UN Security Council Meeting: Maintenance of Peace and Security of Ukraine
Mr. President,
I warmly welcome the participation in this meeting of H.E. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine and other rule 39 participants. I also express thanks to the Secretary-General for his pertinent briefing on the humanitarian and security situation in Ukraine and join others in commending his direct involvement in the multiple mediation efforts aimed at getting the warring parties in Ukraine to cease the military hostilities and to positively engage in dialogue. I affirm, in that regard, Ghana’s full support for the continuous deployment of the SG’s good offices in helping to bring lasting peace to the people of Ukraine.
Mr. President,
The Black Sea Grain Initiative and the agreement on promoting the access of Russian food products and fertilizers to world markets, both secured under the auspices of the United Nations, with the active facilitation by other key actors, have proven that with persistent diplomacy an acceptable political solution could be found to the ongoing military hostilities in Ukraine.
Now more than ever, we must seize on the positive momentum generated by these two outcomes and intensify efforts to find other avenues to significantly defuse the dangerously escalating tensions. Indeed, since the initialing on July 27 and the subsequent implementation, the maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea created by the Initiative has enabled more than 500,000 metric tons of grain and other foodstuffs to be evacuated from Ukraine’s southern ports to various parts of the world, which hitherto had been reeling under the threat of hunger and food insecurity. We urge the members of this Council to overcome their persisting divide and work in a constructive manner to bring the weight of the Council’s authority in support of such peace initiatives.
Mr. President,
The mounting death toll and the destruction to economic infrastructure in Ukraine remain a matter of deep concern to Ghana. The deliberate targeting of nuclear facilities, meant for peaceful purposes, has further heightened our fears that a dangerous phase has began in this senseless war. We stress the urgent need for the parties to heed our genuine calls, including that of the international community, to end the war. Further, we urge the demilitarisation of all the zones around Ukraine’s nuclear facilities and affirm our support for international inspectors to be allowed access to the facilities in line with established norms. Beyond the fact that there is no military solution to the substantive security concerns of the parties, the war is unfortunately accentuating geo-political tensions in many areas, exerting further strain on the already fragile international order. We share the conviction that any miscalculation could potentially result in a wider conflict in Europe, with long-term irreparable damage to the global peace and security architecture. We, therefore, continue to urge maximum restraint on the part of all the key actors and for an unconditional respect of the obligations imposed by the Charter. In that regard, we encourage all parties to the conflict to seek pacific settlement as there should be no question about the need to respect international law, which underpins the current rules-based international order.
Mr. President,
In conclusion, we wish to underscore that it is crucial for the lives and safety of civilians, particularly women and children, caught up in the ongoing war to be prioritized above every other consideration. We therefore renew our call on the Russian Federation to withdraw all its invading troops from the internationally recognised borders of Ukraine and pursue diplomacy and dialogue to resolve its legitimate security concerns.
I thank you.