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THE UN GENERAL Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution Friday criticising the Security Council’s failure to act on the Syria conflict, which UN leader Ban Ki-moon said has become a “proxy war”.
The resolution, which condemned President Bashar al-Assad’s use of “heavy weapons” in his battle against the rebellion against his rule, was passed by 133 votes with 12 countries against and 31 abstaining.
Russia and China, which have vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions on Syria, were among high profile opponents of the resolution.
Frustration and anger
Many diplomats said Friday’s vote was a show of frustration and anger at the lack of international action on the conflict.
Though the resolution is not legally binding, there was increased attention on the General Assembly action after the resignation of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan and the mounting battle for the Syrian city of Aleppo.
The resolution said members deplored “the Security Council failure to agree on measures” to make the Syrian government carry out UN demands to end almost 18 months of fighting.
It condemned “the Syrian authorities use of heavy weapons including indiscriminate shelling from tanks and helicopters” and demanded that the government refrain from using its chemical weapons.
Saudi Arabia drew up the resolution with Arab and western backing and its UN envoy said the success of the vote was “painful victory” because of events in Syria.
After the vote, Saudi Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi told reporters the double vetoes gave “the impression that the Security Council was turning a blind eye to the painful reality.”
He said there was “a consensus that does not support the paralysis of the Security Council, a consensus that says the United Nations cannot be oblivious to the suffering of the Syrian people, a consensus that demands action.”
Call for Assad to stand down
During negotiations ahead of the vote, demands that the motion include a call for Assad stand down and a call for sanctions against his government were dropped because of opposition from non-aligned countries.
But it still welcomed an Arab League decision passed last month which calls for Assad to leave office.
Syria strongly opposed the resolution and its UN envoy, Bashar Jafaari accused Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states of arming rebel groups.
Jafaari said the resolution showed the “hypocrisy” of Saudi Arabia and that it would “no impact whatsoever”.
While US envoy Susan Rice welcomed the vote, many countries expressed reservations. South Africa, which voted in favor, said the resolution should have been tougher on the Syrian opposition.
The UN secretary general told the General Assembly the conflict has become a “proxy war” and that the international powers must overcome rivalries to end the violence.
Ban said growing radicalization and extremism had been predicted at the start of the conflict in March 2011.
“The next step was also forewarned: a proxy war, with regional and international players arming one side or the other. All of these dire predictions have come to pass,” Ban told the assembly.
Peace plan
Ban turned his fire on the Security Council saying it had become “paralyzed” by divisions over Syria despite calls for “consequences” to be imposed for not carrying out Annan’s peace plan.
“Now, with the situation having worsened, they must again find common ground. The immediate interests of the Syrian people must be paramount over any larger rivalries of influence.”
Ban said the Syria conflict “is a test of everything this organization stands for” and recalled a recent visit to Srebrenica, site of a massacre he called “one of the darkest chapters in this organization’s history.”
UN peacekeepers were accused of not doing enough to stop the slaughter of 8,000 Muslim boys and men in the Bosnian town in July 1995.
“I do not want today’s United Nations to fail that test. I want us all to show the people of Syria and the world that we have learned the lessons of Srebrenica,” the UN leader said.
Russia and China have justified their vetoes by saying western nations want to force the downfall of Assad.
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Incredible group of parents, thank you for advocating for our beautiful children
@Elena R: FFG over and over failing Irish children
Children start school here at 4 or 5 years of age. We have a census every 5 years, so the statistics are there for how many children need school places, and how many have extra/special needs.
And yet this issue has been ongoing not for years but decades.
If you judge a society by how it treats its weakest and most vulnerable then in this regard our republic is a miserable failure, and shame on successive Education ministers and their civil servants
Would love to know how many of these parents voted for ffg in the recent election
@Brian Molloy: none of them. When you are knee deep in battling the government every day for your basic rights, you tend not to vote for the incumbent government.
@James Smith: you’ll get a woeful boot up the hole if the others get in lol
@Brian Molloy: most of them probably, people in this country don’t like change,good or bad
@Brian Molloy: parents of children with additional & complex needs are often easy prey to the promises of politicians. As a father of 2 kids with autism I know the struggles & the fears. Politicians simply do not care one bit for us & our children.
@Peter Sponge: like the boot in the hole parents are currently getting off the incumbents. Your comment just doesn’t make sense.
@Brian Molloy: the people of Ireland vote for them,
@Peter Sponge: another feckin dope is what you are.
Bigger fool, anyone who believes the Irish government care about these kids.
At the stroke of a pen, a magic money tree appeared for Covid, then Ukraine, then pet projects eg bike shed, children’s hospital and self pay increases. Yes hard work will be involved in correcting these issues for the families, and unfortunately the Gov only put in the hard yards for cover ups.
@paul ruddell: The government will never do enough to support children with special needs or speech delays. Schools may be willing to help by hiring specialized teachers or assistants, but only if funding is provided. Meanwhile, the HSE (Health Service Executive) continues to neglect these children, leaving them on waiting lists for months—or even years.
Time is critical. Every day matters when a child needs speech therapy or a diagnosis. Delays in intervention cause irreversible damage, and once that damage is done, it becomes permanent. This permanence creates lifelong struggles for the child, and parents—along with every family member—are left to shoulder the burden alone. While parents and families fight tirelessly, becoming unsung heroes, the government remains detached, seemingly unaware of the depth of their suffering.
As a parent, I urge others to remember this: Screens and mobile devices cannot replace genuine human interaction and active engagement. Prioritize real communication and meaningful activities—they make all the difference.
I agree with your say
Every single person who gave Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil a vote, this is on you, and the record homelessness numbers this month.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: up yours you haven’t a clue with your flippant comments
@James Fields: on at 3.30am with new account…. berating parents with special needs kids? What’s it like being you?
These parents are so selfish. Don’t they know we need fighter jets?
A billion spent on aslyum seeker accommodation last year, a hundred thousand euro spent yesterday on deporting 30 people. The money is there but it is being spent on other things to keep the EU happy.
All in the name of protecting the vulnerable, yet truely vulnerable aslyum seekers are lost in the mass, while money being spent on free accommodation but the most vulnerable of our society, children with additional needs cannot be supported or educated in the country they were born and their tax paying parents cannot get support. This is insane, people say voting for fffg, but the opposition would still spend the money, look at social democrats who came out today denouncing the deportations and lack of aslyum accommodation,
Loudmouth Barrett, he would be happy to flood the country with Islamists
@Peter Sponge: that’s it you deflect as much as you can
@Peter Sponge: Reported you but in the meantime, maybe spend 2 mins thinking about this 1 of your million dum comments. You’ve attempted to antagonise and provoke folks about kids with special needs? You lo lyfe sk-um nugget. Get help.
@James Fields: Peter, jim, dave… you awake? If p .Sponge is already deleted, then I’ll just come after “james” and all your accounts. But seriously, are you paid to troll here? If not, then listen to everyone who tells you….. you need help.
@Peter Sponge: Clearly you know nothing about disability, highly offensive and ignorant comment. Stand with families who have kids with disabilities rather than such ignorance.
Does she not know what their concerns are. Typical of her,as usual .
The government will never do enough to support children with special needs or speech delays. Schools may be willing to help by hiring specialized teachers or assistants, but only if funding is provided. Meanwhile, the HSE (Health Service Executive) continues to neglect these children, leaving them on waiting lists for months—or even years.
Time is critical. Every day matters when a child needs speech therapy or a diagnosis. Delays in intervention cause irreversible damage, and once that damage is done, it becomes permanent. This permanence creates lifelong struggles for the child, and parents—along with every family member—are left to shoulder the burden alone. While parents and families fight tirelessly, becoming unsung heroes, the government remains detached, seemingly unaware of the depth of their suffering.
As a parent, I urge others to remember this: Screens and mobile devices cannot replace genuine human interaction and active engagement. Prioritize real communication and meaningful activities—they make all the difference.
Does she not know what their concerns are. Typical of her. As usual .
Lots of money and accommodation for those who don’t like us very much, but not for Irish children.
Sure we’re a great country.
Sadly this is not new news and each government have been fully aware of this ÿou need a country wide march with families standing together shake the core of them to their utter shame
HSE have loads of managers to compile reports and do assessments. But have rarely met any speech or occupational therapy people for my kid. The field is exclusively women and many go on maternity leave and never return. Or take years off for sabbaticals. Work life balance is great, but we need more people in general in these services and we need it to be gender balanced.
@DAN TEDSON: fathers can take sabbaticals too.
Badly behaved kids, a good clip round the ear is needed
@Peter Sponge: dear journal, can’t you delete anything that comes from this degenerates ip address?
Yeah, I totally agree. Tell me about it. I had to apply to 43 schools to secure a secondary school place in an ASD class for my son, balancing this with full-time work. Despite schools offering online applications for neurotypical students, many demand paper applications for ASD places, forcing me to deliver 12 applications personally. My husband even took a day off work for this nonsense. We’ve had to pay for everything—OT, speech therapy, private tuition, educational assessment—you name it. While the NDT shifts responsibility to parents after a one-hour course. The state offers just 40 summer tuition hours, and HSE assessments are inaccessible. Meanwhile, Sensational Kids faced roadblocks in opening a new Kildare assessment centre. The system is failing our kids.
T-h-e-r-a-p-i-s-t is a banned word on this platform?
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