What is an emergency extraordinary session of the UN General Assembly and why is it important?
After the United States vetoed a draft Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the 193 UN member states are meeting again to decide how to address the current Israeli-Palestinian crisis. We look at how the rarely called special session of the General Assembly came about, what it means and why it is important.
On this occasion, the Extraordinary Emergency Session of the UN Assembly will resume on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at the request of the Permanent Representatives of Egypt, Osama Mahmoud Abdelkhalek, and Mauritania, Mohamed Laghdaf, in their respective capacities as President of the Arab Republic Group and President of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. This was announced by the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Dennis Francis.
What is a special emergency meeting?
If the UN Security Council is unable to discharge its primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, as has been the case so far following the outbreak of the recent crisis between Israel and Palestine on October 7, the General Assembly can take up the matter immediately consider convening an extraordinary emergency meeting and recommend to its members collective action for the maintenance or restoration of international peace and security, as set out in the Assembly resolution “Uniting for Peace” of November 3, 1950.
UN Member States may request the President of the Assembly to convene such a meeting to make appropriate recommendations on collective action, including calling for a ceasefire and, in the event of a breach of the peace or aggression, as a last resort: the use of armed force if necessary.
At the first plenary session of an emergency special session or after its resumption, as in the case of the current tenth session, the Assembly usually hears the views of the country or countries concerned. Member states then debate the issue and vote on a draft resolution.
If approved by a two-thirds majority, the non-binding General Assembly resolution provides guidance to nations. Some of these resolutions from previous sessions, for example, included a request for an advisory opinion to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and a request for the intervention of a UN-led international force to ensure and monitor the cessation of hostilities. .
On Friday, the United States vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
What triggers extraordinary emergency meetings?
Since the UN Security Council is deadlocked, an extraordinary emergency meeting quickly takes place. This is happening because one of the five permanent members of the Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) is using its veto power enshrined in the United Nations Charter to defeat a corresponding draft resolution.
Although the use of the veto can also be quickly reviewed at a regular session of the General Assembly, emergency special sessions are an option for UN members to discuss urgent peace and security issues.
Back in October, the General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for “an immediate, permanent and sustainable humanitarian ceasefire leading to a cessation of hostilities” by 121 votes in favour, 14 against and 44 abstentions.
More information:
Guterres invokes Article 99 of the UN letter to the Security Council
Israel-Palestine: Two months of catastrophe that never ends
The UN General Assembly will hold a new emergency session on Gaza after the veto in the Security Council