Briefing Security Council on Attacks against Ukrainian Village, City Centre, Senior Official Stresses Member States Must Show Commitment to UN Charter
Member States must demonstrate in their actions, not just in words, their commitment to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, particularly the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all States, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today as she detailed last week’s attacks on the Ukrainian village of Hroza and the city centre of Kharkiv.
Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, speaking to the Council via videoconference, reported that on 5 October, the small village of Hroza in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region suffered one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since the beginning of the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The attack, which reportedly killed at least 52 people when a missile hit a shop and cafe, wiped out a sixth of Hroza’s population. Less than 24 hours later, missiles struck buildings in the city centre of Kharkiv, wounding 28 people, including an 11-month-old infant.
The recent attacks in this region add to “an already unbearable toll of civilian casualties resulting from Russia’s invasion — a war launched in violation of the UN Charter and international law,” she continued. Condemning such attacks, she recalled Member States’ recommitment to the Charter of the United Nations in the General Assembly last month. A just solution to the war lies in adhering to that basic obligation with deeds, not just with words, she said, warning that failure to do so would be at the world’s peril.
Joyce Msuya, Assistant Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, reported that the Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, visited the Hroza community a day after the attack; UN and humanitarian organizations have been on the scene, alongside local authorities, providing assistance and support. Citing the latest figures from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that recorded 27,768 civilian casualties across Ukraine, including the deaths of 560 children, she called on international partners to do more in addressing humanitarian need across Ukraine.
In the ensuing debate, many speakers condemned the attack in Hroza and attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, stressing that those acts are a violation of international law. Some delegations urged the parties to the conflict to engage in dialogue, while others, squarely holding the Russian Federation responsible for the war, called on it to immediately cease all hostilities and unconditionally and completely withdraw from the entire territory of Ukraine.
“Once again the Council is meeting to react to a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law by one of its permanent members, Russia,” France’s representative stated. Strongly condemning the Russian Federation’s missile strikes in the Kharkiv region, he stressed that nothing could justify those acts, which constitute war crimes. It is the international community’s collective duty to do everything it can to end that country’s aggression, he emphasized.
Switzerland’s representative was among speakers who voiced concern about the impact of attacks against civilians, underscoring that the principles of precaution and proportionality must be respected and that indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks are prohibited by international humanitarian law and must cease immediately. Conflict must always distinguish between civilians and combatants, and between civilian objects and military objectives, she pointed out.....
https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15434.doc.htm
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий