CEM REPORT, HUMANITARIAN | The United Nation has demanded Russia’s immediate withdrawal from Ukraine in a new resolution adopted on Thursday calling for an end to the 1 year old war in line with the UN Charter.
By voting 141 Member States in favour and seven against, the Assembly reiterated its demand that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine and called for a cessation of hostilities”.
The Assembly, through the resolution, urged Member States to cooperate in the spirit of solidarity to address the global impacts of the war on food security, energy, finance, the environment and nuclear security and safety. Underscoring that arrangements for a lasting peace should consider these factors, the Assembly also called upon all nations to support the Secretary-General in his efforts to address these impacts.
The resolution reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.
The Assembly also emphasized the need to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed in Ukraine through independent national or international investigations and prosecutions to ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has received wide condemnation especially the G7 and European Union who have rolled out a couple of sanction against Russia meant to weaken its revenue base and make it to put an end to the war.
This recent resolution of UN is in continuation of its persistent call for an end to the war that have further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis from the pandemic and changing climate conditions across the globe.
The resumed session had met on Wednesday to begin debating the resolution, with the General Assembly President, Csaba Kőrösi, saying that for a full year, the 193-member Assembly, the Secretary-General, and the international community “have been consistent and vocal in our calls to end this war, and to adhere to the UN Charter and international law”.
At the outset of the resumed session on Wednesday, the Assembly President said that in this “new chapter of history”, the world is facing “stark choices about who we are as an international community. These choices will either set us on a path of solidarity and collective resolve to uphold the tenets of the UN Charter,” he said, “or a path of aggression, war, normalized violations of international law and collapsed global action.”
Days after the 24 February 2022 invasion, UN Security Council members had voted to allow the General Assembly to convene the eleventh emergency special session after Russia had vetoed a resolution that would have condemned the invasion of Ukraine.
In line with resolution 377A(V), adopted in 1950, the Assembly is able to take up international peace and security matters when the Council fails to do.