UNITED NATIONS, Jan 28: Pakistan communicated to the UN Security Council on Wednesday its decision to join the US-led Board of Peace (BoP) to support its mandate. This comes under the 15-member body’s resolution 2803, which reaffirms commitment to achieving a lasting peace based on Palestinian self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law.
“The international community, particularly this Council, bears the responsibility to translate renewed engagement into measurable change on the ground for the betterment of the Palestinian people,” stated Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, during a debate on the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian question, coinciding with the announcement of the 26-member Board.
He emphasized that the unresolved Palestinian question remains at the core of instability in the Middle East, highlighting how decades of Israeli occupation have led to dispossession, repression, and denial of Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
Ambassador Ahmad pointed out that with the second phase of the Peace Plan—encompassing the establishment of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and the formation of the BoP and Executive Committees—these are “important steps” to now help consolidate the ceasefire, secure a permanent cessation of hostilities, facilitate transitional arrangements, enable recovery and reconstruction, ensure the provision of large-scale humanitarian assistance, and prepare the ground for a credible political process toward Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
Simultaneously, Ambassador Ahmad expressed deep concern over Gaza’s fragile situation, where ceasefire violations persist and civilian lives remain at risk. “Increased pressure on international humanitarian organizations, including deregistration measures and restrictions on humanitarian operations, are impeding assistance and protection for the most vulnerable.”
The envoy also condemned Israel’s attacks on UN premises and UNRWA, its agency assisting Palestinians, including the recent demolition of a UN compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, stating these actions undermine stabilization efforts and threaten the limited progress achieved. “UNRWA’s operations remain essential and must be safeguarded.”
He noted that Pakistan, along with other Arab and Islamic countries in the group of eight, joined the Board of Peace to support its mandate as endorsed by Security Council resolution 2803. He referred to a joint statement by the group’s foreign ministers reiterating their support for peace efforts led by US President Donald Trump.
In that statement, the foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Peace Board’s mission as a transitional administration, outlined in the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict and endorsed by resolution 2803. This mission aims to consolidate a permanent ceasefire, support Gaza’s reconstruction, and advance a just and lasting peace based on Palestinian self-determination and statehood, according to international law, paving the way for regional security and stability.
Ambassador Ahmad expressed hope that the BoP, within resolution 2803’s framework, will lead to tangible steps towards implementing a permanent ceasefire, further scaling up humanitarian aid, reconstructing Gaza, and realizing Palestinian self-determination through a credible, timely political process aligned with international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions. This would create an independent, sovereign, and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
“That is the ultimate goal supported by the international community. Palestinian-led governance and institutional strengthening—with a central role of the Palestinian Authority—are indispensable in this regard,” Ambassador Ahmad concluded.
