What happened Thursday at UNGA: Gaza crisis tops discussions; Africa pushes for Security Council reform; leaders act against ‘superbugs’

This article is published in association with United Nations

At the UN on Thursday, world leaders urged a concerted diplomatic drive to end the war in Gaza and to avert further escalation in the region. Strong demands for genuine UN reform persisted, with several African leaders calling for permanent representation on the Security Council. In two high-level meetings, senior UN officials warned that some of the world’s most effective antibiotics are losing their effectiveness against “superbugs”, while others urged nations to “stop gambling with humanity’s future” by getting rid of nuclear weapons. 

🔵 The day opened with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declaring: “Stop this crime. Stop it now. Stop killing children and women…Stop sending weapons to Israel…The entire world is responsible for what is happening to our people in Gaza and the West Bank.”

He called for political and financial support for the UN humanitarian aid agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and other aid organizations, and laid out a detailed ‘day after’ plan for when the war ends.

Find our coverage here.

There’s more information on the Gaza crisis here.

Find our Middle East In Focus coverage here.

🔵 During a special Ministerial-level meeting to shore up support for UNRWA, the aid agency’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini. stated: “Today, the agency is the beating heart of the humanitarian operation in Gaza. Despite this – and perhaps because of it – UNRWA is under fierce attack.”

He underscored that during the conflict, 222 UNRWA staff have been killed and more than two-thirds of its buildings have been damaged or destroyed.

Mr. Lazzarini concluded with three appeals urging the gathered ministers to:

– Safeguard UNRWA’s role in Gaza.

– Provide a sustainable model of funding for the agency’s vital mission.

– Reject attempts to tarnish UNRWA’s reputation and end its operations.

Find our coverage here.

Find Mr. Lazzarini’s statement here.

🔵 World leaders addressed the under-recognized health concern of antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, during the first high-level session of the day. AMR is mostly brought on by the abuse and overuse of medications like antibiotics, which increases the risk of disease and the development of resistant microorganisms.

The leaders agreed to cut the number of deaths associated with so-called “superbugs” by 10 per cent by the end of the decade.

“Antimicrobial resistance threatens to unwind [a century of medical] progress, making it without question one of the most pressing health challenges of our time,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), as he underscored “that the declaration includes vital commitments that, if translated into action, will help to track AMR, slow it down, expand access to antimicrobial medicines like antibiotics and spur the development of new ones.”

Find our LIVE coverage of the event here.

Find the Political Declaration on AMR here.

Find our explainer on AMR here.

🔵 The second of Thursday’s high-level events focused on advancing global nuclear disarmament. UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared: “There should be no place for these devices of death in our world.”

He warned, however, that “not since the worst days of the Cold War has the spectre of nuclear weapons cast such a dark shadow.” The UN chief said that “nuclear sabre-rattling has reached a fever pitch” and there have been threats to use a nuclear weapon, highlighting fears of a new arms race.

Convened to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, observed annually on 26 September, the event also heard a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies call for urgent action to prevent the risk of deliberate or accidental use of nuclear weapons.

Find our coverage of the event here.

🔵 The Assembly’s annual debate continued with African leaders making strong calls for more inclusive representation on the UN Security Council. Several speakers said the composition of that 15-member body, which comprises 10 rotating non-permanent members and five veto-wielding permanent members, was anachronistic and lacked legitimacy.

They laid out a compelling case for reform, highlighting how the legacy of colonialism and its lingering effects have left the continent disproportionately excluded. This exclusion is not merely a matter of representation, it directly impacts Africa’s ability to influence discussions on critical issues, such as conflict resolution, climate change and sustainable development.

Find our coverage here.

More on Thursday’s general debate here.

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