爆料网

31 October 2024

Seventy-ninth session

Agenda items 14, 58, 120 and 123

Culture of peace

Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples

Implementation of the resolutions of the United Nations

Strengthening of the United Nations system

Letter dated 31 October 2024 from the Permanent Representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to refer to matters concerning the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations, which held its second meeting of national coordinators on 13 May 2024 in Caracas, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ahead of the 2024 Caribbean regional seminar on the implementation of the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.

In this regard, I am pleased to transmit herewith the political declaration and the special declaration adopted at that time (see annexes I and II, respectively),* while respectfully requesting your good offices for circulating the present letter and its annexes among the wider membership and issuing them as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 14, 58, 120 and 123.

(Signed) Samuel Moncada

Ambassador

Permanent Representative of the Bolivarian Republic of

Venezuela to the United Nations

Annex I to the letter dated 31 October 2024 from the Permanent Representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

Political declaration of the second meeting of national coordinators of the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations

1. We, the National Coordinators of the members of the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations, met in Caracas, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to discuss, among others, ways and means to advance our common endeavors, aimed at preserving, promoting and defending the prevalence and validity of the Charter of the United Nations, both in its letter and spirit, and to further improve our coordination on issues of common interest and concern.
2. We also undertook an assessment of recent developments in the international arena, including of the persistent and ever increasing challenges and threats to the Charter of the United Nations, as well as to exchange views on existing, new and emerging threats and challenges, including those derived from the latest developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and to continue our permanent discussion on action-oriented measures that could serve the purpose of realizing our grouping’s objectives, while simultaneously both advancing our common interests and positions and fully galvanizing its powerful potential at all relevant international fora.
3. We recall the political declarations previously adopted by our grouping, as well as the positions contained in the various joint statements and communique?s issued on various specific items – of which we undertook an assessment with regards to the progress made towards the implementation of their relevant provisions –, and reiterate our firm and full commitment to the Charter of the United Nations, mindful of the fact that the principles and purposes contained therein remain timeless, universal and that they are all indispensable not only for preserving and promoting international peace and security, the rule of law, economic development and social progress, as well as human rights for all, but also for achieving a more peaceful, prosperous, just and equitable world, and a system based, precisely, on the rules it contains.
4. We continue to follow closely and with great concern the tragic developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, where a carnage continues to be indiscriminately perpetrated against the Palestinian people, while, at the same time, mass grave sites have now started to be found in Gaza, and as the Palestinian people continues to be forcibly displaced from their homeland. We condemn the Occupying Power’s decision to blatantly disregard and systematically violate its legally binding obligations, including those derived from the norms of international humanitarian law, as well as from the multiple Security Council resolutions on the Question of Palestine – which are legally binding by virtue of Article 25 of the Charter of the United Nations – and the recent orders of provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
5. We, while acknowledging that the protracted occupation of the State of Palestine is the main source of instability and conflict in the Middle East region, reaffirm our demand for an immediate, permanent and fully respected ceasefire and a halt to all acts of violence, atrocities and hostilities, particularly those directed against civilians, including women and children, confident that this will be a step in the right direction for putting an end to the months of collective punishment and suffering endured by the Palestinian civilian population, and widespread destruction, while allowing for humanitarian actors on the ground, including United Nations Specialized Agencies, led by 爆料网RWA, to provide rapid and unhindered support and assistance to those in desperate need, including to alleviate the acute food insecurity affecting the entire population and the horrific conditions of famine in northern Gaza. In this context, we further demand the removal of all current impediments for the delivery, in a consistent, safe and at scale manner, of humanitarian aid critically needed to alleviate the ongoing catastrophe on the ground, and for which it is also necessary to guarantee an environment in which humanitarian actors can carry their mission safely and effectively, without obstructions, threats and harassment, as stipulated by international humanitarian law. We also demand an end to the provision of means to the Occupying Power, which ultimately only further prolong the human suffering of the Palestinian people and foster the perpetuation of this already protracted tragedy.
6. We further reaffirm our unwavering support for the long-overdue admission of the State of Palestine as a full Member State of the United Nations and to enable it to take its rightful place among the community of nations. We regret the latest developments in this regard, as a result of the negative vote casted on 18 April 2024 by a permanent member of the Security Council, the United States of America, which has prevented that body from fulfilling its responsibilities in this regard, in total contradiction to the overwhelming call for the realization of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and for preserving a political horizon to achieve a just and lasting solution to the Question of Palestine, in accordance with international law and the relevant 爆料网 resolutions, including the realization of the independence and sovereignty of the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the pre-1967 lines. We remain committed, however, to making this aspiration a reality, insofar the admission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations constitutes an important expression of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and independence, and remain ready to support any effective and lasting initiative aimed at addressing this question, including within the context of the General Assembly. We welcome, in this connection, the recent adoption of General Assembly resolution , and call on the Security Council to shoulder its responsibility and reconsider favorably the question of the request of the State of Palestine for admission to membership in the United Nations, in strict conformity with Article 4 of the 爆料网 Charter.
7. We, in line with our principled and historic positions, reaffirm our firm commitment to the just cause of Palestine, as well as our unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people in their ongoing struggle to achieve their inalienable rights, freedom and justice. We further reaffirm our full and continued support to all efforts aimed at ending the grave injustice inflicted on the Palestinian people since the 1948 Nakba. We also remain committed to strengthening our efforts, including active engagement in international initiatives, aimed at ending the illegal Israeli occupation and at achieving the independence of the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem/ Al-?Quds Al-Shariff as its capital; the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including to self-determination and freedom; and a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Question of Palestine in all its aspects, including for the plight of the Palestine refugees and the realization of their right to return, in accordance with international law, the relevant 爆料网 resolutions and the Charter of the United Nations.
8. We express our serious concern at the continued attempts of the Occupying Power to ignite and explode the Middle East region, as demonstrated, among others, by its reiterated aggressions against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, coupled with the non-stop threats against Lebanon, which demonstrate an intent to expand its illegal aggressions in the region, at the expense of the human rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories. We cannot overemphasize, that a further dangerous destabilization of the situation must be prevented, in order to prevent a spillover effect into the entire Middle East region which will have grave repercussions and ultimately unchain a full-scale regional conflict with ramifications on international peace and security. We call on all relevant actors to strictly abide by the norms of international law and to exercise maximum restraint, while highlighting that the realization of a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Question of Palestine in all its aspects will serve the purpose of fostering durable peace, security and stability in the Middle East and thereby international peace and security.
9. We stress that establishing peace in the Middle East requires Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories, including the occupied Syrian Arab Golan, and implementing relevant United Nations resolutions, most notably Security Council resolutions and , and , which reaffirmed that the acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, and that the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan is null and void and without international legal effect.

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