Conflict

UN calls for security zone at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine

New York, September 6 – Nuclear experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency told the UN Security Council that a security zone should be immediately established at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to protect the site against shelling by warring Russian and Ukrainian armies.

IAEA’s Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi briefed the council on the situation at Zaporizhzhia after he led a group of 13 nuclear experts of the Vienna-based agency to inspect conditions at the nuclear plant.

“While the ongoing shelling has not yet triggered a nuclear emergency, it continues to represent a constant threat to nuclear safety and security with potential impact on critical safety functions that may lead to radiological consequences with great safety significance,” the report said. It said the Ukrainian personnel working at the plant are under constant stress and pressure because of the war. The nuclear plant was seized by Russia in March but Ukrainian engineers continue to manage the site.

Grossi said on September 1 following the inspection of the nuclear plant, which is the largest in Europe, that the site was violated several times.

“It’s obvious that the plant, and the physical integrity of the plant has been violated, several times. [Whether] by chance [or deliberately], we don’t have the elements to assess that. But this is a reality that we have to recognize, and this is something that cannot continue to happen,” he told journalists, as reported by UN News.

“Wherever you stay, wherever you stand, whatever you think about this war, this is something that cannot happen, and this is why we’re trying to put in place certain mechanisms and the presence of our people there, to try to be in a better place.”

UN chief urges steps to protect nuclear power plant

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who attended the council meeting to discuss the situation at Zaporizhzhia, said he remained “gravely concerned” about the situation in and around the Zaporizhzhia plant, including reports of recent shelling.

“Let’s tell it like it is: Any damage, whether intentional or not, to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia – or to any other nuclear facility in Ukraine — could spell catastrophe, not only for the immediate vicinity, but for the region and beyond,” he said.

All steps must be taken to avoid such a scenario. Common sense and cooperation must guide the way forward. 1 Any action that might endanger the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear plant is unacceptable. All efforts to re-establish the plant as purely civilian infrastructure are vital.

He said Russian and Ukrainian forces, as a first step, must commit not to engage in any military activity towards the plant site or from the plant site and the Zaporizhzhia facility and its surroundings must not be a target or a platform for military operations.

He called for a demilitarized perimeter at the site and for the withdrawal of all military personnel and equipment from that perimeter and a “commitment by Ukrainian forces not to move into it.”

“Operators at the plant must be able to carry out their responsibilities, and communications must be maintained. Now is the time to urgently agree on concrete measures to ensure the safety of the area,” he said.

NPT was victim of the Ukraine war

Guterres deplored the failure by the 10th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to adopt an outcome document at the end of their month-long session in August, saying that the review session “fell victim to the war in Ukraine.”

“The outcome document sought to address the issue of the safety and security of nuclear power plants in armed conflict zones, including in Ukraine,” he said. “But the conference failed to reach consensus to utilize the opportunity to strengthen the Treaty. I appeal to all states to use every avenue of dialogue and diplomacy to make progress on these critical issues.”

The Russian delegation to the review session blocked the adoption of the outcome document because it criticized the takeover of the nuclear plant by Russian troops after their invasion of Ukraine on February 24 this year.

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UN warns Ukraine war is exceedingly dangerous, affecting all people

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New York, August 24 – United Nations officials warned that Russia’s six months of war in Ukraine, which has inflicted over 13,000 civilian casualties in Ukraine, is sparing no one in the world and causing severe human sufferings and material damages.

At a briefing in the 15-nation UN Security Council convened to appraise the on-going war that flared up on February 24 this year when Russian military invaded Ukraine, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo led the discussion with UN efforts to meet humanitarian demands around the world affected by the war. They pointed out that civilians are prime targets and paying a heavy price in the war.

They said the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 13,560 civilian casualties: 5,614 killed and 7,946 injured and the figures are based on verified incidents but the actual numbers are considerably higher.

“The world has seen grave violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law committed with little to no accountability,” Guterres said. “We are seeing new vulnerabilities emerge in a global environment already worn out by conflicts, inequality, pandemic-induced economic and health crises, and climate change – with a disproportionate impact on developing countries.”

The UN said most civilian casualties were caused by explosive weapons with wide area effects and the use of these weapons in and around populated areas has predictable and devastating consequences.

“The indiscriminate shelling and bombing of populated areas, killing civilians and wrecking hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure, are actions that may amount to war crimes,” DiCarlo said. “We continue to receive reports of human rights violations. The arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of civilians, including local authorities, journalists, civil society activists and other civilians, continues.”

She said humanitarian needs continue to rise rapidly as at least 17.7 million people in Ukraine, or 40 percent of the population, need humanitarian assistance and protection, including 3.3 million children. More than 6.6 million Ukrainians are internally displaced and 6.7 million people have taken refuge in other countries mainly in Europe.

In her address, DiCarlo said crucial humanitarian assistance for those in needs ahead of winter while the war continues to rage has become a major issue. She said the UN has revised a flash appeal that would requires $4.3 billion to support 17.7 million people in need of assistance through December 2022. She said donors have generously provided $2.4 billion as of August 19.

“The humanitarian response has scaled-up to 500 humanitarian organization partners reaching over 11.8 million people with at least one form of assistance,” she said.

“The war has severely impacted agriculture in Ukraine, leaving thousands of farmers without income, destroying grain storage facilities, and exacerbating food insecurity among vulnerable groups. According to the World Food Program, 20 per cent of the people of Ukraine have insufficient food.”

Estimates provided by WFP said 345 million people, including an increase of 47 million due to the Ukraine war, will suffer acute food insecurity in 82 countries with a WFP operational presence.

“The global financial situation remains volatile, with concerns about potential stagflation scenarios in the latter part of 2022 and 2023. Energy markets remain under stress, a serious concern as the winter season in the northern hemisphere approaches,” she said

“This war is not only senseless, but exceedingly dangerous, and it touches all of us. It must end,” she said.

By J. Tuyet Nguyen

Ukraine war exposes 1.6 billion people to high food and energy prices or finance tightening, new UN report says

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New York, June 8 – Russia’s war in Ukraine has triggered a global crisis that is exposing 1.6 billion people in 94 countries to either high food prices, energy prices or financial difficulties, the United Nations said in a new study.

“This is a global crisis, not confined to any one region,” said the 25-page report as a follow-up to the initial UN Global Crisis Response Group analysis launched after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year. It said 1.2 billion of those people live in developing countries that can be hit by all three crises at once, which the UN calls a “perfect storm.”

Read report: https://news.un.org/pages/global-crisis-response-group/

The report, which involved the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and other UN agencies, cited recent World Bank’s analysis on the war and its Impacts on poverty, income and energy access. The World Bank said the average household has lost 1.5 per cent in real income since the start of the war.

“The World Bank suggests that the war in Ukraine may bring up to 95 million people into extreme poverty, making 2022 the second-worst year ever for poverty alleviation, behind only 2020. In general, 10 million people are pushed into extreme poverty for every percentage point increase in food prices,” the report said.

“Today’s report makes clear that the war’s impact on food security, energy and finance is systemic, severe, and speeding up,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a news conference. “Three months into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we face a new reality. For those on the ground, every day brings new bloodshed and suffering.”

“And for people around the world, the war is threatening to unleash an unprecedented wave of hunger and destitution, leaving social and economic chaos in its wake. Vulnerable people and countries are already being hit hard. But make no mistake: no country or community will be left untouched by this cost-of-living crisis. “

UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebecca Grynspan said, “We are on the brink of the most severe global cost-of-living crisis in a generation. The report also demonstrates the interconnected nature of the three dimensions of the crisis: food, energy, and finance. And that tackling just one aspect, will not solve the global crisis we are in.”

Grynspan said the cost-of-living crisis cannot be resolved without a solution to the finance crisis and developing countries urgently need the financial support from international financial institutions.

“Unless there is a strong effort from international financial institutions to increase countries financial resources, countries will continue to struggle to pay their food and energy import bills, service their debt and increase spending in social protection. All at the same time,” she said.

The World Food Program has estimated that the number of people suffering severe food insecurity in the last two years doubled from 135 million pre-pandemic to 276 million at the start of 2022 in scores of countries. It said the war’s ripple effects are expected to drive this number up to 323 million in 2022.

The report said countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are most vulnerable to a “perfect storm” because one out of two Africans lives in a country exposed to all three dimensions. The region has been exposed to energy crises, financial difficulties, food crises and repeated droughts. It said in the Horn of Africa up to 58 million more Africans may fall into poverty this year and across Africa, 568 million people are currently without access to electricity, which in turn has severe effects on access to healthcare, education, and income generating activities.

The Latin Ameri-ca and the Caribbean region is the second largest group facing the cost-of-living crisis with nearly 20 countries deeply affected.

In the Middle East and North Africa, extreme poverty could threaten the lives and livelihoods of 2.8 million people. In South Asia, which is currently experiencing crippling levels of heat waves, 500 million people are severely exposed to the food and finance crisis. Countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are severely exposed to the energy and finance dimensions, given the importance of remittances and energy exports from Russia.

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UN: Over 100 million people forced to flee conflict and persecution for the first time on record

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Geneva/New York, May 23 – The United Nations refugee agency said a record number of over 100 million people have been forced to flee war, human rights violations and persecution, including the millions of Ukrainians displaced by Russia’s war in their country this year.

The agency said there were an estimated 90 million people who were forcibly displaced by violence in countries like Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Congo by the end of 2021. That number has reached over 100 million this year after more than six million Ukrainians fled their country and a further eight million are displaced inside the country following the February 24 Russian military invasion.

“One hundred million is a stark figure — sobering and alarming in equal measure. It’s a record that should never have been set,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, UN News reported. “This must serve as a wake-up call to resolve and prevent destructive conflicts, end persecution, and address the underlying causes that force innocent people to flee their homes.”

“The international response to people fleeing war in Ukraine has been overwhelmingly positive,” Grandi added. “Compassion is alive, and we need a similar mobilization for all crises around the world. But ultimately, humanitarian aid is a palliative, not a cure. To reverse this trend, the only answer is peace and stability so that innocent people are not forced to gamble between acute danger at home or precarious flight and exile”.

The UN agency said the 100 million displaced people worldwide represented 1 per cent of the global population and they included refugees as well as asylum seekers and the 53.2 million people displaced within their countries.

Jan Egeland, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said, “Today’s sobering 100 million displacement figure is indisputable proof that global leaders are failing the world’s most vulnerable people on a scale never before seen. Behind these numbers are families without roofs over their heads, children shut out from school and entire communities facing starvation. We are witnessing an unprecedented plague of human suffering.

“The war in Ukraine has not only forced over 14 million people from their homes, but has tipped the global displacement number over 100 million for the first time on record. Disruptions to Ukraine’s supply chains have also caused food and fuel prices to soar in the world’s crisis hotspots, worsening an already dire situation for displaced people. We are seeing the domino effect of this devastating many places where we operate, from Somalia to Yemen.

“Meanwhile, the aid system is overstretched and underfunded. We will not be able to support 100 million people in need without more resources – it is twice the number of people compared to a decade ago, without a doubling of funding to match it.”

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UN leader bluntly told Russian President Putin that war violates the UN Charter

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New York, May 5 – Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said he did not mince words when he visited Moscow and told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the invasion of Ukraine violated the UN Charter. Guterres and the UN heads of the Human Rights Council and emergency humanitarian affairs briefed the UN Security Council on recent events in Ukraine.

“Throughout my travels, I did not mince words,” Guterres said. “I said the same thing in Moscow as I did in Kyiv – which is exactly what I have repeatedly expressed in New York.

“Namely that: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a violation of its territorial integrity and of the Charter of the United Nations. It must end for the sake of the people of Ukraine, Russia, and the entire world.”

“I visited Moscow and Kyiv with a clear understanding of the realities on the ground.

I entered an active war zone in Ukraine with no immediate possibility of a national ceasefire and a full-scale ongoing attack on the east of the country.”

Guterres met with Putin on April 26 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiyv on April 28 and had discussions over the war in Ukraine with the presidents of Turkey and Poland.

From his discussions Guterres said the UN worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Russian and Ukrainian authorities to open humanitarian corridors and begin the evacuation of civilians caught for months by the fighting in Mariupol and the Azovstal plant. He reported to the council the evacuation of civilians has achieved “some measure of success.”

“Together, the United Nations and the ICRC are leading a humanitarian operation of great complexity – both politically, and in terms of security,” he said.

He said the Ukraine war has unleashed a food security crisis in the West African nations of Senegal, Niger and Nigeria, where he visited after Moscow and Kiyv and directly heard testimony from leaders and civil society there.

“We need quick and decisive action to ensure a steady flow of food and energy in open markets, by lifting export restrictions, allocating surpluses and reserves to those who need them, and addressing food price increases to calm market volatility,” he said.

“But let me be clear: a meaningful solution to global food insecurity requires reintegrating Ukraine’s agricultural production and the food and fertilizer production of Russia and Belarus into world markets, despite the war.

“I will do my best to help facilitate a dialogue to help make this a reality,” he said.

Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told the council that the destruction of civilian infrastructure has come to characterize the Russian war in Ukraine.

“Apartment buildings, schools and hospitals in populated areas have been attacked. They must not be.

Over 13 million Ukrainians have now been forced to flee their homes, of whom 7.7 million are internally displaced. Lives uprooted, ripped apart. Never the same again.”

“The threat of gender-based violence—including conflict-related sexual violence, sexual exploitation and abuse and human trafficking—has risen hugely since the war began. Allegations of sexual violence against women, girls, men and boys are mounting,” Griffiths said.

“Roads are heavily contaminated with explosive ordnance, putting civilians at risk and stopping humanitarian convoys from reaching them,” he said.

Griffiths said the UN now has more than 1,400 staff deployed across Ukraine and operating out of eight hubs beyond Kyiv, with staff, warehouses and supplies in 30 locations. He said the UN teams have reached more than 4.1 million people with some form of assistance across all the country’s 24 oblasts.”

Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the council information and reports received so far showed violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, which called for the need for accountability.

“It pains me to say that all our concerns remain valid, and the situation keeps deteriorating,” she said. “Reports of deadly incidents, such as attacks on hospital No 3 and the drama theatre in Mariupol, on the railway station in Kramatorsk, on residential areas in Odesa, have become shockingly frequent. There seems to be no end in sight to the daily reports of civilian deaths and injuries.”

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UN adopts measure to increase accountability around vetoes by world powers

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New York, April 26 – For the first time in its history, the United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution to increase accountability whenever one of the world powers like the United States, Russia, France, United Kingdom and China cast a veto to block a call against military aggression or to provide humanitarian aid. Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on February 25 that demanded an end to its invasion of Ukraine.

Those five countries are known as permanent members of the 15-nation Security Council with power to stop a resolution even if the measure is adopted by a majority of its members, including 10 other countries that are each elected for two-year term. The council tried but failed to stop Russia’s February 24 invasion and was denounced as ineffective in carrying out its world peace and security responsibility.

The 193-nation assembly adopted by consensus, meaning without a recorded vote, a resolution sponsored by 83 countries that allows it to convene within 10 days a formal meeting to debate after one or more of the permanent members have cast a veto. The resolution is titled “Strengthening of the United Nations System.”

Of the five permanent members, the US, United Kingdom and France supported the resolution while Russia and China did not. Other countries among the 83 countries that supported the resolution include the Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Myanmar, Romania, Singapore, Turkey and Ukraine.

“While not legally binding, it will allow the entire UN membership of 193 countries to have a say on vetoed resolutions, helping to increase accountability,” said United Kingdom Ambassador Barbara Woodward. “By doing so, the resolution seeks to give a voice to the entire UN membership on vetoed resolutions and make permanent members who have used their veto more accountable for their actions.”

“The founding members of the United Nations vowed to save generations that followed them from the scourge of war,” she said. “They conferred the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security on the Security Council. The UN Charter gives the permanent members the power of veto. This is a heavy responsibility, to be used in the interests of securing the peace and security that people around the world seek and the UN was established to provide.It is not to be used lightly. And should not, we believe, be used without accountability. It should not prevent the Council from fulfilling its mandate – which is why we have supported this resolution today.”

Woodward said Russia has used its veto 22 times in the last 10 years – to block aid to civilians and defend war crimes and in 2020, Russia and China vetoed a Security Council resolution to extend cross-border aid access from Turkey into Syria for a year, essentially cutting off humanitarian aid from millions of Syrian civilians.

UN member nations have tried for years but failed to reform the working procedures of the council, including reining in the veto power and expanding the number of permanent members for a more equitable representation of the membership.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made his first virtual address to the Security Council on April 4, urging the body to stop the war or failing that to disband itself.

“Russia was turning ‘the right of veto in the UN Security Council into a right to kill’,” Zelensky said, adding allegations of arbitrary killing of civilians, torture and rape and he called for investigation of war crimes.

“Are you ready to close the UN?” he asked. “Do you think that the time of international law is gone? If your answer is no, then you need to act immediately.”

UPDATE: UN condemns attacks against civilians in Ukraine conflict; UN chief to hold talks in Moscow, Kiyv

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Geneva/New York, April 22 – The United Nations condemned the indiscriminate uses of military forces by Russia and “horrors” committed against civilians in Ukraine while the organization’s leader, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is preparing to meet separately with leaders of Russia and Ukraine in their capitals, UN spokespersons said.

Guterres will be in Moscow on April 26^th and will have a working meeting and lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before meeting with President Vladimir Putin, said Eri Kaneko, an associate spokesperson in New York. Guterres will visit Kiyv on April 28 where he will have a working meeting with Foreign Minister Minister Dmytro Kuleba and will be received by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The requests were made in letters sent separately to the Russian and Ukrainian UN missions in New York on April 19 following unsuccessful calls by UN officials for a humanitarian cease-fire to bring aid to the millions of people caught in the war started by the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

“The Secretary-General said, at this time of great peril and consequence, he would like to discuss urgent steps to bring about peace in Ukraine and the future of multilateralism based on the Charter of the United Nations and international law,” said spokesperson Stephane Dujarric when the requests were made. “He noted that both Ukraine and the Russian Federation are founding members of the United Nations and have always been strong supporters of this Organization.”

In Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet provided details of what she called a “horror story” of possible war crimes and abuses committed in Ukraine, citing indiscriminate shelling and bombardment of civilian residential areas, widespread destruction of properties and hundreds of summary executions.

“International humanitarian law has not merely been ignored but seemingly tossed aside,” Bachelet said in a statement in which she condemned the “horrors” committed against civilians, including a missile strike on the train station in Kramatorsk that killed more than 50 civilians and injured scores. She said the attacks are “emblematic of Russian forces’ indiscriminate bombardment of civilian targets” which amount to war crimes. “Our work to date has detailed a horror story of violations perpetrated against civilians.”

OHCHR said 5,381 civilian casualties but actual figures are “considerable higher”

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 5,381 civilian casualties in the country: 2,435 killed and 2,946 injured from February 24, 2022 when Russian forces launched attacks against Ukraine to April 21, 2022. This included: a total of 2,435 killed (746 men, 469 women, 48 girls, and 66 boys, as well as 70 children and 1,036 adults whose sex is yet unknown)

a total of 2,946 injured (345 men, 274 women, 62 girls, and 67 boys, as well as 157 children and 2,041 adults whose sex is yet unknown)

OHCHR said it “believes the actual figures are considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration.”

In Lviv, West Ukraine, the UN Crisis Coordinator, Assistant Secretary-General Amin Awad told a news conference on April 21 that Ukraine has seen “suffering, devastation, and destruction on a massive scale” in the last two months, UN News reported.

“At least 15.7 million people in Ukraine are now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection, over 5 million people fled Ukraine to seek safety in other countries and another 7.1 million have been internally displaced across the country,” Awad said. “This represents more than 25 per cent of the entire population of Ukraine.”

“The world is shocked by what is happening in Ukraine,” said Awad, calling “deeply disturbing” the treatment of war prisoners and that the fate of civilians in Mariupol remains unknown. He said people living in occupied Kherson are short on food and medicines; Mykolaiv has been without water for seven days; and the devastation of urban centres and civilian infrastructure across the oblasts – especially in Donetska, Luhanska, Khakvska, Kyivska and Chernivska – have disrupted critical services for millions, including water and health care.

The Norwegian Refugee Council: Ukraine Fears of besiegement, bloodshed and displacement in eastern regions

In Oslo, the Norwegian Refugee Council said in a press release that it is deeply worried that intensified fighting in eastern Ukraine till lead to besiegement of entire cities and towns. The immense suffering and bloodshed that engulfed Mariupol may be senselessly repeated elsewhere, as the country marks two months of war.

“The escalation of war in east Ukraine will result in horrific bloodshed and mass displacement from the eastern regions, including Luhansk and Donetsk, re-traumatising communities who have already suffered eight years of hostilities. In some places the escalation may also lead to entire cities being besieged,” warned Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), on a five-day visit to Ukraine.

“It’s heart-breaking to think about the horrors these people are forced to relive, and to know that we are unable to get lifesaving assistance into many affected areas. We call for an immediate ceasefire to stop this tidal wave of human suffering.”

Facts and figures:

NRC has ongoing operations in Lviv, Ternopil, Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, Poland, Romania, and Moldova. We plan to assist 800,00 displaced people over the coming months.

NRC has been working in Ukraine since 2014 assisting over 700,000 people through its legal aid, food security and livelihoods, WASH and shelter programmes.

12 million people have been displaced since the war began on 24 February – over 7 million inside Ukraine and over 5 million to neighbouring countries.

12 million people inside Ukraine are estimated to need humanitarian aid.

At least 199 health facilities suffering attacks, while hundreds of thousands are now without water or electricity.

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Russian war causes global food, energy and finance crises; affects 1.7 billion people in poor countries: UN

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New York, April 13 – The Russian war in Ukraine not only has caused “terrifying levels” of death, destruction and suffering in Ukraine, it has also triggered food, energy and finance crises that particularly are impacting on scores of poor countries with a total of 1.7 billion people, the United Nations said in a first report on the Global Impact of War in Ukraine on Food, Energy and Finance Systems.

The 22-page report said preliminary assessments showed that the 1.7 billion people exposed to the war’s repercussions live in 107 poor economies in Africa, Asia and the Pacific and in the Caribbean and Latin America regions.

“These are countries where people struggle to afford healthy diets, where imports are essential to satisfy the food and energy needs of their populations, where debt burdens and tightening resources limit government’s ability to cope with the vagaries of global financial conditions,” the report said. It said either of the Covid-19 pandemic, debt payments, climate change or food shortages and blackouts can collapse the economy. Of the 1.7 billion people, 553 million people are already poor and 215 million are already malnourished.

“Since the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, the world’s attention has been focused on the war’s terrifying levels of death, destruction and suffering” while less attention has been paid to impacts of poverty, hunger and social unrest, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in presenting the report.

Guterres said 36 countries, including some of the poorest countries, rely on Russia and Ukraine for more than half of their wheat imports and the war has made a bad situation worse. He said Russia is a top supplier of oil and gasoline but oil prices are up more than 60 per cent in the past year while gas prices have risen by 50 per cent while fertilizers have double in price.

“But now is also the time to turn this crisis into an opportunity,” Guterres said. “We must work towards progressively phasing-out coal and other fossil fuels, and accelerating the deployment of renewable energy and a just transition. “

“We need to pull developing countries back from the financial brink. The international financial system has deep pockets. I have been strongly advocating for its reform. But developing countries need help now, and the funds are there.”

Developing countries under the Sword of Damocles, the report said (excerpts):

Food

The report said the war has impacted on food production and caused rising food prices worldwide which will be felt through 2023. Russia and Ukraine are major wheat and maize producers as well as fertilizers.

“Food and energy import bills are already at record levels, and it seems inevitable that these will continue to rise. This will have widespread impacts that could be far-reaching, but the consequences for poorer and vulnerable people, will be particularly severe. Many food producers are not able to access the agricultural inputs they need.”

Energy

“Energy markets were already tight before the start of the crisis, following strong consumer demand and high GDP growth in 2021. Though crude oil and natural gas are still around 50 per cent above their level at the start of the year, they have witnessed volatile trading sessions following key announcements since the start of the war and, in particular, the commitment by the United States to release 180 million barrels of oil over the next six months.

“The significant increase in oil and gas prices may lead to counteracting effects in the longer term. On the one hand, it may shift investments back into extractive industries and fossil fuel-based energy generation, running the risk of reversing the trend towards decarbonization documented over the past 5-10 years. On the other hand, it can also accelerate the transition towards alternative sources of energy, especially in countries that wish to strengthen their energy resilience by sourcing from more local sources. The jury is still out on which trend will prevail. Much depends on political leadership and maintaining the momentum towards meeting the commitments of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda.”

Finance

“We are on the brink of a global debt crisis. Even before the start of this crisis developing countries spent on average 16 per cent of their export earnings in servicing their debt obligations, with Small Island Developing States spending more than twice this figure. By comparison, after the Allied Powers restructured Germany’s debt in 1953, debt servicing payments never exceeded 3.4 per cent of export revenues in any year. On top of that, bond yields of developing countries have been on the rise since September 2021, given expectations of monetary tightening in developed countries. Rate hikes alongside financial disorder would be a double blow for developing economies, of “taper-tantrum-like” effects through interest rate rises and greater volatility in commodity futures and bond markets, leading to increased risk premiums on top of exchange rate pressures.”

UPDATE: UN suspends Russia’s membership in the Human Rights Council

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New York, April 7 – The United Nations General Assembly voted 93 against 24 to suspend Russia’s membership in the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council, a decision prompted by the discovery of hundreds of corpses in Bucha, a city on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital of Kiyv. The US, Ukraine and other countries assigned the gruesome deaths to Russia. A total of 58 countries abstained.

The US and more than 30 countries submitted a resolution entitled ‘Suspension of the rights of membership of the Russian Federation in the Human Rights Council” from the Geneva-based council. The 193-nation assembly’s decision to approve the resolution was the first concrete action against Russia since its February 24 military invasion of Ukraine.

The countries voting against the resolution are: Algeria, Belarus, Burundi, Central Africa Republic, China, Congo, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mali, Nicaragua, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe.

Previous attempts by the US and allies to stop the war by a decision in the UN Security Council failed because Russia, one of the five permanent veto-wielding countries, blocked a resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine. The other members are the US, France, the United Kingdom and China.

The permanent members have veto power in the 15-nation council, which has authority over issues of peace and security around the world. But they cannot use the veto in the assembly.

The request to hold the assembly session was signed by representatives of Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Georgia, Japan, Liberia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, United States and the Head of the Delegation of the European Union, on behalf of 27 members of the European Union, said General Assembly’s spokesperson Paulina Kubiak.

She said the draft resolution is co-sponsored by Ukraine, Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Republic of Moldova, the United Kingdom and United States.

The assembly is responsible for electing members of the UN Human Rights Council and the only time it suspended a member was Libya in 2011. Russia is serving a 3-year term ending in December 2023.

The UN has been strongly criticized for failing to stop the war, particularly by the Ukrainian government.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who addressed the council for the first time on April 5 via video, challenged the body to take action against Russia or dissolve itself.
“Either remove Russia as an aggressor and a source of war so it cannot block decisions about its own aggression, its own war, and then do everything that we can do to establish peace,” he said. “Or the other option is, please show how we can reform or change, dissolve yourself and work for peace.”

Zelenskyy emphasized that “Ukraine needs peace, Europe needs peace, and the world needs peace”

The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the same council meeting on the war in Ukraine on April 5 that her government with the backing from some other countries were seeking to expel Russia from the Human Rights Council because Russia has been using the platform to counter criticisms against the war. At the meeting, council members were shown videos and photos of corpses in the streets of Bucha, the city near Kyiv.

“Russia’s participation on the Human Rights Council hurts the council’s credibility,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “It undermines the entire UN and it is just plain wrong.”

“Given the growing mountain of evidence, Russia should not have a position of authority in a body whose purpose, whose very purpose, is to promote respect for human rights. Not only is it the height of hypocrisy — it is dangerous,” she said. “Russia is using its membership on the Human Rights Council as a platform for propaganda to suggest Russia has a legitimate concern for human rights.”

Current members of the UN Human Rights Council:

(2022-2024 term) Benin, Cameroon, Eritrea, Gambia, Somalia, India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Lithuania, Montenegro, Argentina, Honduras, Paraguay, Finland, Luxembourg, the United States,

(2021–2023 term) Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Malawi, Senegal, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Ukraine, Bolivia, Cuba, Mexico, France, United Kingdom

(2020–2022 term) Libya, Mauritania, Sudan, Namibia, Indonesia, Japan, Marshall Islands, South Korea, Armenia, Poland, Brazil, Venezuela, Germany, Netherlands

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UN supports calls for independent probe of war crimes in Ukraine

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New York, April 5 – The United Nations joined government leaders in calling for an independent investigation of massacre of civilians by Russian troops in Ukraine as the UN Security Council held a fresh meeting at which Ukrainian President Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a brief virtual appearance for the first time.

Zelenskyy told the 15-nation council through a video program that Russian military troops have committed the worst atrocities since World War II and that they should be charged with war crimes. He referred to civilians killed in Bucha, a city on the outskirts of Kyiv and other cities. Images of corpses and destructions at Bucha were shown on a big screen in the council chamber.

“The Russian military searched for and purposefully killed anyone who served our country,” Zelenskyy said. “They shot and killed women outside their houses when they just tried to call someone who is alive. They killed entire families, adults and children, and they tried to escape.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who attended the council meeting, called for an independent investigation to guarantee effective accountability.

He said Russia’s “fully-fledged invasion” of Ukraine that started on February 24 is “one of the greatest challenges ever to the international order and the global peace architecture, founded on the United Nations Charter.”

“We are not saying that this specific incident is a war crime, we can’t establish that yet, that is why there needs to be detailed forensic examination. Justice and accountability take time; what is important is that this work is undertaken and continues to ensure accountability going forward.”

Martin Griffith, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator addressed the council via a video from Geneva and shared the statements made by other UN officials that Ukrainian civilians are the main victims of the war

“In the last six weeks, as we have heard, at least 1,430 people have been killed, among them over 121 children,” he said. “We know this is very likely a serious underestimate. Homes and civilian infrastructure – bridges, hospitals and schools – have been damaged and destroyed.”

He said more than 11.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including more than 4.2 million refugees in neighboring countries.

Griffith said the World Food Program has reached more than 1.3 million people with cash and food assistance and plans to reach around 2.5 million people in April while health organizations report that more than 180 tons of medical supplies were delivered in Ukraine, with another 470 tons on the way. This will address the health needs of around six million people in the months ahead. He reported that a convoy was dispatched from our humanitarian coordination hub in Dnipro to Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine.

Griffith, who has been discussing a humanitarian cease-fire with both Russia and Ukraine, said, “For the sake of the people of Ukraine, and the sake of those around the world who cannot afford to bear the additional burden this war imposes on them. And all of us we must as the UN Secretary-General says, silence the guns.”

The United Kingdom supports investigation of war crimes

UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward, who presides the UN Security Council in April, said in concluding the council meeting: “We have heard today, again, the devastating impact of Russia’s unilateral and illegal military action in Ukraine. Its impact on surrounding countries and the region, and on the security and prosperity of the wider world, as it seeks to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“And now, as Russia is forced into retreat from areas around Kyiv, the brutality of the invasion is laid bare. We have all seen the horrific images from the towns of Bucha and Irpin of civilians deliberately killed in areas from which Russian forces have recently withdrawn — and the video we saw earlier underlined that horror.”

“These acts, and other credible incidents, must be investigated as war crimes, and the UK fully supports the work of the International Criminal Court and the work of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General and other national prosecutors.”

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United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles To date, the Russian offensive has displaced more than 10 million people in ju

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