Somalia reaffirms support for Palestinian statehood at UN General Assembly

LONDON: Somalia called for a resolution to the plight of the Palestinian people on Thursday, while saying the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz poses a threat not only to itself but the rest of the region.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud warned that the world faces uncertainty amid escalating political, military and climate crises, calling on the organization to reform and improve to better serve the needs of the world’s most vulnerable.

“For millions of vulnerable people, global development can sometimes appear to be moving from one framework to another framework,” he said.

“Trust in the UN won’t be restored through declarations alone. It will be restored when institutions act constituently, uphold international law and produce results that people can see and experience.”

On the issue of Palestine, Mohamud was clear: “Somalia stands firmly with the Palestinian people and their legitimate right to self-determination and statehood.

“We reaffirm our support for a just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution with an independent and viable Palestinian state along the 1967 borders.

“A just resolution of the Palestinian question remains essential to lasting peace and stability in the Middle East and beyond.”

He added: “Respect for international law is becoming increasingly selective. Multilateral cooperation is weakening; conflict, geopolitical rivalry and mistrust are becoming the defining features of our time. Uncertainty, unfortunately, has become the new norm.”

Mohamud warned that it is not just conflict that poses a threat to humanity, raising climate change as a profound concern of his government and others.

“Humanitarian needs are rising while the resources available to meet them are rapidly declining.

“Nationalism, intolerance and political polarization are weakening the spirit of international cooperation.”

He added: “The climate crisis continues to destroy lives, livelihoods and public infrastructure, particularly across the developing world.