The UN has started a complex operation to transfer crude oil from a decaying supertanker stranded off the coast of Yemen since 2015.
While national elections in West Africa and the Sahel provide an important opportunity for voters to effect change, they also expose “real challenges” which must be addressed moving forward, the UN’s top envoy for the region said on Tuesday.
The UN on Tuesday began siphoning one million barrels of oil from a decaying supertanker off the coast of war-torn Yemen, a crucial step in the race against time to prevent a potential environmental disaster.
Months of “potentially significant diplomacy” to resolve the crisis in Syria have not yielded any outcomes or political momentum for the war-weary population, both within the country and those displaced outside, the UN Special Envoy for the country said on Monday.
Senior UN officials have strongly condemned the deadly Russian missile strikes in the Ukrainian city of Odesa on Sunday which damaged several historic buildings.
The top UN humanitarian official in Yemen on Saturday called for justice in the wake of the recent attack against World Food Programme (WFP) staff that left one person dead and another injured.
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UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL ROSEMARY A. DICARLO’S
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON
UKRAINE
New York, 21 JULY 2023
Madam President,
On Monday, when speaking to this Council, I reiterated the Secretary-General’s deep regret over the decision by the Russian Federation to terminate its participation in the Black Sea Initiative – including the withdrawal of Russian security guarantees for navigation in the north-western part of the Black Sea.
As a result, food prices are rising around the globe, adding to existing agricultural, energy and financial crises that are already severely impacting the world’s most vulnerable people.
We have now witnessed a further blow to global food security, as Russia for the fourth consecutive day struck Ukraine’s Black Sea ports in Odesa, Chornomorsk and Mykolaiv with missiles and drones, destroying critical port infrastructure, facilities and grain supplies.
These attacks have also resulted in civilian casualties.
Yesterday, in Odesa, one person was reportedly killed and at least eight others were injured. In Mykolaiv, Russia’s attack reportedly killed two, while 19 more were injured.
We strongly condemn these attacks and urge Russia to stop them immediately.
As the Secretary-General stated yesterday, the bombardment of the Black Sea ports in Ukraine contradicts Russia’s commitments under the Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations, which states that “the Russian Federation will facilitate the unimpeded export of food, sunflower oil and fertilizers from Ukrainian controlled Black Sea ports.”
The new wave of attacks on Ukrainian ports risks having far-reaching impacts on global food security, in particular, in developing countries.
Furthermore, as we have repeatedly stated, attacks against civilian infrastructure may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.
Madam President,
Threats regarding potential targeting of civilian vessels navigating in the Black Sea waters are unacceptable.
We are also concerned about the reports of sea mines laid in the Black Sea, endangering civilian navigation.
We strongly urge restraint from any further rhetoric or action that could deteriorate the already dangerous situation.
Any risk of conflict spill over as a result of a military incident in the Black Sea – whether intentional or by accident - must be avoided at all costs, as this could result in potentially catastrophic consequences to us all.
Madam President,
Attacks against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure are not a new trend in this conflict, but rather its tragic pattern.
The World Health Organization has documented damage to over one thousand health care facilities, resulting in 101 deaths and 139 injuries.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, UNESCO has verified damage to 270 cultural sites, including 116 religious sites, 27 museums, 95 buildings of historical significance, 19 monuments, 12 libraries and one archive.
Moreover, 3,467 educational institutions have also suffered from bombing and shelling with 335 of them destroyed.
According to UNESCO, 12 journalists and media workers have been killed since the start of the war.
Also, children in Ukraine continue to be disproportionately affected by the appalling high level of grave violations in this conflict. Children are being killed and maimed by explosive weapons with wide area impact in populated areas.
Millions of Ukrainians, including nearly two-thirds of Ukrainian children, have been forced to leave their homes.
For those who remain, the damage and destruction of critical infrastructure continues to cause hardships, as access to basic services are disrupted.
The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on 6 June and the subsequent flooding have far-reaching, long-term environmental and humanitarian consequences.
According to Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry, almost 600,000 hectares of farmland no longer have access to irrigation water following the dam destruction. This compounds the existing challenges that Ukrainian farmers face, in addition to mines and unexploded ordnance.
The flooding also worsened the already volatile situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continue to closely monitor the availability of cooling water for the Plant. Ensuring its safety and security remains of utmost importance not just to Ukraine, but to the broader region.
Madam President,
Land mines will continue to pose dangers to civilians for years to come as almost one third of the country is reportedly contaminated with unexploded ordnance, landmines and cluster munitions.
We are working with the Government of Ukraine and other partners to tackle this threat of unexploded ordnance. So far, our mine action efforts have reached almost 3.5 million people.
But these figures are not the whole story. The war has impacts that are harder to measure.
A generation of Ukrainian children has been traumatized, and the impacts of the war on the mental health of children and adults will be long-lasting.
Madam President,
When I briefed the Council on Ukraine earlier this week, I did not foresee that I would be returning to this Chamber again today.
The events of the past week are but the latest developments in the Russian Federation’s senseless war against its neighbour, a war with consequences that can be felt around the world.
Russia’s termination of its participation in the Black Sea Initiative, coupled with its bombardment of crucial ports, will further compound the crisis.
The Secretary-General has been clear: we will not stop our efforts to facilitate the unimpeded access to global markets for food and fertilizers from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Madam President,
The only way to halt the catastrophe unfolding in Ukraine is to forge an end to the war based on international law and the principles enshrined in the Charter, and in line with General Assembly resolutions.
Thank you, Madam President.
Russia’s bombardment of Ukrainian ports along the Black Sea could have far-reaching impacts on global food security, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said on Friday in a briefing to the Security Council.
A long-serving staffer with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been shot and killed in Yemen.
Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday strongly condemned Russian attacks on Odesa and other Ukrainian ports in recent days, following Moscow’s decision to withdraw from the UN-brokered Black Sea Initiative earlier this week.
The mayor of a city in southern Ukraine has described its inhabitants as “heroes” and has pledged the city will emerge from the full-scale invasion of his country as a model for other urban areas devastated by the war, even as residents cope with an overnight attack on Thursday.
The UN Secretary-General on Thursday launched a new policy brief outlining his vision of a more robust multilateral framework to boost peace and security, for a world in flux.
A new report reveals how projects supported by the UN Trust Fund for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel, are helping victims regain their dignity, learn new skills, and improve their livelihoods.
Life-saving relief programmes should not be held hostage by political interests, the President of the General Assembly said on Wednesday, as Member States gathered to debate the use of the veto by a permanent member of the Security Council, that halted vital cross-border aid last week into northern Syria.
The United Nations family came together on Wednesday to pay tribute to the 77 members of staff who died in the line of duty in 2022.
Targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and threats of use of nuclear weapons, severely undermines trust “within and in our institution”, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Tuesday.
Nearly 200,000 people were displaced by fighting inside Sudan over the past week, the UN reported on Tuesday, citing new figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The UN Secretary-General addressed the Security Council on Tuesday, emphasizing the potential of artificial intelligence to accelerate human development while also cautioning against the malicious use of what is revolutionary new technology.
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL ROSEMARY A. DICARLO’S
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON
UKRAINE
New York, 17 July 2023
Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Over 500 days since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, life in Ukraine remains a “living hell”, as the Secretary-General characterized it. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), 9,287 civilians have been killed and 16,384 injured, most under Russian armed forces fire.
This figure includes 537 children killed and 1,117 injured. And these are only confirmed figures. The actual number of victims is likely considerably higher.
Children have been particularly hit hard by the conflict.
Ukraine was the country with the highest number of children killed and maimed in 2022. It was also the country with the most attacks on schools and hospitals.
Nowhere is safe in Ukraine. On 27 June, Russian missiles hit the city of Kramatorsk, reportedly killing 11 people, including 14-year-old twin sisters. At least 60 others were injured.
On 6 July, bombardments hit Kyiv, Odesa and Lviv, which are far from the front lines.
On 8 July, Russian artillery shelling reportedly killed at least eight civilians and wounded 13 in Lyman.
Communities in the Sumy region continue to be under constant Russian shelling.
Civilians in areas under Russian control also face mortal danger. On 9 July, four civilians were killed and many more injured while receiving humanitarian aid in the town of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia region.
Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure – wherever they may occur - are indefensible and strictly prohibited under international law. They must cease immediately.
Mr. President,
As the Secretary-General has consistently underlined, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law.
The United Nations remains fully committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, in accordance with relevant General Assembly resolutions.
The parties involved bear the responsibility to avoid actions that could further escalate tensions.
In particular, any threat to use nuclear weapons is utterly unacceptable. So is jeopardizing the safety and security of nuclear power plants and other critical infrastructure.
In recent days, experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency have heard a series of explosions apparently taking place some distance away from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. They are a stark reminder of potential nuclear safety and security risks facing the facility during the military conflict in the country.
Mr. President,
The United Nations and humanitarian partners continue to respond to the dire consequences of the war, having reached over five million people with aid so far this year. There have been over 65 inter-agency convoys this year to frontline areas.
Unfortunately, the continuing lack of humanitarian access to Russian controlled areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions deprives an estimated 3.7 million people of much needed assistance.
We continue to engage with authorities in Moscow and Kyiv to secure access and urge Russia to fulfill its international obligations to grant humanitarian access to territories it controls.
Access is also an issue in the wake of the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. The incident has devastated local communities along the Dnipro River and continues to have broad, long-term environmental consequences.
The flooding affected local ecosystems, exposed military and hazardous waste and shifted landmines. The UN is undertaking a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) to determine the wider impact in support of a comprehensive recovery strategy.
Displacement throughout Ukraine remains a serious concern.
Currently, more than 6.3 million Ukrainians are refugees, and an estimated 5.1 million people are internally displaced.
According to the International Organization for Migration, an estimated 4.76 million displaced people have returned to their communities since the beginning of the war, including 1.1 million refugees.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that while most of the remaining refugees and IDPs want to return to their places of origin, voluntary return in safety and dignity may not be possible for many given the security situation.
Indeed, Ukraine has become one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
As part of our support to the Government of Ukraine for the reconstruction and repair of critical infrastructure, the UN is assisting the country’s emergency services to remove over half a million landmines and pieces of unexploded ordnance, enabling four million people to return home.
Mr. President,
OHCHR has documented a harrowing record of human rights violations, including arbitrary deprivation of life, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment, and conflict-related sexual violence.
According to the latest OHCHR report, the Russian Federation arbitrarily detained 864 individuals. Many cases amounting to forced disappearance.
It is deeply disturbing that more than 91 per cent of civilian detainees held by the Russian Federation were reportedly subjected to torture or ill-treatment, including sexual violence.
More than 26 per cent of the detainees were transferred to other locations in violation of international law, either in Ukraine under Russian control, or to the Russian Federation itself.
We are also gravely concerned about the alleged summary execution of 77 civilians while they were arbitrarily detained by the Russian Federation, as reported by OHCHR.
OHCHR has also documented 75 of arbitrary detention by Ukrainian security forces, mostly of persons suspected of conflict-related criminal offences. In 57 per cent of the cases, OHCHR documented the use of torture and ill-treatment.
We call for the arbitrary detention of civilians to stop and for the immediate release in conditions of safety of all persons held arbitrarily. Victims must be provided with effective remedies.
We also urge the Russian Federation to guarantee independent monitors, including those of OHCHR, regular unimpeded and confidential access to all detainees.
All victims of human rights violations deserve justice and accountability, whichever side of the frontline they come from. Impunity must not be allowed to stand.
Mr. President,
The Ukraine Recovery Conference in London last month was a demonstration of international solidarity, raising over $60 billion US dollars in pledges towards Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.
The UN will continue to support national and international partners in ongoing recovery efforts, following ‘Building Back Better’ and ‘Leaving No One Behind’ principles.
Globally, in 2023, it is projected that 345 million people across 79 countries, where the World Food Programme (WFP) is operational and data is available, will experience acute food insecurity.
Up to 40.4 million people across 51 countries face severe hunger emergencies and are one step away from falling into famine if they do not receive immediate assistance.
The Black Sea Initiative enabled the safe export of some 33 million metric tons of foodstuffs from three Ukrainian ports, including more than 725,000 metric tons of wheat transported by WFP, helping to relieve hunger in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and Yemen.
The initiative helped bring down global food prices.
The Memorandum of Understanding on Russian food and fertilizer exports also delivered concrete results over the past year.
As the Secretary-General stated this morning, the decision of the Russian Federation to terminate the Black Sea Initiative will strike a blow to people in need everywhere.
The Secretary-General also stated that this decision will not stop our efforts to facilitate the unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilizers from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Mr. President,
We knew well before 24 February 2022 that the world was at an inflection point.
We understood that we needed to take urgent action to deal with an overwhelming set of crises that, collectively, threaten our very existence. International cooperation and respect for the rule of law were more important than ever.
Today it is clear that, in addition to causing unconscionable death and destruction, the war in Ukraine has greatly diminished our ability to face an uncertain future.
It has heightened tensions in different regions, and risks triggering a global arms race.
The war threatens to undermine the very structures that prevented a third global conflagration and helped us resolve multiple conflicts over the last 80 years.
The longer this war continues, the more dangerous its consequences, including the possibility of a wider conflict.
For the sake of the Ukrainian people and for the sake of our global community, this senseless, unjustified war must stop.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The UN Political Affairs chief appealed on Monday for an end to the “unjustified” war in Ukraine, which this month passed the 500-day mark.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday that he deeply regrets Russia’s decision to terminate the Black Sea Initiative, in effect ending a “lifeline” for hundreds of millions worldwide facing hunger and spiralling food costs.
For 96 hours, the orders kept coming. By the end, 287 people were dead, 387 women and children had been raped, and 13 villages in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had been robbed of any sense of normalcy.
Warring factions in Sudan must respect international law, protect civilians, and stop targeting relief and aid workers, the United Nations top humanitarian official urged on Saturday, as the conflict reached its three-month mark.
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The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Friday said it was very concerned over reports of police in Kenya using excessive force to quell protests this week which have left dozens dead and injured.
The international community must act now to protect future generations from the scourge of conflict-related sexual violence, the UN’s advocate on the issue, Pramila Patten, told the Security Council on Friday.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL KHALED KHIARI’S
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON
NON-PROLIFERATION/DPRK
New York, 13 July 2023
Mr President,
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched its Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile on 12 July.
This was the DPRK’s second launch of its new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. As we have previously briefed, solid-propellant missiles do not need to undergo fuelling prior to launch and thus can be launched more quickly than liquid-propellant missiles.
The missile was launched on a lofted trajectory from the Pyongyang area at 10:00 am local time and reportedly flew around 1,000 km and to an altitude of around 6,600 km before falling into the sea, inside the Russian Federation’s Exclusive Economic Zone. The flight was reportedly around 74 minutes, potentially making it the DPRK’s longest ballistic missile flight duration.
The systems the DPRK tested on 12 July, 13 April, 16 March, 18 February this year, as well as on five occasions last year, can reach most points on Earth.
The DPRK did not issue airspace or maritime safety notifications for this launch. As recently reiterated by the International Civil Aviation Organization as well as the International Maritime Organization, the DPRK’s unannounced launches represent a serious risk to international civil aviation and maritime traffic.
Mr President,
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the DPRK’s launch of yet another ballistic missile of intercontinental range.
He reiterates his calls on the DPRK to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions and to resume dialogue without preconditions leading to sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Mr President,
The DPRK’s official news agency said that the latest launch of the Hwasong-18 ballistic missile was to quote “deter the dangerous military moves of the hostile forces” end quote. The DPRK also said that the country would strengthen its so-called nuclear deterrent in line with its five-year military development plan unveiled in January 2021. That plan provided for the development of specific capabilities, many involving the DPRK pursuing its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions.
The DPRK significantly increased its missile launch activities in 2022 and 2023, including more than 90 launches using ballistic missile technology.
As we have previously briefed, the DPRK attempted to launch its first military satellite with what it described as a“new-type carrier rocket” using ballistic missile technology on 31 May. The DPRK has reported on the failure and reiterated that it would conduct a second launch as soon as possible. While it is the right of any sovereign state to launch a satellite and to benefit from peaceful space activities, the relevant Security Council resolutions expressly prohibit the DPRK from conducting any launches using ballistic missile technology.
Mr President,
Key peace and security issues, such as the situation on the Korean Peninsula, must be an area for cooperation.
We welcome the Security Council’s commitment, as expressed in resolution 2397 (2017), to a peaceful, comprehensive, diplomatic, and political solution to the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
The status quo is alarming and unsustainable.
Mr President,
In a fortnight, we will observe the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement. It is a tragic reality that tensions persist and remain unresolved even after seven decades.
As we have previously briefed, there are several practical measures that can be taken to reduce tensions, reverse the dangerous dynamic, and create space to explore diplomatic avenues. While I won't reiterate them, I do emphasise the importance of re-establishing communication channels, particularly those between military entities, and exercisingmaximum restraint. It is critical to avoid an unintended escalation.
In addition, pending the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, it is imperative that the DPRK maintains the highest level of safety at its nuclear facilities.
Mr President,
I would like to highlight once more our concerns regarding the humanitarian situation in the DPRK. The United Nations is ready to assist the DPRK in addressing basic needs of its vulnerable populations.
Given the positive advancements in vaccines and treatments and the declaration by the World Health Organization Director-General on 5 May that COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency of international concern, we urge the DPRK to allow the unimpeded re-entry and rotation of the international community, including our staff and the United Nations Resident Coordinator.
This collective return will yield a positive impact in supporting the people, bolstering relations, and, importantly,fortifying communication channels.
Diplomacy - not isolation - is the only way forward.
In this respect, I would like to acknowledge the participation of the Permanent Representatives from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as well as the Republic of Korea in this meeting.
Let me close by stressing that the unity of the Security Council on the DPRK is essential to ease tensions and overcome the diplomatic impasse. The primary responsibility for international peace and security rests with this Council.
Thank you, Mr President.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Thursday called for a swift investigation into the killing of 87 civilians in Sudan following the discovery of a mass grave in West Darfur.
