UN High Level briefing on the Maintenance of Peace and Security of Ukraine

Madam President,
 
Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France,
I would like to thank France for organizing this High-Level Meeting, which places focus on the fight against impunity for war crimes being committed in Ukraine. I also thank Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for setting the tone for this meeting with his very clear statement. We welcome the briefing and commitments to ensuring accountability, which we have heard from Mr. Karim Khan, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The world has been united since this Council’s referral over Darfur in Resolution 1593 (2005), nearly two decades ago, that impunity anywhere poses serious threats to international peace and security, the international legal order, and our multilateral system.
 
We have systematically reinforced our institutions and defined conduct and sanctions to expose, prevent or punish those acts or behavior that defy the norms we are committed to live by. No State, however powerful, should get a pass. To do so unravels a central tenet of our global civilization. It puts at stake the lives and liberties of those less powerful, wherever they live. That is why the members of this Council must act in an urgent and unified manner to end the near-paralysis of the Council and the war in Ukraine. The toll of that war is intolerable and the lack of unified resolve risks making our universal organization an enabling factor for impunity in Ukraine. The damage to the standing of the Charter may be incalculable. Ghana is especially concerned about the intensification of the war in Ukraine across several lines, with civilian populated areas and civilian infrastructure being the targets of bombardments. We regret that the basic laws which govern the conduct of modern warfare and protect ordinary people, who are caught in the crossfires of war, have not been respected.
 
We are distressed by the diverse horrifying and painful humanitarian threats which have accompanied the war. Some 14 million people, mostly women and children, have been displaced from their homes and face heightened risks of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence. Human trafficking, filtration processes, enforced disappearances, torture and other violations of the rights and freedoms of the people are widespread.
We remain gravely concerned by the manifest threats of a nuclear episode, whether by accident or deliberate action, because of the constant military engagements around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The disregard for the requisites for nuclear safety and security, including for the delineation of a safe zone, are deplorable. And we support the efforts by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to avert a nuclear catastrophe. With the rising death toll, civilian casualties and growing reports of war crimes and other human rights violations, we must uphold our responsibility as a Council and send a clear message that perpetrators of atrocities would be held to account. The suffering in Ukraine is abhorrent and should not be dismissed as the mere consequence of war. To do so, would be endorsing the atrocities and sanctioning impunity.
 
In this regard:
i. We underscore the importance of ensuring accountability for all war crimes committed in Ukraine. Accountability is fundamental to preventing impunity. We must affirm our determination that the litany of atrocious acts that have taken place in Ukraine would be submitted to thorough, transparent, and independent investigations to establish
the facts and for the attribution of international crimes to their perpetrators.

 
ii. Ghana remains supportive of international accountability measures including the various investigative processes being undertaken by the ICC, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Human Rights Council.
 
iii. We believe that in seeking criminal accountability and justice for the victims of the war in Ukraine, the important questions about international remedy and reparation measures, especially for victims of conflict-related sexual abuses, must be addressed. We also express our support for the United Nations early recovery and resilience programmes already being undertaken.
 
Madam President,
We have expressed several times our principled position against the aggression on Ukraine, which we consider to be a disregard for the rules of international law and the principles of the Charter. Ukraine, as a sovereign State and a member of this Organisation, has every right, we believe, and indeed a responsibility, to defend its territorial integrity and political independence. We recognise the tremendous courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people.
Ghana does not, and will not, recognize any territory that is unilaterally and forcefully acquired or dismembered from a sovereign entity. We reiterate the call on the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally cease its operations, withdraw its troops from the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and respect its neighbour’s sovereignty and political independence.
 
The need for a credible pathway for a genuine diplomatic process is urgent. The barrel of the gun does not provide such a pathway. It only leads to needless loss of lives and destruction on both sides. Indeed, the costs of the war have been high, not only for the parties, but also for the rest of the world. In this regard, let me place on record Ghana’s appreciation for the good offices of the Secretary-General and other international actors to leverage life-saving humanitarian interventions at critical times of the war.
 
We already note some positive impacts from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and urge the continuous and unrestricted shipment of grains to countries facing food insecurity. We encourage all stakeholders to reach an early agreement for the export of Russian fertilizers and crop products, especially needed by agrarian dependent economies.
 
Madam President, let me conclude with an appeal. In a week when the eyes of the world are on us, and millions around the world look to their United Nations for leadership and hope, we must send a strong message that impunity will not be tolerated; that we will act, through concerted diplomacy, to end the war in Ukraine.
 
I thank You.