Response of the UN Secretary General to the Pugwash open letter concerning Gaza (17 June 2025)
Open Letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations
1 June 2025
H.E. António Guterres
Secretary General, United Nations., New York City, NY 10017
Your Excellency, Mr. Secretary General,
It is with grave concern over the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza that I write to respectfully request Your Excellency to call on all UN Member States to take, individually and collectively, urgent and forceful action to ensure respect for the Geneva Conventions of 1949 by all parties.
The ongoing military operations have inflicted unimaginable suffering on a civilian population already besieged and traumatized by a long-standing blockade, violence, and despair. The staggering loss of life, the scale of destruction, and the severe restrictions on humanitarian aid demand an immediate and unified international response.
Such a response would need to result in:
- An immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities by all parties in Gaza and the West Bank, with particular emphasis on the cessation of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
- The urgent opening of all of Gaza’s crossings, the lifting of all blockages of humanitarian and the delivery of assistance to all the civilian population, including shelter, food, water, medical supplies, fuel and access to medical services.
- Facilitating medical evacuations for the treatment of patients outside Gaza and assurances for their right of return.
- The establishing of appropriate independent mechanisms for the impartial distribution of humanitarian aid, which must in no way be politically instrumentalized and remain accessible to all people in need, in their direct vicinity.
- The creation of favorable conditions for the release of all remaining Israeli hostages and Palestinian civil detainees, and the return of mortal remains.
- The return to peaceful dialogue for the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the aim to advance the two-state solution and laying the foundations for peaceful co-existence and long-term regional stability, peace and security.
The credibility of the United Nations rests on its ability to act in the defense of human life, peace, and justice. Failure to respond with urgency and unity in the face of such immense human suffering risks deepening the crisis and undermining the very principles on which the UN was founded.
We believe it is the moral and legal obligation of the United Nations to act decisively and urgently in the face of this unfolding man-made catastrophe. The Palestinian people, as the people of Israel, are entitled to live in dignity, safety, and peace. We exhort you and, through you, all UN Member States to act with urgency, clarity, and compassion—to stop the violence, allow humanitarian access, and give diplomacy a chance.
Drawing inspiration from the Russell-Einstein Manifesto we cannot but reiterate its words which gave birth to the Pugwash Conferences nearly 70 years ago and which guides this call today: “Remember your humanity, and forget the rest”.
We are confident that your prompt action will ensure that the international community fulfills its duty to uphold the UN Charter and the Geneva Conventions, protecting civilians in armed conflict, and advancing a just and lasting peace.
Please accept, Mr. Secretary General, the expression of my highest consideration.
Dr. Hussain Al-Shahristani
President, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs 