to ensure the full and effective implementation of the relevant rules of international law. It would also condemn the targeting of humanitarian personnel and call upon all States to consider becoming parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
By the terms of draft resolution “International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development”, the Assembly would express concern at the increasing impact of natural hazards. Furthermore, it would reiterate the commitment to support the efforts of countries to strengthen their capacities to assess and reduce risks. It would stress the importance of equal participation of women in implementing disaster risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery strategies.
The Assembly, by terms of the text “Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations”, would call upon all States to continue to implement effective legislative to mitigate the effects of natural hazards, and to integrate disaster risk reduction strategies into development planning. It would also stress the need to strengthen resilience, and in that regard, would encourage Member States and the United Nations system to integrate resilience into humanitarian and development programmes.
The Assembly, by terms of the draft text “Assistance to the Palestinian people”, would stress the importance of following up on the results of the Cairo International Conference on Palestine: Reconstructing Gaza to effectively promote economic recovery and reconstruction in a timely manner. It would also call on donors to transfer funds as soon as possible and urge Member States to open their markets to exports of Palestinian products on the most favourable terms.
In the ensuing discussion, Member States outlined myriad ways they were aiding and assisting millions in need. The representative of the European Union said the bloc and its member States, collectively the world’s largest humanitarian donor, would continue to do their part. Protecting civilians and aid workers was essential, he underscored, also adding that lessons must be learned from past crises.
Israel’s representative urged the international community to “never turn a blind eye” to those in need. She stressed that her country would not let its call to action be diluted by politics, noting an Israeli hospital that had treated thousands of Syrians.
The representative of the United States said that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and similar agreements remained non‑binding, underscoring that each country had its own development priorities.
“People’s lives must not become pawns in geopolitical games,” stressed the representative of the Russian Federation, noting that linking assistance with domestic political processes was unacceptable.
The rising risk of natural hazards was underscored as a major threat by some countries, with the representative of Maldives stressing that, on small islands, there were normally limited points of entry, which might face structural damage, obstructing access to humanitarian aid. It could be beneficial to establish pre‑existing systems that could immediately mobilize aid with the cooperation of Member States in close geographical proximity.
El Salvador’s representative, speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), emphasized the growing impact of extreme hydro‑meteorological phenomena associated with climate change on the entire Central American region. He called on the Assembly to recognize the impact of small‑scale and slow‑moving disasters.
Also before the Committee were the following reports of the Secretary-General: “Safety and security of humanitarian personnel and protection of United Nations personnel” (document A/72/490); “Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations” (document A/72/76); “International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development” (document A/72/348), “Central Emergency Response Fund” (document A/72/358); and Assistance to the Palestinian People (document A/72/87).
Also speaking were the representatives of Brunei Darussalam, Qatar, Thailand, Spain, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, China, Canada, Kuwait, Turkey, Ukraine, Bangladesh and Syria.
Exercising the right of reply were the representatives of Myanmar, Israel and Syria.
The General Assembly will reconvene at 10 a.m., Monday, 11 December, to conclude its consideration of strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations and take up culture of peace.
