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Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Kuwait hosts UN event urging protection for aid workers in Gaza
Experts warn of escalating attacks on workers in Gaza, call for global efforts to deliver critical assistance GENEVA: Kuwait's permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva held a high-level event Thursday spotlighting the urgent need to protect humanitarian workers and ensure aid delivery in conflict zones, especially Gaza. The event, titled 'Humanitarian Access and Protection of Humanitarian Workers: A Pillar for Advancing Human Rights in Conflicts', was part of the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council. It drew broad participation from diplomats, UN officials, humanitarian experts, and NGO representatives. Kuwait's Ambassador to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Nasser Al-Hain, said the event reflects Kuwait's 'deep-rooted humanitarian approach and commitment to supporting multilateral humanitarian work.' 'Protecting humanitarian workers and ensuring aid reaches those in need are ethical and legal priorities the international community must uphold,' Al-Hain said in a statement to KUNA. He emphasized Kuwait's role as a hub for humanitarian work and its belief in diplomacy as a tool for peace and justice. Gaza at the center Speakers repeatedly highlighted the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the escalating dangers facing aid workers. UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Michael Fakhri warned of the growing use of starvation as a weapon of war. 'Starvation is now a tool to humiliate civilians and forcibly displace them by destroying food systems, farms, warehouses, and water infrastructure,' he said. He called for multinational peacekeeping forces to escort aid convoys under the UN General Assembly's Uniting for Peace mechanism. Patrick Duplat, Humanitarian Access Advisor at OCHA, expressed alarm over what he described as the 'militarization of humanitarian aid,' particularly in Gaza. 'Current mechanisms for delivering aid are military-led, obstructing humanitarian work and violating core humanitarian principles,' he said, urging member states to reassess how they fund humanitarian efforts. Grave toll Francesco Motta, Head of the Asia, Middle East and North Africa Branch at the UN Human Rights Office, described a 'moral and legal collapse in conflict zones,' citing systematic targeting of humanitarian workers. Since October 7, 2023, at least 467 aid workers have been killed by Zionist entity forces, including 317 staff from UNRWA, 47 from the Palestinian Red Crescent, and 97 from NGOs, he said. He added that 1,581 health workers, including women and civil defense members, have also been killed. 'No hospital in Gaza is operating fully anymore,' Motta warned, noting that a million people could soon face Phase 4 food insecurity, with nearly half a million on the brink of famine. He added that attacks on health workers were rising in the West Bank as well, with ambulances blocked and specialized medical care denied. Call for accountability Dr Altaf Musani, WHO's Director of Health Emergency Interventions, said over 8,630 attacks on health facilities and personnel have been recorded globally since 2018, resulting in 4,000 deaths and 6,000 injuries. He said 2025 has seen the highest number yet, with 1,528 attacks in Gaza and the West Bank alone. International law expert Marco Sassòli stressed that arbitrary denial of humanitarian aid is a violation of international humanitarian law. 'Starvation and discrimination are two sides of the same unlawful coin,' he told KUNA. He also reminded that humanitarian workers are civilians and must not be targeted, pointing to UN Security Council Resolution 2730 (2023), which calls for national and international accountability mechanisms. — KUNA
Irish Independent
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Increase of settlements in the West Bank 'so blatantly in breach of international law that it requires refutation", says President Michael D Higgins
The Assembly is expected to vote today on a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and the opening of all Israeli border crossings for deliveries of desperately needed food and other aid. Last week, the US vetoed a Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and calling on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid, despite the 14 other members of the council voting in favour. There are no vetoes in the 193-member General Assembly, where the resolution is expected to pass overwhelmingly, but it is not legally binding. Mr Higgins said there is a call for political leaders 'to come forward with emergency proposals' to allow those in Gaza access to 'desperately' needed water, medicines and food given the urgency of the humanitarian situation 'both in terms of the risks attached to accessing food and the growing number entering the critical category of death from malnutrition'. In a statement issued this evening, he said: "This is a major moral moment for the international community. I welcome that Ireland is a co-sponsor of the draft resolution being presented at today's resumed tenth Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly under the Uniting for Peace initiative.' 'The draft resolution calls for action from members of the United Nations, stating that the General Assembly: 'Stresses the need for accountability in order to ensure Israel's respect of international law obligations, and in this regard calls upon all member states to individually and collectively take all measures necessary, in line with international law and the Charter of the United Nations, to ensure compliance by Israel with its obligations.'' He added: 'Given recent suggestions that a Palestinian State would have to be carved out of a Muslim state, it is necessary surely for all members of the European Union and of the international community to declare where they stand in relation to such a significant change in policy.' Mr Higgins said the announced increase in settlements in the West Bank is 'consistent with a policy of dispossession, but is so blatantly in breach of international law that it requires a refutation'. 'Today's meeting of the General Assembly, and associated measures, are of immense importance given the human consequences of inaction.' The draft resolution will be co-sponsored by Spain, Chile, Egypt, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Malaysia, Norway, Qatar, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkiye and the State of Palestine.
