peace and security

Colleagues,
At the outset, I welcome the participation by VTC of the President of Ukraine, His Excellency Mr. Volodymyr Zelensky and thank him for his Statement. I take this opportunity to reaffirm Ghana’s unwavering commitment to the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. I also thank Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under Secretary-General for Peacebuilding and Political Affairs for her briefing, which once again highlights the brutality of war and the compelling humanitarian imperative for an immediate end to the hostilities in Ukraine. Ghana remains deeply concerned about the targeted attacks on civilian populations and the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine and regrets the unnecessary loss of lives and destruction suffered by the Ukrainian people over the last nine months from this unjustified war. The painful reality, made evident with each briefing of the Council, is that civilians are paying the highest price of the war and would continue to suffer worsening plights unless the war is brought to an immediate end.

With the onset of the winter season and most of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure having been destroyed or damaged, many Ukrainians can only brace for a bitter if not deadly winter. Ending the war now has never been more crucial. We urge the collective support of all Council members in ending the hostilities to bring some relief to the suffering people of Ukraine. We also remain gravely concerned by the continuing military engagements in and around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant which pose significant risk to global nuclear safety. We strongly urge the parties to exercise restraint and ensure compliance with the seven (7) pillars of nuclear safety recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The demilitarization of the Zaporizhzhia power plant is in the interest of all humanity. We, therefore, continue to follow with keen interest the efforts of the IAEA in Ukraine and welcome, in particular, the ongoing consultations in Istanbul by its Director General, Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi on the creation of a nuclear safety and security zone.

We reiterate our call on the warring sides to fully comply with their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law, including the fundamental requirement to distinguish at all times between civilians and combatants. We believe that the warring parties have both legal and moral obligations which they must uphold to avoid causing needless harm to innocent civilians. We further urge the parties to comply with the prohibitions against direct attacks or bombardments on civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, medical facilities, schools and other residential facilities. We have taken note with concern reports suggesting serious crimes in Kherson and other cities and continue to stress the importance of thorough, transparent
and independent investigations into all claims of human rights violations and possible war crimes to establish the facts of such reports. We must collectively ensure accountability for any crimes committed in Ukraine in furtherance of this war and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.

Colleagues,
Today, we reiterate our call for peace and once again call on the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw its forces from the internationally recognised borders of its neighbour, Ukraine. The war has come at great cost to both sides but more worryingly, it continues to endanger international peace and security. The Charter of the United Nations, which binds us all, offers a repertoire of peaceful means for the settlement of disputes, including negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement and the resort to regional agencies or arrangements. In light of this, we strongly advocate for dialogue and diplomacy in addressing the respective concerns of the parties as it is increasingly evident that there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement to this war. Indeed, at no time in the history of our Organization has violence proven strategic in resolving inter-State disputes.

Before concluding, I wish to welcome the roll-over of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and urge the commitment of all parties and stakeholders to its full and effective operationalization to help ease the problem of global food insecurity. Finally, we call for the unified efforts of members of this Council towards the immediate cessation of hostilities and further diplomatic efforts to restore peace in Ukraine.

I thank you for your attention.