Agreement is urgently needed to reestablish the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine as purely civilian infrastructure and prevent a potentially “catastrophic” disaster amid the ongoing conflict, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council on Tuesday.
The trial of senior Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb – the first prosecution to get underway at the request of the UN Security Council – represents “a glimmer of hope for justice in Darfur,” Sudan, the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor on the case told the chamber on Tuesday.
Mister President,
The United Nations remains gravely concerned about the dangerous situation in and around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine. The plant continues to be operated by Ukrainian technical personnel but has been under the control of the military forces of the Russian Federation since early March.
In early August, disturbing reports of an escalation of shelling around the plant began to emerge.
The Secretary-General has appealed to all concerned to exercise common sense and reason and to refrain from undertaking any actions that might endanger the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear plant – Europe’s largest.
On 15 August, the Secretary-General discussed the issue of the plant’s safety during a call with Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu.
On 18 August, during his visit to Lviv, he discussed the situation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In all his statements and meetings, the Secretary-General has continued to call for all military activities in the immediate vicinity of the plant to cease immediately and for all sides to refrain from targeting its facilities or surroundings.
All military personnel and equipment must be withdrawn from the plant. There should be no further deployment of forces or equipment to the site.
The facility must not be used as part of any military operation, and an agreement on a safe perimeter of demilitarization to ensure the safety of the area should be reached.
Regrettably, despite numerous calls and appeals, instead of de-escalation, we continue to see almost daily reports of alarming incidents involving the plant.
Today the Director General of the IAEA renewed his request
to send an IAEA mission to carry out essential safety, security and safeguards activities at the site.
Preparations for the mission are proceeding, and the IAEA is in active consultations with all parties regarding its efforts to send such a mission as soon as possible. We welcome Ukraine and Russia’s recent statements indicating support for the IAEA’s aim to send a mission to the plant, which would be IAEA’s first to that site since the start of the war.
Mr. President
Common sense must prevail to avoid any actions that might endanger the physical integrity, safety or security of the plant. As the Secretary-General stressed in his briefing at the Council yesterday, the commitment to dialogue and results must be applied to the critical situation at the plant.
If such incidents continue or escalate, we could face a disaster.
The United Nations continues to fully support the critical work of the International Atomic Energy Agency and its efforts to
ensure the safe operation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and other nuclear facilities in Ukraine.
In close contact with the IAEA, the UN has assessed that we have the logistics and security capacity in Ukraine to support any
IAEA mission to the plant from Kyiv, provided Ukraine and Russia agree.
We once again urge the parties to provide the IAEA mission with immediate, secure and unfettered access to the site.
Agreement is urgently needed to reestablish Zaporizhzhia as purely civilian infrastructure and to ensure the safety of the area.
We must be clear that any potential damage to the plant, or any other nuclear facilities in Ukraine, leading to a possible nuclear incident would have catastrophic consequences, not only for the immediate vicinity, but for the region and beyond.
Similarly, any damage leading to the plant being cut from the Ukrainian power grid would have catastrophic humanitarian implications, particularly with winter approaching. As the Secretary-General has made clear, the electricity produced at the Zaporizhzhia plant belongs to Ukraine.
At this moment, it is imperative that we receive the expressed commitment of the parties to stop any military activities around the plant to enable its continued safe and secure operations. To paraphrase the Secretary-General’s blunt warning, any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicidal.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) expressed concern on Tuesday after photos and videos released on social media appeared to show metal cages being built in the philharmonic hall in the devastated Ukrainian city of Mariupol, apparently to house prisoners of war (POWs) during an upcoming “show trial”.
Recommit to “dialogue, diplomacy and mutual trust”, Secretary-General António Guterres urged ambassadors in the UN Security Council on Monday, describing them as “the eternal tools of peace”.
Nearly 1,000 boys and girls have been killed or injured in the war in Ukraine, the head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Monday, underscoring the urgent need for peace.
New York, 22 August 2022
On this day, we honour those who have lost their lives or who have otherwise suffered for simply seeking to exercise their fundamental rights to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief. I reiterate my firm solidarity with these victims.
Despite the concern of the United Nations General Assembly, which instituted this observance in 2019,...
On Sunday, UN Secretary-General António paid tribute to victims of terrorism, marking the international day established to ensure that “victims and survivors are always heard and never forgotten.”
New York, 21 August 2022
The International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism is a day of reflection, recognition, and action.
We reflect on the pain and suffering of those who lost loved ones; and we resolve to listen to them and learn from them.
We commit to support survivors scarred by heinous acts of terrorism by...
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for wealthier countries to help developing nations purchase Ukrainian grain as supplies begin returning to global markets, in an appeal from the Black Sea port of Odesa on Friday, World Humanitarian Day.
On the eve of World Humanitarian Day, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, called on Thursday for joint action to address the aid crisis in the country and end attacks against civilians and humanitarian workers.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemned on Thursday, a fatal attack on a Mosque in the capital, Kabul.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Imran Riza, on Wednesday concluded a four-day mission to the northeast, where he visited camps hosting thousands of displaced persons.
The first vessel transporting Ukrainian wheat grain to support humanitarian operations run by the World Food Programme (WFP) has left the port of Yuzhny, also known as Pivdennyi, the UN agency reported on Tuesday.
Although $4.4 billion is required to fund humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, $1.8 billion has been received so far, or roughly 40 per cent, a senior UN official told journalists in New York on Monday, warning of the dire consequences as winter approaches.
UN troop rotations in the peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) resumed on Monday with a new approval mechanism one month after they were suspended by the ruling junta, which accused 49 Ivorian soldiers of entering the country without permission.
The Security Council has a joint responsibility to help Yemen take the “necessary and decisive steps towards peace,” the country’s UN Special Envoy told the ambassadors on Monday.
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A UN-chartered vessel should soon arrive at the Ukrainian port of Yuzhny, also known as Pivdennyi, to collect wheat that will help feed millions of hungry people in the Horn of Africa, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Friday.
The situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has deteriorated rapidly to the point of becoming “very alarming,” Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi warned the Security Council on Thursday afternoon.
Despite an unprecedented scale-up in assistance in Afghanistan over the past year, immense needs still exist and the future looks bleak, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Thursday.
New York, 12 August 2022
Today, we celebrate International Youth Day, and the power of partnerships across generations.
This year’s theme — “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages” — reminds us of a basic truth: we need people of all ages, young and old alike, to join forces to build a better world for all.
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Military activities around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in Ukraine must stop immediately, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday, warning of the potential danger to the area and beyond amid ongoing shelling.
In a visit to Mongolia on Tuesday, Secretary-General António Guterres underscored the UN’s full solidarity for the country, which he described as “a symbol of peace in a troubled world”.
Crimes against humanity continue to be systematically committed in Myanmar, with ongoing conflicts severely impacting women and children, according to a UN report released on Tuesday.
In a joint briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday, UN counterterrorism officials confirmed that the threat posed by Da’esh terrorist fighters and their affiliates remains “global and evolving”.
After three days of deadly fighting, the Security Council held an emergency meeting on Monday to assess a fragile truce between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza.
Greater investment in State institutions is critical to counter peace and security challenges in Africa, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Monday.
Mr. President,
Members of the Security Council,
The past days witnessed a deeply worrying escalation in the Gaza Strip ...
New York, 9 August 2022
On this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we are highlighting the role of Indigenous women in preserving and passing on traditional knowledge.
Indigenous women are knowledge keepers of traditional food systems and medicines.
They are champions of Indigenous languages and cultures.
...UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned a recent attack on a nuclear power station in southern Ukraine during a meeting in Tokyo on Monday with the Japan National Press Club.
In July, a UN human rights officer embarked on an outreach visit to the Horn of Africa’s Sool and Sanaag regions, a seven-day round-trip of more than 1,600 kilometres by road.
