UN Secretary General António Guterres spoke to the Dec. 10 opening ceremony of the Doha Forum 2023, in Qatar, under the theme “Building Shared Futures,” and stated that he would keep fighting for the immediate implementation of a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
“Regrettably the [UN] Security Council failed to do so” in its Dec. 8 vote, in which the United States vetoed a resolution calling for such a ceasefire. “But that does not make it less necessary,” Guterres went on, “so, I can promise I will not give up.”
“I urged the Security Council to press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe and I reiterated my appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared,” said the UN Secretary General. He said that the Security Council has produced only one resolution narrowly focused on aid delivery. “And the resolution is not being implemented,” he said. “We need a serious effort to bring global structures up to date, rooted in equality and solidarity and based on the United Nations Charter and international law.”
