Diplomacy Secretary general vows not to give up on Gaza ceasefire

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has vowed he will not give up on seeking a ceasefire in Gaza after the US vetoed the move at the Security Council last Friday, leaving the UN without a clear route to prevent the conflict from lasting many months.

- Patrick Wintour

Speaking at the Doha Forum in Qatar, Guterres did not directly criticize the US, but said the security council was “paralyzed by geostrategic divisions”. He added that world institutions were “weak and outdated ”.

Guterres spelled out why he had employed Article 99 of the UN charter to use his extraordinary powers to force the Security Council to address the crisis in Gaza. “I urged the security council to press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe and I reiterated my appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared. Regrettably, the security council failed to do it,” he said. “I will not give up.”

He said, the previously passed resolution calling for more humanitarian aid was not being implemented, straining the credibility of the UN.