UN Security Council Briefing on Maintenance of Peace and Security of Ukraine

Felix Osei Boateng
Minister Counsellor/ Political Coordinator
Permanent Mission of Ghana
Security Council Chamber
United Nations, New York
August 24th 2023

Madam President,
I begin by thanking USG Rosemary DiCarlo for her briefing to the Council. Ghana remains steadfast in her support for the United Nations’ continuing efforts to mitigate the humanitarian impact of the war against Ukraine and hopes that those endeavours would have a positive effect in facilitating the cessation of military hostilities and the resolution of the conflict.
We continue to be deeply concerned by the presence of the Russian Federation’s troops on the territory of Ukraine and believe that ending its war on Ukraine and embracing dialogue and diplomacy remains the Russian Federation’s best option for resolving its stated security concerns. To do so would accord with the interest of many in the United Nations and demonstrate its capacity to walk the pacific means in resolving inter-State conflicts.

Madam President,
We have all observed the tremendous human cost, as well as the social and economic consequences that this needless war, which seems to have no end in sight, has caused over the past 18 months. The war has added another layer of complication to an already polarised international landscape, driving deep divisions among States and diverting critical global attention from the resolution of other crises. We risk incoherent, disjointed and ineffective responses to the enduring challenges of the global community, if we do not accelerate efforts to deescalate the growing geopolitical tensions and bridge the widening divisions. The war has been damaging to our collective security. We encourage all actors not to be driven by short-term, parochial and self-serving interests, but
rather to keep the broader common interest in their focus and the need to act responsibly. We also encourage all countries to support the most promising peace initiatives that can assist the conflicting parties to cease hostilities and reach a peaceful settlement of the dispute in full respect of the Charter and international law.

Madam President,
As we consider all appropriate options to mitigate the impact of the war on the Ukrainian population, particularly, on school children and teenagers, I would like to stress the continuing need for relevant United Nations agencies to provide mental health and psychosocial support against the backdrop of the harrowing post-traumatic stress disorder statistics that about a quarter of the Ukrainian population have been diagnosed with. In this context, we commend UNESCO for its initiative to train school psychologists to support learners and teachers. We strongly advocate the
scaling up of similar programmes and initiatives to help the vulnerable sections of the Ukrainian population to deal with the emotional agony occasioned by this unjustified war.

We condemn the deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure, notably, on healthcare facilities, schools, residential areas, and food systems and urge all such attacks to cease. We fundamentally hold that every effort must be made to protect and ensure the safety and security of all civilians, irrespective of their location, amidst the ongoing military hostilities. We recall, in this regard, our previous statements urging the warring parties to fully comply with the requirements of International Refugee Law, International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law as well as the tenets of the Rules of War, by exercising distinction, proportionality and precaution in the conduct of their military operations.

Madam President,
Against the backdrop of the prevailing global hardships, aggravated by the complex ramifications of the war and the resulting unprecedented disruptions to livelihoods, we urge the resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. We encourage the parties to cooperate with the efforts of the Secretary-General to comprehensively address all bottlenecks relating to the implementation of the Initiative and related agreements.

In concluding, we stress that the purely military logic that has so far underpinned this war over the past 18 months will not deliver any durable settlement or sustainable peace. In the larger interest of international peace and security, it is imperative that we assist the parties to urgently open channels for diplomacy and credible dialogue.

I thank you.