Request to reconvene 10th emergency special session of the General Assembly/Palestine’s request for UN membership – Letter from Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and Uganda (A/ES-10/991)

24 April 2024

Tenth emergency special session

Agenda item 5

Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Letter dated 24 April 2024 from the Permanent Representatives of Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and Uganda to the United Nations addressed to the President of the General Assembly

We write to you today in our capacities as the Chairs of the Arab Group, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Group and the Coordinating Bureau of the Non‑Aligned Movement at the United Nations in New York to respectfully request the resumption of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly following the veto cast on 18 April 2024 by a permanent member of the Security Council on the draft resolution regarding the application of the State of Palestine for admission as a State Member of the United Nations.

Although draft resolution S/2024/312 received a strong majority of votes in favour, it was regrettably vetoed, preventing the Security Council from making a positive recommendation to the General Assembly and denying the State of Palestine support for this expression of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people and denying it the possibility of taking its rightful place among the community of nations.

In light of this regrettable outcome in the Security Council and the continuation and worsening of this prolonged, historic injustice, in particular the grave situation in the Gaza Strip, which remains under the Israeli siege and aggression that have inflicted an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, and in the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, we request that the General Assembly convene to address this urgent matter, in accordance with resolution 377 (V) of 1950, entitled “Uniting for peace”, as rapidly as possible.

(Signed) Sidi Mohamed Laghdaf

Chair of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Group

Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania

to the United Nations

(Signed) Abdulaziz Alwasil

Chair of the Arab Group

Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

to the United Nations

(Signed) Adonia Ayebare

Chair of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uganda

to the United Nations