Guterres: Hunger knocks on every door in the Gaza Strip

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Tuesday of widening geopolitical divisions and conflicts, noting that the cost is high, measured in human lives, devastated societies, and lost futures.

This came in the Secretary-General's briefing to the high-level open debate of the UN Security Council on the theme "Strengthening international peace and security through multilateralism and the peaceful settlement of disputes."

“We need look no further than the scene of horror in Gaza – with a level of death and destruction unprecedented in recent times. Malnutrition is on the rise. Hunger is knocking on every door. And now we are witnessing the last gasp of a humanitarian system based on humanitarian principles. This system is being denied the conditions to operate. It is being denied the space to deliver assistance. It is being denied the safety to save lives. And with the intensification of Israeli military operations and the issuance of new displacement orders in Deir al-Balah, destruction is being piled upon destruction,” Guterres said.

The Secretary-General expressed his horror at the bombing of United Nations facilities in Gaza, including those of the United Nations Office for Project Services and the World Health Organization, including the WHO's main warehouse.

He said this bombing occurred despite all parties being informed of the locations of these UN facilities. He added, "These facilities are inviolable and must be protected under international humanitarian law, without exception."

Guterres noted that the theme of today's session highlights the clear link between international peace and multilateralism.

He said, "The United Nations was founded 80 years ago to protect humanity from the scourge of war. The drafters of the UN Charter recognized that the peaceful resolution of disputes is a lifeline in situations where geopolitical tensions escalate, conflicts intensify, and countries lose trust in each other."

He pointed out that the United Nations Charter provides for a number of important tools for achieving peace, stressing that the Security Council clearly articulates its special responsibility to ensure the peaceful resolution of disputes through negotiation, investigation, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, recourse to regional organizations or arrangements, or other peaceful means chosen by the parties.

He said, "There are three areas in which we can fulfill the Charter for the Future's call to renew our commitment—and the world's confidence—to the multilateral problem-solving mechanism." These areas are: Security Council members, particularly its permanent members, must continue to work to overcome divisions. The Security Council must continue to strengthen cooperation with regional and subregional partners. Member States must fulfill their obligations under international law, including the UN Charter, international human rights law, and international humanitarian law.