Political declaration adopted at the sixth ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations (excerpt)

31 October 2024

Agenda items 14, 120 and 123

Culture of peace

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 sixth ministerial meeting on 27 September 2024 in New York on the margins of the high-level segment of the seventy-ninth session of the General Assembly.

In that regard, I am pleased to transmit herewith a copy of the political declaration adopted at that time (see annex)* and respectfully request your good offices in circulating the present letter and its annex among the wider membership as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 14, 120 and 123.

(Signed) Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta

Ambassador

Permanent Representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United Nations

Annex 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 adopted at the sixth ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations

1. We, representatives of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, China, Cuba, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mali, Nicaragua, the State of Palestine, the Russian Federation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Syrian Arab Republic, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe, members of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, met at the ministerial level, in New York, on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the 79th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in order to undertake an assessment of recent developments in the international arena, including of challenges and threats to the Charter of the United Nations – which continues to underpin multilateralism – and to exchange views on existing, new and emerging issues of collective concern and common interest.
2. We recall the political declarations previously adopted by our grouping, as well as the positions contained in the various joint statements and communiqués issued on various specific items, 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, including the right to development, but also for achieving a more peaceful, prosperous, just and equitable world, and a system based, precisely, on the principles and norms it contains.
3. We remain deeply concerned at the catastrophic consequences of the current situation in Occupied Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and stress the urgency of collective efforts aimed at ending Israel’s ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine and Arab territories for over 57 years and its reiterated aggressions against sovereign nations in the region, in the interest of peace, security and stability, both at the regional and international levels.
4. We remain extremely concerned regarding the situation on the ground, in Occupied Palestine, which is beyond dire and dramatic, particularly during the past months, in which we have all witnessed and continue to witness a horrifying carnage against the Palestinian people in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of over 40,000 civilians, particularly women and children. In this context, we express our dismay at the briefing received from H.E. Mr. Mohammad Mustafa, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine, which depicted the severity of the rather dramatic situation on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as a result of the escalation of attacks and repression by Israel, the occupying Power, in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. We express our condolences to the families and loved ones of all innocent civilians who have been killed and wounded as a result of this ongoing genocide being perpetrated by Israel, which the Palestinian people has now heroically been enduring for almost one year, suffering widespread loss of life, starvation and famine, spread of diseases, forced displacement and mass detention and imprisonment, alongside the vast destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, United Nations facilities and other vital civilian infrastructure, constituting an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
5. We, while acknowledging that the protracted occupation of the State of Palestine is the one of the main sources 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, grave crimes 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 UNRWA, 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 regard, we deplore the position of the United States of America, the only permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations, preventing that body from taking meaningful actions towards ending further bloodshed and achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Question of Palestine in all its aspects.
6. We, in this context, and in line with our principled and historic positions, renew our firm commitment to the just cause of Palestine, as well as our unwavering solidarity with the heroic 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-Sharif 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 UN resolutions and the Charter of the United Nations, and on the basis of the two-State solution, enabling the realization of the independence of a sovereign and viable Palestinian State, on the basis of the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. We further reaffirm our 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 and welcome, in this regard, General Assembly resolution ES-‍10/23, adopted by an overwhelming majority on 10 May 2024, as a significant step in that direction.
7. 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 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), and 497 (1981), 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.
8. We demand that Israel, the Occupying Power, complies with all of its legal obligations under international law, including customary norms, as indicated in the most recent Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of 19 July 2024, as well as in orders on provisional measures previously issued by the Court in the case of South Africa vs. Israel, under the Genocide Convention. We pledge to comply, as responsible members of the international community, with our respective international legal obligations and call on all peace-loving nations to do the same, particularly, by putting an end to the direct or indirect provision of any means that may be used for further prolonging this protracted tragedy and the suffering and deprivation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
9. We condemn the repeated Israeli attacks against the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, as they constitute a clear aggression against the territory of a sovereign State, and a flagrant violation of the provisions of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, including the Israeli aggression that targeted residential areas in Hama Governorate on 08 September 2024, which led to the martyrdom of 18 citizens and the injury of 37 others.

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