The United Nations General Assembly elected Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland to membership in the Security Council on Thursday for a two-year term beginning on January 1, 2023.
The five countries ran without competition for a place in the 15-member council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security. These countries will replace India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway.
To ensure geographical representation, seats are allocated to regional groups. But even if states run without competition in their respective groups, they still need to win the support of more than two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly.
Ecuador got 190 votes, Japan 184, Malta 185, Mozambique 192 and Switzerland 187.
The Security Council is the only body in the United Nations that can take legally binding decisions such as imposing sanctions and authorizing the use of force. The Security Council has five permanent members with veto power: the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia.
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UN Security Council
Abu Dhabi (Etihad)
The United Arab Emirates confirmed that civilians are paying the highest price for the war in Ukraine, stressing that the world is feeling the consequences of the war due to the high prices and low food supplies. The UAE delegate to the United Nations called on both sides of the conflict to commit to dialogue to stop the war.
During a Security Council session on developments in Ukraine, Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Political Affairs, Permanent Representative of the State to the United Nations, said that civilians are always the ones who pay the biggest price, as the repercussions of the conflict, which has entered its third month, have exceeded many expectations Issued since the start of hostilities in February.
H.E. Lana Nusseibeh said: “UNHCR has currently estimated that more than 8 million Ukrainians may end up fleeing outside the country, which is twice the initial estimate, and the United Nations Development Program expects that the war will soon wipe out Ukraine’s development progress. In nearly two decades, in addition to the fact that we have not yet fully understood the repercussions of this war at the global level, despite the manifestation of some of the repercussions represented by the rise in food prices, and the disruption of supply chains and global economic systems, on which we all depend to achieve stability and common development. .
“We continue to be deeply concerned by reports indicating the high number of civilian casualties and the continued destruction of civilian infrastructure,” she added, stressing that all parties must comply with their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law, which must include respect for the principles of international law. Basic international humanitarian law relating to necessity, proportionality and distinction.
Her Excellency Lana Nusseibeh considered that the Security Council has established a framework to enhance the protection of civilians and civilian objects, including its unanimous adoption of Resolution 2573 regarding a year ago, which called on all parties to the armed conflict to take constant care to protect civilian objects, stressing that attacks once morest civilian infrastructure It would impede the provision of basic services to the civilian population, and cause horrific spillovers.
She said: “We appreciate the efforts made by international bodies to provide the necessary tools and mechanisms to activate this framework, and we call on all parties to participate in developing the urgently required solutions, especially to arrange safe and voluntary passage for individuals, and we see the recent progress made regarding the process of safe passage for individuals from Mariupol, which It was coordinated by the United Nations and the authorities in Russia and Ukraine, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross, and it is encouraging that we hope to build on it, but as we have previously emphasized, the development of initiatives such as the establishment of transit corridors does not deviate the parties from complying with their obligations to respect international humanitarian law.” .
The Permanent Representative of the country to the United Nations considered that the proposal of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, to form a humanitarian contact group, is a welcome starting point for implementing more measures that support the implementation of international humanitarian law, expressing her hope that more will be obtained regarding this proposal.
As the conflict continued, Her Excellency the Ambassador emphasized joining others in stressing the need to increase humanitarian aid inside Ukraine and in neighboring countries hosting refugees, noting that the UAE, as part of its continued support, sent a plane on April 28 carrying 30 tons of food supplies to support Ukrainian refugees. in Moldova, affirming the UAE’s commitment to continue working with international partners to support relief efforts.
She also stressed the need to take into account on a regular basis, gender, age and disability needs in the provision of humanitarian assistance, which would contribute to supporting recovery efforts in the long term.
At the conclusion of her speech, the Ambassador reiterated that the protection of civilians cannot be guaranteed without a cessation of hostilities and a diplomatic solution to this conflict, calling on both sides to continue their commitment to direct dialogue, despite the existing difficulties, and for the international community and this Council to work to create the appropriate conditions to stop the war urgently throughout Ukraine, in order to achieve sustainable peace in Europe and to establish stability in the international system, where the alternative will be increasing polarization and the accompanying disintegration of international cooperation, and this will not be in the interest of any state either today or in the future, which requires a retreat from This war.
The UAE calls on the Syrian parties to engage in the work of the “constitutional committee”
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
In its statement, on Tuesday, before the Security Council on the situation in Syria, the UAE stressed the importance of continuing the involvement of all concerned parties in the work of the Constitutional Committee, reaching a ceasefire across the country, and responding to the basic needs and services of the Syrian people.
In its statement, the UAE stressed the need for all concerned parties to engage in negotiations and dialogue, especially through the work of the Constitutional Committee, and for the dialogue to focus on common points of a constitutional nature, with Syrian leadership and Syrian ownership. It also welcomed the agreement to hold the eighth session in May, and urged that the Committee’s work should continue on a regular basis so that the parties can engage in substantive discussion.
The UAE indicated that making progress in the political process requires addressing security challenges by reducing escalation and reaching a ceasefire across Syria, especially following the deteriorating security situation in Al-Hol camp and the increase in murders and violence once morest women.
In this regard, we see the importance of the camp preserving its humanitarian character and addressing the roots of extremism and terrorism that threaten the security and stability of Syria and the region, especially in light of the attacks launched by the terrorist organization ISIS on civilians in the areas of Deir ez-Zor, Hasaka and eastern Homs.
The UAE urged the need to focus on responding to the basic needs and services of the Syrian people, such as electricity, water and food, pointing to the difficult conditions experienced by the Syrian people, due to the rise in the prices of basic commodities as a result of the economic crisis, which coincides with the rise in global prices, in addition to the great destruction in the sector Electricity as a result of the war. It also affirmed its support for efforts to increase early recovery projects in Syria.
The UAE called for the need to provide support to Syrian women and girls, in particular, following the alarming increase in their suicide rates and the persistence of sexual violence crimes. The UAE also called on the council to objectively consider the issue of renewing the cross-border aid mechanism to Syria to ensure that aid reaches the needy across the border and across the lines, while welcoming the passage of a humanitarian aid convoy from Aleppo to northwest Syria through the lines.
Emirati affirmation of support for peace in Sudan and South Sudan
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
New York (Union)
The UAE expressed its hope that the leaderships of Sudan and South Sudan will continue to support efforts to achieve peace in both countries, pointing to the continuous improvement in relations between Khartoum and Juba.
The country’s delegation said in a statement it made before the Security Council regarding the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNICEF): “With regard to relations between Sudan and South Sudan, we hope that the leaderships of the two countries will continue to support efforts to achieve peace in both countries, which also indicates improvement. The continuing relationship between them. “We are confident that building on this progress will contribute to a sustainable solution to the final status of Abyei,” she added.
Abyei is a demilitarized zone disputed between Sudan and South Sudan, and UNICEF supports the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism, which guarantees peace along the border between the two countries.
The UAE also welcomed the holding of the “Joint Political and Security Mechanism” meeting and its final document, stressing its aspiration to resume the meetings of the Joint Oversight Committee in Abyei with the support of the African Union.
In the statement, the state indicated that the meeting coincides with worrying developments in the Abyei area, including violence and ongoing clashes between communities, attacks on the UNICEF mission and other accompanying events that hampered the mission’s work.
“These events negatively affected the work of humanitarian organizations, especially in terms of the killing of humanitarian workers, and the evacuation of nearly 800 workers, as happened recently in the Agok clashes,” she said.
In this context, she stressed the importance of taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers.
“Dealing with these worrying developments requires promoting dialogue and peaceful coexistence to address the root causes of existing tensions and strengthening relations between communities,” she added, noting that it was encouraging to take steps toward addressing these tensions, including investigating them, and the recent signing of a cessation of hostilities by two tribes. in South Sudan.
She stressed the importance of establishing temporary administrative and security mechanisms stipulated in the June 20, 2011 agreement signed between the two parties, to ensure that these tensions are contained.
The UAE encouraged the UNICEF mission to continue to engage regularly with local communities and listen to their concerns, explaining that the preparation for holding the “Joint Peace Conference for Traditional Leaders” next May is an important step in this direction, and welcomed the efforts made by the mission, both in implementing quick-impact projects. or ensuring women’s participation in local peace processes and conflict resolution.
Recognizing the mission’s important work in a changing and challenging environment, particularly in terms of its efforts to facilitate dialogue between communities and its support for the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to all UNICEF personnel who served in the mission, and welcome the troops The new head of the UNICEF mission has already begun to reach out to the local communities and the governments of Sudan and South Sudan.”
The state reiterated the Secretary-General’s call to reactivate the headquarters of “Sector One” of the joint mechanism in “Gok Machar” and the sites of the two teams.
It also welcomed the Secretary-General’s recommendation to renew the mandate of the Mission and support for the Joint Mechanism for an additional six months, taking into account, when renewing the mandate, the views of Khartoum and Juba, and a renewed focus on engaging with all local communities and using available tools to reduce tensions.