UN urges League of Arab States partnership to scale humanitarian relief and political solutions across Middle East

A United Nations representative told the League of Arab States that the recent ceasefire and hostage-release deal in Gaza offers “a ray of hope” and called for regional cooperation to scale humanitarian relief and press political processes across the Middle East.

“The United Nation is now doing its part to ensure the rapid scaling up of the humanitarian relief. We must all work together to ensure its success,” the United Nations representative said, and added that “UNRWA must be enabled to carry out its mandate as adopted by the general assembly in all its areas of operation.”

The remarks, delivered to the League in advance of its 80th anniversary in March, framed a regional agenda that ranges from immediate humanitarian access in Gaza and concern about reported violence in the West Bank to longer-term political tracks in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Libya and Sudan.

The representative noted the role of Egypt, Qatar and the United States in brokering the Gaza agreement and said the international community “has a shared responsibility to support efforts toward a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict.” The speaker reiterated that “a negotiated 2 state solution remains the only viable path to ensuring peace, security, and coexistence for both Israelis and Palestinians.”

On Syria, the speaker reported ongoing engagement by “special envoy Pedersen” with the League and its member states toward a “Syrian led and Syrian owned inclusive political process.” The statement referenced Security Council Resolution 224 as a guiding principle for that engagement.

The representative welcomed recent developments in Lebanon, saying the election of a president after “a vacuum of more than 2 years” and the appointment of a prime minister could help restore security and stability and that the United Nations stands ready to support reform and reconstruction once a government is formed. The speaker also linked the cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel to League engagement.

Addressing Yemen, the representative said political progress has stalled amid Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and on Israel, and expressed hope that the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal would “lead to de escalation in the region.” On Libya, the speaker said the political deadlock remains, referenced a recently launched inclusive initiative (transcript: “Ensmel”) intended to move the country toward elections, and described the League as “well positioned to rally and demonstrate collective Arab support for Libyan led and Libyan owned solutions.”

Turning to Sudan, the representative described the fighting as “devastating the lives of Sudanese civilians, threatening the future of the country and increasing impacting region already based by deep fragility, conflicts, and displacement,” and urged intensified diplomatic efforts. The speaker also highlighted UN–League cooperation on youth, women’s rights and child protection, noting a planned sectoral meeting on those topics later in the year.

The address linked these regional crises to broader strains on the international system, including climate change and inequality, and cited last September’s “pact for the future” and the importance of multilateral cooperation in line with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter. The representative closed by affirming continued UN partnership with the League to improve lives across the Arab region and beyond.