Today, Thursday, the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) adopted a resolution unanimously and by consensus among member states, entitled “The situation in Gaza with regard to food security and related issues within the scope of the organization’s mandate.”

This came during the special session to discuss the situation and developments in the Gaza Strip, at the 175th session of the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, held in the Italian capital, Rome, during the period between 10-14 June of this month.

The Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Italy, and the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the United Nations organizations based in Rome, Abeer Odeh, welcomed the FAO’s adoption of the resolution on the necessity of addressing the catastrophic conditions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and their impact on food security and related issues. The relationship is within the organization’s mandate, stressing that this decision comes in light of the continuation of the war of genocide against our people, which has targeted all basic life arteries, and stressing the necessity of joint and serious work to implement what is included in the decision as it is a basic right of our people.

The resolution included a call for the Council to continue evaluating the current situation in the Gaza Strip and its impact on the right to food and to continue providing technical assistance and agricultural inputs to the Gaza Strip. It stressed the necessity of joint action to address the health and food deterioration and its impact on food security in the Gaza Strip.

The resolution also stressed the need to continue preparations and support to ensure early recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation in the Gaza Strip, and to support a coordinated role for senior humanitarian relief for the Gaza Strip by the United Nations when a ceasefire is achieved.

He also stressed the necessity of monitoring the situation in the Gaza Strip by the Food and Agriculture Organization and submitting periodic reports in this regard to member states.

The Council also expressed its great concern about the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, and its significant consequences for civilians, especially women and children, and noted the seriousness of the estimates of the United Nations Satellite Center, which indicate that at least about 81 square kilometers of agricultural land have been destroyed. He stressed that the continuation of the war will increase the destruction of lands and agricultural facilities, exposing the entire population of the Gaza Strip, i.e. 2.2 million people, to food insecurity.

He also stressed that the restrictions imposed on the entry of humanitarian aid and the limited distribution of it deepen the risk of famine if the entry of aid continues in this way. Pointing to the urgent need to deliver the basic necessities of life - including but not limited to food, water and medicine - quickly and safely, he encouraged the establishment of humanitarian corridors for this purpose. He stressed the need to prevent the deportation of citizens from their homes.

Moreover, the decision included reference and concern about the increasing violence of the colonists against defenseless citizens, the seizure of agricultural lands, the harm to farms and vital stocks, the limitation of access to agricultural lands in the West Bank, and its impact on food security.