Jacinda Ardern has called the war in Gaza a “genocide” before the ongoing UN General Assembly meeting.
In an opinion piece for The Guardian, the former prime minister decried the growing casualty count in the region, in particular the impact of war on new mothers and childbirth.
“There is a path to stopping the genocide still happening daily before us: more countries must recognise Palestinian statehood; any cooperation that facilitates military action must end,” she wrote.
Ardern joins a growing chorus of international experts, world leaders and organisations saying that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the definition of “genocide” under international law.
But Israel — which strongly denies accusations of genocide — has dismissed a recent UN report accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, calling it fake and based on Hamas lies.
“I’ve been asked about Gaza many times over the last few months, and for good reason. I’ve given views in podcasts and interviews, but I’ve tried to sum it up here,” Ardern said.
Ardern wrote in the piece that more than half of deaths caused by postpartum haemorrhaging come from countries with appeals for humanitarian aid.
“In high-income countries, deaths from PPH have nearly been eliminated. But globally, 70,000 women are still dying every year. That’s one PPH death every 7.5 minutes.”
She said on social media that she had been working with the International Rescue Committee on a programme called “Safer Births in Crises”, which tackles maternal mortality in humanitarian crises.
That programme is receiving $4 million in support from the Matariki Fund for Women, part of a network of institutions that includes Otago University.
Ardern wrote that world leaders should “resist the dehumanisation of numbers” and level a response, starting with Gaza.
“Women give birth during war, and they die. But they shouldn’t. Not in the midst of birth, nor in the crossfire of conflict. Sometimes politics and leadership should be as simple as that.”
UN member states have recently voted to let the leader of the Palestinian Authority address the General Assembly.
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