Tenth emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly
Encyclopedia
The tenth emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly centers on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
: the ongoing dispute and conflict over the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip
. The session was first convened in 1997 under the president of the General Assembly
, Razali Ismail
of Malaysia. This occurred when the Security Council failed to make a decision on the issue at two different meetings. The session remains adjourned.
An emergency special session (ESS) is an unscheduled meeting of the United Nations General Assembly
to make urgent, but non-binding decisions or recommendations regarding a particular issue. They are rare—a fact reflected in there having been only ten convened in the history of the United Nations
.
Most emergency special sessions span a single sitting—the tenth is the only ESS to have been resumed more than once (the seventh emergency special session
was resumed exactly once). Indeed, more than ten separate 'meetings' have been held by the Assembly, whilst sitting in tenth ESS, since the Year 2000. The fact that the tenth has spanned so many sittings can be seen as an indicator of the importance of the issue in international politics. It has, so far, seen over 30 meetings held (see UN documents A/ES-10/PV.1 to A/ES-10/PV.31), every year from 1997 through 2007.
The mechanism of the emergency special session was created in 1950 by the General Assembly's adoption of its 'Uniting for Peace' resolution, which made the necessary changes to the Assembly's 'Rules of Procedure' at that time. The resolution likewise declared that:
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
: the ongoing dispute and conflict over the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
. The session was first convened in 1997 under the president of the General Assembly
President of the United Nations General Assembly
The President of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted for by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly on a yearly basis.- Election :...
, Razali Ismail
Razali Ismail
Tan Sri Razali Ismail is a distinguished Malaysian diplomat. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in literature and the humanities from Universiti Malaya and an Honorary Doctorate from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia....
of Malaysia. This occurred when the Security Council failed to make a decision on the issue at two different meetings. The session remains adjourned.
An emergency special session (ESS) is an unscheduled meeting of the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
to make urgent, but non-binding decisions or recommendations regarding a particular issue. They are rare—a fact reflected in there having been only ten convened in the history of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
Most emergency special sessions span a single sitting—the tenth is the only ESS to have been resumed more than once (the seventh emergency special session
Seventh emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly
The Seventh emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly centred around the Palestine issue. It was held by the UN in 1980, convened by Senegal and was the only special session to have been resumed besides the Tenth, which considered the same issue.-External links:*...
was resumed exactly once). Indeed, more than ten separate 'meetings' have been held by the Assembly, whilst sitting in tenth ESS, since the Year 2000. The fact that the tenth has spanned so many sittings can be seen as an indicator of the importance of the issue in international politics. It has, so far, seen over 30 meetings held (see UN documents A/ES-10/PV.1 to A/ES-10/PV.31), every year from 1997 through 2007.
The mechanism of the emergency special session was created in 1950 by the General Assembly's adoption of its 'Uniting for Peace' resolution, which made the necessary changes to the Assembly's 'Rules of Procedure' at that time. The resolution likewise declared that:
... if the Security Council, because of lack of unanimity of the permanent members, fails to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in any case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression, the General Assembly shall consider the matter immediately with a view to making appropriate recommendations to Members for collective measures, including in the case of a breach of the peace or act of aggression the use of armed force when necessary, to maintain or restore international peace and security. If not in session at the time, the General Assembly may meet in emergency special session within twenty-four hours of the request therefor. Such emergency special session shall be called if requested by the Security Council on the vote of any seven members, or by a majority of the Members of the United Nations...
See also
- List of emergency special sessions of the United Nations General Assembly
- Israel and the United NationsIsrael and the United NationsIssues relating to the state of Israel, the Palestinian people and other aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict occupy a large amount of debate time, resolutions and resources at the United Nations....