STORY: UNGA president calls for great efforts to resolve Gaza crisis
SHOOTING TIME: March 4, 2024
DATELINE: March 5, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:47
LOCATION: UN Headquarters
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of UNGA Hall
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): DENNIS FRANCIS, President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly
3. various of UNGA Hall
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): DENNIS FRANCIS, President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly
5. various of UNGA Hall
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): DENNIS FRANCIS, President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly

STORYLINE:

UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Dennis Francis on Monday called for action to end violence and suffering in Gaza.

The General Assembly met to examine the U.S. veto of the latest Security Council draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza, where a grim, forewarned landscape of famine has seen babies and children die of starvation in recent days.

"First and foremost, an immediate humanitarian ceasefire must be implemented. The bombardment must stop, now," Francis told the General Assembly plenary meeting on the use of the veto.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): DENNIS FRANCIS, President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly
"First and foremost, an immediate humanitarian ceasefire must be implemented. The bombardment must stop, now. Second, all parties must comply with their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, especially as it relates to the protection of civilians and civilian facilities. Third, all hostages must be immediately and unconditionally released. And finally, full and unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance by those in need must be ensured."

Francis said that from the UN's inception in 1945, the world body and the Security Council have an overarching duty to save generations from the scourge of war, and called for the international community to act now to end Gaza crisis.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): DENNIS FRANCIS, President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly"I am shocked and horrified at the reported killing and injury of hundreds of people during disbursement of food supplies, west of Gaza City last week. This comes as the death toll in Israel and the Gaza Strip since October 7 has reached the 30,000 mark. 85 percent of Gaza's population - or 1.9 million people - are internally displaced."

Extremely concerned about pending Israeli ground operations in Rafah, where nearly 1.5 million people now reside, the UNGA president called for maximum restraint to prevail in order to save innocent civilian lives.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): DENNIS FRANCIS, President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly"Israeli restrictions on the humanitarian access have drastically reduced the flow of lifesaving aid to a mere trickle. UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) reports a significant 50 percent reduction in the number of trucks entering Gaza daily from January to February. It is therefore essential that we rapidly and substantially increase the scale of humanitarian operations - and ensure unrestricted access to all civilians in need."

The 193 members of the UN General Assembly on April 26, 2023 adopted by consensus resolution 76/262, committing that every time a veto is cast in the UN Security Council, the General Assembly will meet within 10 days and "hold a debate on the situation as to which the veto was cast."

The initiative was born out of growing frustration over states persistently using vetos in the Security Council, including to block action aimed at halting or averting the commission of atrocity crimes, and addressing their humanitarian consequences.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from UN Headquarters.
(XHTV)