Palestinian_Ambassador_to_the_United_Nations
The Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations.[1] The position is more formally known as the "Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations;" however, both the title of Ambassador and "Permanent Observer" is used.[1] The Permanent Observer, currently Riyad Mansour, is charged with representing the State of Palestine to the United Nations.[1]
In November 1974, the PLO was recognized as competent on all matters concerning the question of Palestine by the UN General Assembly granting them observer status as a "non-state entity" at the UN.[2][3] After the 1988 Declaration of Independence, the UN General Assembly officially "acknowledged" the proclamation and decided to use the designation "Palestine" instead of "Palestine Liberation Organization" in the UN.[4][5]
On 29 November 2012, in a 138-9 vote (with 41 abstentions and 5 absences),[6] the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 67/19, upgrading the status of Palestinian delegation within the United Nations system from an "observer entity" to a "non-member observer state", which was described as recognition of the PLO's sovereignty.[7][8]
The UN has permitted the State of Palestine to title its representative office to the UN as "The Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations",[1] and Palestine has instructed its diplomats to officially represent "The State of Palestine"—no longer the Palestinian National Authority.
On 17 December 2012, UN Chief of Protocol Yeocheol Yoon declared that "the designation of 'State of Palestine' shall be used by the Secretariat in all official United Nations documents",[9] thus recognising the title 'State of Palestine' as the state's official name for all UN purposes. As of 4 April 2024, 140 (72.5%) of the 193 member states of the United Nations have recognised the State of Palestine.[8][10]
The following is a chronological list of those who have held the office:
| No. | Image | Ambassador to UN | Years served | U.N. Secretary-General | Palestinian Leadership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zuhdi Labib Terzi | 1974 - 1982 | Kurt Waldheim | Yasser Arafat | |
| 1982 – 1991 | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | ||||
| 2 | Nasser al-Qudwa | 1991 – 1997 | Boutros Boutros-Ghali | ||
| 1997 – 2004 | Kofi Annan | ||||
| 2004 – 2005 | Mahmoud Abbas | ||||
| 3 | Riyad Mansour | 2005 – 2017 | Ban Ki-moon | ||
| 2017 – present | António Guterres |
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- United Nations General Assembly Session 29 Resolution 3237 (XXIX). 2296th plenary meeting. Observer status for the Palestine Liberation Organization A/RES/3237(XXIX) 22 November 1974. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- Geldenhuys, Deon (1990). Isolated States: A Comparative Analysis. Cambridge Studies in International Relations. Vol. 15. Cambridge University Press. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-521-40268-2.
- United Nations General Assembly Session 43 Resolution 43/117. 75th plenary meeting. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees A/RES/43/117 8 December 1988. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- Hillier, Tim (1998). Sourcebook on Public International Law (Cavendish Publishing sourcebook series ed.). Cavendish Publishing. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-84314-380-2. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- "United Nations Sixty-seventh General Assembly: General Assembly Plenary, 44th & 45th Meetings (PM & Night). GA/11317: General Assembly Votes Overwhelmingly to Accord Palestine 'Non-Member Observer State' Status in United Nations". un.org. United Nations. 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- "General Assembly grants Palestine non-member observer State status at UN". United Nations News Centre. 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- United Nations General Assembly Session 67 Agenda item 37. Question of Palestine A/67/L.28 26 November 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2014. and United Nations General Assembly Session 67 Resolution 67/19. Status of Palestine in the United Nations A/RES/67/19 29 November 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
- Gharib, Ali (20 December 2012). "U.N. Adds New Name: "State of Palestine"". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- Christmas Message from H.E. President Mahmoud Abbas Archived 2014-11-03 at the Wayback Machine, Christmas 2012: "133 countries that took the courageous step of recognizing the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders."