UN-appointed independent human rights investigators told the Human Rights Council on Monday that Myanmar’s people continue to suffer deeply from the effects of horrific crimes committed by the country’s military, amid intensifying violence.
Methamphetamine trafficking in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries is surging, according to a report published on Sunday by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
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ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL MIROSLAV JENČA’S REMARKS
TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON
UKRAINE
New York, 8 September 2023
Mr. President,
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – launched in violation of the UN Charter and of international law – continues to inflict large scale suffering on the people of Ukraine as they face daily, intensifying attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Since February 2022, the Office of the High-Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has verified 26,717 civilian casualties: 9,511 killed and 17,206 injured. At least 549 children have been killed and 1,166 more children have been injured.
In a latest illustration of the suffering that Russia’s invasion inflicts on civilians across the country, just two days ago, a daylight missile attack hit a crowded market in Kostiantynivka, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, reportedly killing 16 people, including a child, and injuring dozens of others.
On the same day, a Russian drone attack on the Danube port of Izmail in the Odesa region reportedly killed one person and damaged agricultural and port facilities according to local officials.
The continuing, relentless attacks, targeting Ukraine’s grain infrastructure on the Black Sea and Danube river ports, after Russia decided not to extend the Black Sea Initiative, risk having far-reaching consequences for global food security.
Attacks directed against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including objects necessary for food production and distribution, are prohibited under international law.
Mr. President,
We are now approaching the one-year anniversary of the illegal attempt by the Russian Federation to annex the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, through the organization of illegal so-called “referendums” in these regions in late September 2022. I wish to reiterate that the United Nations remains fully committed to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.
This clear principled position of the United Nations, underpinned by the UN Charter and by international law, was unambiguously reaffirmed on 12 October 2022, when the UN General Assembly, with an overwhelming majority – 143 Member States having voted for, 5 against and 35 abstained – adopted the resolution A-ES/11/4. The resolution condemned “the organization by the Russian Federation of illegal so-called referendums in regions within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and the attempted illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine” and declared that these actions “have no validity under international law and do not form the basis for any alteration of the status of these regions of Ukraine”.
Similarly, in accordance with UN General Assembly resolution 68/262, adopted on 27 March 2014, Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, remains invalid and unrecognized by the international community. As underlined by the Secretary-General, “any annexation of a State’s territory by another State resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the principles of the Charter and international law.”
In this regard, we are concerned over reports of Russian Federation holding so-called elections in areas of Ukraine currently under temporary military control of the Russian Federation.
These so-called elections in the occupied areas of Ukraine have no legal grounds.
We also recall that, as the occupying Power, the Russian Federation is obligated under international humanitarian law to respect, unless absolutely prevented, the laws of Ukraine in force in the areas that it occupies.
We continue to condemn any actions that could further escalate or deteriorate the situation. We remain concerned about the humanitarian needs and the human rights situation in, and the lack of access to, the areas of Ukraine currently under the temporary military control of the Russian Federation.
Mr. President,
Last year, the Secretary-General warned that the decision by Russia to go forward with its attempt to illegally annex Ukrainian territory would further jeopardize the prospects for peace.
Regrettably, one year later, amidst continuing intense fighting and unacceptable attacks against Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure, these latest illegal attempts to organize new so-called electoral processes in the occupied areas of Ukraine further undermine the prospects for peace.
As the Secretary-General has repeatedly stated, now more than ever, we need just and lasting peace in Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter, international law and resolutions of the General Assembly. The United Nations remains ready to support all meaningful efforts to this end.
Thank you.
The so-called elections held by Russia in occupied areas of Ukraine “have no legal grounds”, a senior political affairs official said on Friday, reiterating UN’s commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Violence against children in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has descended to a new low, amid reports that months old twins were found abandoned with explosives strapped to them.
Amid rising geopolitical tension, Southeast Asia is fulfilling a “vital role in building bridges of understanding” worldwide said the UN chief on Thursday.
The head of peace operations on Thursday underscored the need for stronger, more consistent and unified support from Member States for the UN to achieve its key peacekeeping goals.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended law enforcement agencies around the world on Thursday stressing that more women in policing will “build a safer future for everyone.”
The top UN humanitarian official in Ukraine on Wednesday strongly condemned Russian attacks, including on a busy market in the town of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, that reportedly caused dozens of civilian deaths and injuries, including children.
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of civilians killed by cluster munitions, according to new data released on Tuesday by the UN-partnered Cluster Munition Monitor (CMC) civil society group.
Food assistance to two million people in Afghanistan will have to be cut later this month, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.
Justice and accountability for Ukraine’s war victims were among the topics raised by the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine during its latest country visit, which concluded on Monday.
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Haiti is in the grip of “extreme brutality”, with gang-related violence continuing to force thousands from their homes amidst widespread suffering, said the UN’s top humanitarian official there.
Highlighting the “succession of military coups” unfolding across Africa, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday emphasized the need for durable democratic governance and the rule of law.
Council decided to immediately suspend the participation of the Republic of Gabon in all activities of the AU and its Organs and institutions until the restoration of constitutional order in the country, in line with the relevant AU instruments, in particular, the AU Constitutive Act and the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. Council further demanded the immediate restoration of constitutional order through the conduct...
The UN Secretary-General on Wednesday firmly condemned the on-going coup attempt in Gabon, while acknowledging that “serious infringements of fundamental freedoms” appear to have taken place during elections at the weekend.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres marked Wednesday’s International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance by condemning the “atrocious crime” and urging all Member States to hold those who perpetrate it accountable.
The United Nations on Tuesday called for more global action to end nuclear testing, warning against the danger of “collective suicide”.
Ukrainian children are showing signs of widespread learning loss as Russia’s invasion preceded by the COVID-19 pandemic have left them facing a fourth year of education setbacks, a senior UN children’s agency official said on Tuesday.
The United Nations on Tuesday announced that it has conducted 200 cross-border missions delivering aid into northwest Syria from Türkiye since the devastating earthquakes that struck the two countries in February.
A group of UN-appointed human rights experts expressed grave concern on Monday over Russia’s decision to dismiss all legal challenges to the country’s criminalisation of “public actions aimed at discrediting” the Russian Armed Forces.
While its peacekeeping operation in Mali, MINUSMA draws to a close by the end of this year, the UN remains committed to supporting the country’s stability and development, the head of the Mission said on Monday.
Truck drivers in southern Africa who have been recruited to traffic or smuggle people illegally are learning about the risks involved thanks to the UN drugs and crime agency, UNODC.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is closely following developments in Zimbabwe’s elections, his spokesperson said on Sunday.
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ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL KHALED KHIARI’S
REMARKS TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON
NON-PROLIFERATION/DPRK
New York, 25 August 2023
Madam President,
At 3:50 AM local time on 24 August, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted what it described as its “second launch of a military reconnaissance satellite” from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station. The launch follows a previous attempt to launch a satellite on 31 May.
According to the DPRK, the launch failed “due to an error in the emergency blasting system during the third-stage flight”. Official media said that a third reconnaissance satellite launch would be conducted in October.
While the DPRK issued a pre-launch notification to the Japanese Coast Guard, it did not issue airspace or maritime safety notifications to the International Maritime Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, or the International Telecommunications Union. The DPRK’s unannounced launches represent a serious risk to international civil aviation and maritime traffic.
Madam President,
On 24 August, the Secretary-General strongly condemned this launch of yet another satellite using ballistic missile technology. Any launch by the DPRK using ballistic missile technology is contrary to the relevant Security Council resolutions. He reiterated his call on the DPRK to cease such acts and to swiftly resume dialogue without preconditions to achieve the goal of sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Madam President,
It should be recalled that developing a military reconnaissance satellite was part of the DPRK’s five-year military development plan, unveiled in January 2021. In line with the plan, the DPRK has significantly increased its missile launch activities in 2022 and 2023, including more than 90 launches using ballistic missile technology, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions.
Madam President,
As we have previously briefed, there is a need for practical measures to reduce tensions, reverse the dangerous dynamic, and create space to explore diplomatic avenues. I emphasise the importance of re-establishing communication channels, particularly between military entities. Exercising maximum restraint is critical to avoid unintended escalation.
Diplomacy and dialogue - not isolation - is the only way forward.
In this respect, the Secretary-General commends Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States for their continued willingness and offers to engage in dialogue with the DPRK on any issue without preconditions.
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, in order to prevent nuclear accidents that would be disastrous for the region and the world.
Madam President,
The Security Council in its resolution 2397 (2017) reaffirmed its decisions that the DPRK shall suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programme, abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner, and immediately cease all related activities. Since our last briefing on 13 July, the DPRK has openly displayed its nuclear-weapon delivery systems during both a weaponry exhibition and a military parade. Such displays undermine the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) that underpins it.
Madam President,
I would like to highlight once more our concerns regarding the humanitarian situation in the DPRK, compounded by climate hazards and ongoing border closures. The United Nations is ready to assist the DPRK in addressing the basic needs of its vulnerable populations.
We have been closely following reports of an easing of DPRK border restrictions. Given the progress in vaccines and treatments, and the declaration by the World Health Organization Director-General on 5 May that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, we urge the DPRK to allow the unimpeded re-entry and rotation of the international community, including the United Nations Resident Coordinator and other international UN staff.
A collective return would positively impact international support to the people of DPRK and strengthen communication channels.
Let me close by stressing that unity of the Security Council is essential.
Thank you, Madam President.
