The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution on the plight of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and passed the measure with an overwhelming vote that underlined Russia’s isolation.
The resolution, drafted by France and Mexico and sponsored by more than 90 countries, was approved by 140 countries – nearly two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly. It blames Russia for causing one of the worst humanitarian crises in Europe in decades and demands that Moscow abide by humanitarian laws, which include protecting civilians and infrastructure, safe passage for humanitarian aid and an end to the war.
“It just goes to show that when the international community is asked to take a stand, Russia is isolated,” said Olof Skoog, the European Union’s ambassador to the UN. “The General Assembly’s appeal today is primarily aimed at Russia,” he added, “and we just hope that this time they will heed that call.”
Russia, Syria, North Korea, Eritrea and Belarus voted against the resolution. Among the 38 countries that abstained were China, India, South Africa, Iran and Pakistan.
Russia’s UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, called the measure a “pseudo-humanitarian resolution” introduced by Ukraine and its allies to “use different labels on Russia” and give a “one-dimensional” view of the conflict. Russia has consistently tried to block attempts to hold it responsible for waging war against Ukraine, using its veto as a permanent member of the Security Council to block a resolution calling on it to withdraw its troops.
The resolution has been adopted by the General Assembly related to the Russian invasion. On March 2, a week after the invasion began, the body voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution condemning Russia and demanding that it withdraw its troops.
A UN spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, warned on Thursday that “Ukraine was one of the fastest-deteriorating humanitarian crises of modern times”.
“The main humanitarian challenge remains to gain safe access to areas where civilians are trapped in ongoing fighting, such as Mariupol, and to ensure safe passage,” he added.
The United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, said on Thursday that more than half of Ukraine’s estimated 7.5 million children have been displaced in the past month. The World Health Organization said the conflict has devastated the country’s health care system and limited Ukrainians’ access to health care, especially for trauma and chronic conditions.
Human Rights Watch said that in light of the vote condemning Russia for violations of international law, UN member states should “consider concrete steps to hold Russia responsible for all war crimes for which its troops are responsible”.