Security Council resolution 2720 (2023) [on delivery of humanitarian relief and appointment of a Senior Humanitarian Coordinator for Gaza]
Symbol: S/RES/2720 (2023)
Date: 2023-12-22
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/ X The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.
S/78 [53] TERRITORIES OCCUPIED BY ISRAEL
S/78 [50] PALESTINE QUESTION
S/78 [54] MIDDLE EAST SITUATION
Subjects: UN. Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza|UN Mechanism for Accelerating the Provision of Humanitarian Relief Consignments to Gaza|Hamas|HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE|INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW|HOSTAGES|ARMED CONFLICTS|CIVILIAN PERSONS|ISRAEL|MIDDLE EAST SITUATION|PALESTINE QUESTION|HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICTS|GAZA STRIP|HOSPITALS|SCHOOLS|RELIGIOUS PLACES|RELIEF PERSONNEL|WEST BANK|STATE OF PALESTINE|RELIEF TRANSPORT|SECURITY AND SAFETY STAFF
Votes in favour: 13
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 2
Voting record:
country: ALBANIA
vote: yes
country: BRAZIL
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: ECUADOR
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: GABON
vote: yes
country: GHANA
vote: yes
country: JAPAN
vote: yes
country: MALTA
vote: yes
country: MOZAMBIQUE
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: abstention
country: SWITZERLAND
vote: yes
country: UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: abstention

               United Nations                                                                     S/RES/2720 (2023)
               Security Council                                                   Distr.: General
                                                                                  22 December 2023




               Resolution 2720 (2023)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 9520th meeting, on
               22 December 2023

                    The Security Council,
                    Reaffirming the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
                     Recalling all of its relevant resolutions, particularly resolution 2712 (2023),
               which, inter alia, demands that all parties comply with their obligations under
               international law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians, calls for urgent
               and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a
               sufficient number of days to enable full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian
               access and to enable urgent rescue and recovery efforts, and calls for the immediate
               and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring immediate humanitarian
               access,
                     Reaffirming that all parties to conflicts must adhere to their obligations under
               international law, including international humanitarian law and international human
               rights law, as applicable,
                     Stressing that the Gaza Strip constitutes an integral part of the territory occupied
               in 1967, and reiterating the vision of the two-State solution, with the Gaza Strip as
               part of the Palestinian State,
                     Expressing deep concern at the dire and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian
               situation in the Gaza Strip and its grave impact on the civilian population, underlining
               the urgent need for full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access in to and
               throughout the entire Gaza Strip, and taking note of the concerning reports from the
               leadership of the United Nations and humanitarian organizations in this regard,
               reaffirming its strong concern for the disproportionate effect that the conflict is
               having on the lives and well-being of children, women, and other civilians in
               vulnerable situations, and stressing the humanitarian principles of humanity,
               impartiality, neutrality, and independence,
                    Stressing the obligation to respect and protect humanitarian relief and medical
               personnel,
                     Reaffirming its call for all parties to refrain from depriving the civilian
               population in the Gaza Strip of basic services and humanitarian assistance
               indispensable to their survival, consistent with international human itarian law,
                    Commending the indispensable and ongoing efforts of the United Nations, its
               specialized agencies and all humanitarian and medical personnel in the Gaza Strip to


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               alleviate the impact of the conflict on the people in the Gaza Strip, and expressing
               condolences for all civilians, including humanitarian and medical personnel, killed in
               the course of this conflict,
                    Welcoming the efforts of Egypt to facilitate the use of the Rafah Border crossing
               by United Nations humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners for the
               provision of humanitarian assistance for people in need throughout the Gaza Strip,
                     Taking note of the 15 December 2023 decision by the Government of Israel to
               open its crossing at Karem Abu Salem/Kerem Shalom for direct deliver y of
               humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, which should ease
               congestion and help facilitate the provision of life-saving assistance to those who
               urgently need it, and emphasizing the need to continue working closely with all
               relevant parties to expand the delivery and distribution of humanitarian assistance,
               while confirming its humanitarian nature and ensuring that it reaches its civilian
               destination,
                     Encouraging engagement with relevant states in the implementation of this
               resolution,
                     Welcoming the implementation of a recent ‘humanitarian pause’ in the Gaza
               Strip, and expressing appreciation for the diplomatic efforts of Egypt, the State of
               Qatar, and other states in this regard, and also expressing grave concerns as to the
               impact the resumption of hostilities has had on civilians,
                     Recognizing that the civilian population in the Gaza Strip must have access to
               sufficient quantities of assistance that they need, including enough food, water,
               sanitation, electricity, telecommunications and medical services essential for their
               survival, and that the provision of humanitarian supplies in the Gaza Strip needs to
               be sufficient to alleviate the massive humanitarian needs of the Palestinian civilian
               population throughout the Gaza Strip, and recognizing the importance of resuming
               commercial imports of essential goods and services into the Gaza Strip,
                     Welcoming financial contributions and pledges by member states in support of
               the civilian population in Gaza, and taking note of the International Humanitarian
               Conference for the Civilian Population of Gaza held in Paris on 9 November 2023
               and its follow-up meeting on 6 December 2023,
                     1.    Reiterates its demand that all parties to the conflict comply with their
               obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law,
               including with regard to the conduct of hostilities and the protection of civilians and
               civilian objects, humanitarian access, and the protection of humanitarian personnel
               and their freedom of movement, and the duty, as applicable, of ensuring the food and
               medical supplies, among others, of the population, recalls that civilian and
               humanitarian facilities, including hospitals, medical facilities, schools, places of
               worship, and facilities of the UN, as well as humanitarian personnel, and medical
               personnel, and their means of transport, must be respected and protected, according
               to international humanitarian law, and affirms that nothing in this resolution absolves
               the parties of these obligations;
                    2.    Reaffirms the obligations of the parties to the conflict under international
               humanitarian law regarding the provision of humanitarian assistance, demands that
               they allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of
               humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population
               throughout the Gaza Strip, and in this regard calls for urgent steps to immediately
               allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access and to create the
               conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities;



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                 3.    Demands that the parties to the conflict allow and facilitate the use of all
           available routes to and throughout the entire Gaza Strip, including border crossings,
           including full and prompt implementation of the announced opening of the Karem
           Abu Salem/Kerem Shalom Border Crossing, for the provision of human itarian
           assistance in order to ensure that humanitarian personnel and humanitarian assistance,
           including fuel, food, and medical supplies and emergency shelter assistance, reaches
           the civilian population in need throughout the Gaza Strip without diversion and
           through the most direct routes, as well as for material and equipment to repair and
           ensure the functioning of critical infrastructure and to provide essential services,
           without prejudice to the obligations of the parties to the conflict under internati onal
           humanitarian law, and stresses the importance of respecting and protecting border
           crossings and maritime infrastructure used for the delivery of humanitarian assistance
           at scale;
                 4.     Requests the Secretary-General, with the objective of expediting the
           delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, to
           appoint a Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator with responsibility
           for facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying in Gaza, as appropriate, the
           humanitarian nature of all humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza provided through
           states which are not party to the conflict, and further requests that the Coordinator
           expeditiously establish a UN mechanism for accelerating the provision of
           humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza through states which are not party to the
           conflict, consulting all relevant parties, with the goal of expediting, streamlining, and
           accelerating the process of providing assistance while continuing to help ensure that
           aid reaches its civilian destination, and demands that the parties to the conflict
           cooperate with the Coordinator to fulfil their mandate without delay or obstruction;
                5.    Requests that the Coordinator be appointed expeditiously;
                6.   Determines that the Coordinator will have the necessary personnel and
           equipment in Gaza, under the authority of the United Nations, to perform these, and
           other functions as determined by the Security Council, and requests that the
           Coordinator report to the Security Council on its work, with an initial report within
           20 days and thereafter every 90 days through 30 September 2024;
                7.    Demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well
           as ensuring humanitarian access to address medical needs of all hostages;
               8.    Demands the provision of fuel to Gaza at levels that will meet requisite
           humanitarian needs;
                9.     Calls for all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law and in this
           regard deplores all attacks against civilians and civilian objects, as well as all violen ce
           and hostilities against civilians, and all acts of terrorism;
                 10. Reaffirms the obligations of all parties under international humanitarian
           law, including with regard to respecting and protecting civilians and taking constant
           care to spare civilian objects, including such objects critical to the delivery of
           essential services to the civilian population, and with regard to refraining from
           attacking, destroying, removing or rendering useless objects that are indispensable to
           the survival of the civilian population, as well as respecting and protecting
           humanitarian personnel and consignments used for humanitarian relief operations;
                11. Reaffirms that civilian objects, including places of refuge, including within
           United Nations facilities and their surroundings, are protected under international
           humanitarian law, and rejects forced displacement of the civilian population,
           including children, in violation of international law, including international
           humanitarian law and international human rights law;


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                     12. Reiterates its unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-State
               solution where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace
               within secure and recognized borders, consistent with international law and relevant
               UN resolutions, and in this regard stresses the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip
               with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority;
                    13. Demands that all parties to the conflict take all appropriate steps to ensure
               the safety and security of United Nations and associated personnel, those of its
               specialized agencies, and all other personnel engaged in humanitarian relief activities
               consistent with international humanitarian law, without prejudice to their freedom of
               movement and access, stresses the need not to hinder these efforts, and recalls that
               humanitarian relief personnel must be respected and protected;
                     14. Demands implementation of resolution 2712 (2023) in full, requests the
               Secretary-General to report to the Security Council in writing within five working
               days of the adoption of this resolution on the implementation of resolution 2712
               (2023), and thereafter as necessary, and calls upon all parties concerned to make full
               use of the humanitarian notification and deconfliction mechanisms in place to protect
               all humanitarian sites, including UN facilities, and to help facilitate the moveme nt of
               aid convoys, without prejudice to the obligations of the parties to uphold international
               humanitarian law;
                     15. Requests the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of this
               resolution in the regular reporting to the Council;
                    16.   Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.




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