By J. Tuyet Nguyen
New York, March 23 – The UN Security Council turned down a Russian-backed resolution calling for humanitarian aid and protection of health workers in Ukraine after 13 council members abstained and only Russia and China voted in favor. The resolution called for respect of international humanitarian and human rights law and for an end of hostilities without mentioning Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.
It was the first time that China voted in favor of a UN resolution on the war in Ukraine.
UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward said the Russian resolution was “a cynical effort by Russia to exploit the crisis which they have caused. Their resolution called for respect for international humanitarian law, but overlooked the fact that they are committing war crimes. Their resolution called for the protection of women and children, but overlooked the fact that they had bombed the hospital in Mariupol and the theatre in Mariupol. Their resolution called for a ceasefire – although we know that the last time they called for a ceasefire, Russia breached it within hours. Their resolution did not call for the one thing that would work, which is that Russia needs to stop its invasion of Ukraine. Thank you.”
Council members who abstained are: the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Norway and United Arab Emirates.
It takes nine votes to pass a resolution in the 15-nation UN Security Council but the vote is blocked if one of the five permanent members vote against, which constitutes a veto. The five members are the US, the UK, Russia, France and China.
The failed Russian resolution included the following demands: It “stressed the need to ensure humane treatment of detainees in accordance with international humanitarian law;” “demanded that civilians, including humanitarian personnel and persons in vulnerable situations, including women and children are fully protected.”
It demanded “from all parties concerned full respect for provisions of international humanitarian law in connection with objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population and civilian infrastructure that is critical to enable the delivery of essential services in armed conflict, and to refrain from deliberately placing military objects and equipment in the vicinity of such objects or in the midst of densely populated areas, as well as not to use civilian objects for military purposes;”
It called “upon all parties concerned to allow safe and unhindered passage to destinations outside of Ukraine, including to foreign nationals without discrimination, and facilitate safe and unhindered access of humanitarian assistance to those in need in and around Ukraine, taking into account the particular needs of women, girls, men and boys, older persons and persons with disabilities;”
It “condemned all violations of international humanitarian law and violations of human rights, and calls upon all parties to respect strictly the relevant provisions of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and Additional Protocol I thereto, of 1977 and to respect international human rights law, as applicable;”and “called upon Member States to fund the flash appeal launched by the United Nations for the humanitarian response in Ukraine, as well as the regional refugee response plan for Ukraine.”
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