By Janet Ekstract
UNITED NATIONS- On Friday, the UN Security Council (UNSC) in a joint statement and unified concern for the first time since Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, lauded the UN Secretary-General’s efforts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine. In the statement, the Council mentioned its “deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.” It added “that all Member States have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.”
The statement went on to further comment: “The Security Council expresses strong support for the efforts of the Secretary-General in the search for a peaceful solution.” In addition, they said: “The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to brief the Security Council in due course after the adoption of the present statement.” The joint statement was made on the sixth day of the U.S. month-long council presidency. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized how significant the unanimity of the Council is and said “the world must come together to silence the guns and uphold the values of the UN Charter.” Guterres commented in a separate statement: “I welcome this support and will continue to spare no effort to save lives, reduce suffering and find the path of peace.”
The UN chief visited Ukraine last week to survey areas in Ukraine that were hardest hit and those locations where alleged war crimes were committed. The UN estimates that more than 4,000 civilians were killed and another 4,000 injured since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but the toll is likely to be much higher than what has been reported. The UN refugee agency reports that over 5.7 million people fled to other countries from Ukraine while at least 7.7 million have been internally displaced, according to current data from the UN.
