ShareNEW YORK: Kuwait warned the international community on Monday against Middle East slipping into the abyss of a war with no end in light of the Zionist aggression against Palestine, Lebanon, and the entire region. The Permanent Delegation of Kuwait made the remarks in a speech to the United Nations, delivered by Diplomatic Attache Abdulaziz Al-Saeedi before the General Assembly, which was set to discuss a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Al-Saeedi said, “The (Zionist) occupation that opened multiple fronts of war under the pretext of self-defense is nothing but an actor consciously seeking to destroy the region and create a state of chaos that extends beyond the borders of the Middle East.” Al-Saeedi directed Kuwait’s appeal to the international community to subject the Zionists to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear-weapon party and to subject its facilities to the comprehensive safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In this regard, the diplomatic attaché conveyed Kuwait’s emphasis on the need to comply with international treaties and resolutions related to nuclear security while respecting the right of states to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. He added that Kuwait is keen to participate permanently in the discussions of the item related to the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency, “based on our commitment to benefit from nuclear applications in capacity building and development away from the arms race or any negative uses of this field.”
Al-Saeedi pointed out that Kuwait celebrates the 60th anniversary of its accession to the agency in 1964, stressing the continuation of its close cooperation with the agency through the competent Kuwaiti authorities to maximize the benefit from the agency’s programs that contribute to supporting developmental, economic and social projects in a peaceful and safe manner. He cited the cooperation in implementing a number of projects that have achieved a high percentage of completion through the current national program for technical cooperation, which consists of nine projects based on Kuwait’s plan for the years 2020-2025.
The diplomatic attaché warned that international security and peace were and still are two main axes in the renaissance and progress of the people and these goals cannot be achieved in light of the threats of developing and using nuclear weapons as well. In this regard, he conveyed Kuwait’s call to North Korea to abide by international resolutions and nuclear security treaties as well as relevant Security Council resolutions, noting that threatening to use nuclear weapons will not lead to a peaceful outcome but will lead to the world being burdened with risks beyond its capacity.
Al-Saeedi touched on the recent developments related to some countries modernizing their nuclear arsenals and the continuation of the policy of nuclear deterrence, which is a source of great concern. He said that Kuwait believes that achieving security and peace does not come through stockpiling weapons but through dialogue and cooperation and urges more international efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
‘Developmental emergency’
Meanwhile, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has warned of total economic collapse and a “developmental emergency” in the Gaza Strip, reversing progress by nearly seven decades in addition to the ongoing humanitarian crisis, revealed a report on Tuesday. The report released in conjunction with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) warned that the economic toll is severe, with the GDP of Palestine projected to shrink by 35 percent by the end of 2024 - down to $13.1 billion from a pre-war estimate of $20.2 billion.
According to the report, the unemployment rate in Gaza has soared to 80 percent and across Palestine, nearly one in two people is now without a job. Poverty rate has risen sharply, with three out of four Palestinians expected to live below the poverty line by 2024, affecting over 4.1 million people; among them, 2.61 million have fallen into poverty for the first time. The report also highlighted a significant regression in living standards, with the Human Development Index (HDI) in Palestine set back by 24 years and a loss of 69 years of development in Gaza plunging back to levels recorded in 1955.
In the same vein, the Deputy Special Representative at the UNDP Program of Assistance to the Palestinian People, Chitose Noguchi, stated that recovery is still possible but requires more than just humanitarian aid and called for large-scale multi-sectoral recovery interventions to restore livelihoods and rebuild destroyed infrastructure.
She said that Palestine’s economy would still struggle to regain pre-war levels without additional investments aimed at long-term development, adding that recovery efforts must be bolstered by lifting current restrictions on the Palestinian economy, including movement restrictions on workers and the withholding of clearance revenues by the Palestinian Authority. She also emphasized that the situation in Gaza mirrors the broader challenges facing the Arab region.
Although the region is home to less than six percent of the global population, it accounts for 31 percent of the world’s conflicts and is the origin of 10 percent of the world’s refugees. Noguchi stressed the importance of addressing both immediate humanitarian needs and long-term developmental recovery in crisis-affected areas like Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, adding that without strategic investments in development, the future of millions remains uncertain. - KUNA
