After right-wing win in Colombia, outgoing president has one last chance for UN peace resolution
from Sam Husseini, Institute for Public Accuracy
Senior analyst with the Institute for Public Accuracy, Sam Husseini just wrote the piece “Last Chance for Petro on Palestine.” He said today: “The far right-wing win might ironically open the door for Colombian President Gustavo Petro to coordinate with South Africa and finally get a General Assembly resolution with teeth through the U.N. using Uniting for Peace.
“Colombia is currently president of the U.N. Security Council and Petro is in office until his term ends on Aug. 7.
“Petro can work to get a strong resolution through the UNSC (Security Council). He can also work with South Africa (the other co-chair of the Hague Group) to get another round of emergency orders from the International Court of Justice.
“The last emergency orders in 2024 were granted in just two weeks. Colombia could make such orders the basis for an especially strong U.N. Security Council resolution.
“In either case, should the anticipated U.S. veto be used, that would give Petro the opening to get a Uniting for Peace resolution through the U.N. General Assembly, which he said he would do in 2025 (but didn’t).
“Such UNGA resolutions have been meaningfully used in the past—to end apartheid in South Africa in the 1980’s and to solve the Suez crisis of 1956.
“Such maneuvers now would be a serious blow to Trump’s phony ‘Board of Peace’ and a meaningful advance for implementing international law in the Mideast and beyond.”
Also see Husseini’s piece “How the U.S. Government Sabotaged the Genocide Convention Orders against Israel — and How to Get Back on Track” — published in the Mail & Guardian in South Africa earlier this year.
Eugene media activist and teacher David Zupan works as an independent contractor for IPA. He is also director of the Speakers’ Clearinghouse, which helps progressive policy analysts find speaking engagements at schools throughout the U.S. and Canada.
