UNSC Briefing on the Maintenance of Peace and Security of Ukraine

Madam President,
I thank the Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martin Griffiths for his extensive and informative briefing. Ghana, like other members of this Council, continues to be concerned by the extremely difficult and worsening humanitarian conditions in Ukraine. We reaffirm our complete commitment to uphold and respect the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and reiterate our support for all international efforts aimed at ending the war.

The aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine which begun in February last year, created one of the fastest-growing humanitarian crises in Europe since World War II and has entailed extreme suffering, destruction and the loss of lives and livelihoods for many Ukrainians. Having followed closely, the developments of the war over the past twelve months, we are of the view that peace efforts in Ukraine must be anchored on the realities of the millions of Ukrainians impacted by the war.

This is particularly important as some 18 million people representing 40% of the population stand in need of live-saving humanitarian assistance. To date, more than eighteen thousand civilian casualties caused, largely, by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects have been recorded. Such assault on non-combatant innocent civilians in any conflict situation is morally unjustifiable and also constitutes a serious violation of the legal protections afforded to civilians under International Humanitarian Law.

We reiterate the obligations of the warring parties to take specific actions aimed at preserving lives and upholding human dignity amidst the irrationality of war. We strongly urge all parties to grant unimpeded humanitarian access and to refrain from further targeted missile attacks on residential facilities, energy installations and other civilian infrastructure. Respect by the parties for the principles of proportionality and distinction is crucial to saving lives and, in this case, would help to keep hospitals, schools and markets open and functioning.

Madam President,
The impact of violent conflicts on children, in particular, is an indictment on the promise of the United Nations to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. The future of Ukraine’s children is dependent on the actions that we take today to promote international peace and security and we must spare no effort in helping to end the war and restoring to the children, the promise of a peaceful tomorrow. We commend the several initiatives spearheaded by UNICEF in the areas of delivering primary healthcare, mental health and psychosocial support, nutrition, safe water, sanitation and hygiene needs. We also note the important measures being undertaken to safeguard the rights of children through the strengthening of critical support systems and essential services.

The multiplicity of the challenges presented by the war demands a holistic and effective humanitarian response involving a multi-sectoral approach and coordination among various United Nations agencies. We are, therefore, appreciative of the efforts of the United Nations and its partners as they continue to provide the much-needed assistance and protection for those affected. The Security Council must remain supportive of the work of all agencies operating in Ukraine in a manner that ensures optimal assistance and protection for the people.

We also reiterate the calls made by the various agencies for increased donor funding to support the scaling up of assistance to areas where they are most needed. Concerning reports of gross violations of international human rights law including, conflict-related sexual abuse, human trafficking, filtration processes, torture and summary killings, we maintain the view that there must be accountability established through the thorough, transparent and independent investigation of all claims. The international community must work in a concerted and coordinated manner to ensure accountability for such violations and the rights of victims to remedy and reparations through the strengthening of our international justice system.

We believe that diplomatic efforts in Ukraine must be intensified to align with the growing complexity of the war and we call, in that regard, on the members this Council to work in a united manner to support the de-escalation of tensions and work towards the cessation of hostilities. We must intensify peace efforts and help bring the parties together to address their concerns through dialogue and a negotiated settlement.

Lastly, we wish to reiterate our call on the Russian Federation to bring an end to its actions in Ukraine with the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of its forces from the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine. We urge the Russian Federation as a member of the United Nations and in particular, the Security Council, to conform its actions to the principles of international law and the core values of the Charter of the United Nations.

I thank you for your kind attention.