The UN secretary-general invoked ‘Article 99’ to push for a Gaza ceasefire. What precisely is it?

It’s known as “Article 99.” And it hasn’t been used for many years. Until this week.

With an intensifying Israeli offensive and escalating civilian casualties, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked a not often exercised energy this week to warn the Security Council of an impending “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza. He urged members to demand a direct humanitarian cease-fire.

Guterres invoked Article 99 of the U.N. Charter – final used over half a century in the past – which says the secretary-general might inform the council of issues he believes threaten worldwide peace and safety.

Here, Edith M. Lederer, longtime chief U.N. correspondent for The Associated Press, breaks down what this might imply.

It’s a provision of the United Nations Charter, the U.N. structure. It states that the secretary-general – the U.N.’s prime diplomat – might carry to the eye of the Security Council “any matter which, in his opinion, may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”

This offers an essential extra energy to the secretary basic, since the true energy on the U.N. is held by its 193 member nations and particularly the 15 international locations that serve on the Security Council.

Article 99 is extraordinarily not often used. The final time it was invoked was throughout combating in 1971 that led to the creation of Bangladesh and its separation from Pakistan.

Guterres invoked Article 99 as a result of he sees the state of affairs in Gaza prone to a “complete collapse” of the territory’s humanitarian system and civil order. It was one thing he felt wanted to be performed.

Arab and Islamic nations adopted up on Guterres’s letter instantly.

The United Arab Emirates, the Arab consultant on the Security Council, circulated a brief decision to Security Council members late Wednesday calling for a direct humanitarian ceasefire. They plan to place that decision to a vote at a Security Council assembly on Friday morning.

The United States, which is Israel’s closest ally and has veto energy on resolutions, has not supported a cease-fire. On Tuesday, U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood mentioned that the function of the Security Council within the Israel-Gaza struggle is to not get in the best way of essential diplomacy that’s going down. And he mentioned the Security Council decision presently “would not be useful.”

This may sign a probable veto, however the U.S. has not mentioned both means.

Because Guterres believes that the humanitarian system and the humanitarian operations in Gaza are collapsing.

He additionally warns in his letter that within the present state of affairs, “amid constant bombardment by the Israeli Defense Forces and without shelter or essentials to survive, I expect public order to completely break down soon due to the desperate conditions, rendering even limited humanitarian assistance impossible.”

Guterres mentioned the state of affairs may get even worse, pointing to potential epidemics and the mass displacement of Palestinians into neighboring international locations. He sees a looming catastrophe.

Previous secretaries-general have introduced threats that they noticed to worldwide peace and safety to the Security Council with out mentioning Article 99. This consists of Congo in 1960, the U.S. hostage disaster in Iran that started in November 1979, the Iran-Iraq struggle in 1980 and extra not too long ago Myanmar in 2017.

We don’t know why they didn’t invoke Article 99, and a number of other of the earlier secretaries-general are actually lifeless. Guterres has been very outspoken on each the Hamas assaults on Israel and the very excessive demise toll of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.