UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday invoked the rarely used Article 99 of the UN Charter to urge the Security Council to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, said his spokesman.
In a rare move, Guterres wrote to the president of the Security Council to demand action, invoking Article 99 of the UN Charter for the first time since he became UN Secretary-General in 2017, expressing grave concerns over the scale of the loss of human lives in Gaza and Israel in a short period of time.
“Article 99 states and I quote that ‘the Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter, in his opinion, that may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security’. In the letter, which has been shared with you, the Secretary-General urges the members of the Security Council to press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe and he appeals for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General during a press conference.
The UN chief wrote in the letter that the international community has a responsibility to use all its influence to prevent further escalation and end this crisis.
He reiterated that it is urgent to spare civilians from greater harm, and a humanitarian cease-fire can restore the means of survival, creating a conducive environment for a safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance across Gaza.
(Inputs from Reuters)