The UN General Assembly today scheduled a vote for Monday on a resolution that will demand that Russia be held accountable for violating international law by invading Ukraine, including the payment of damages.
The draft resolution, obtained by the Associated Press (AP) news agency, would recognize the need to establish an “international mechanism of reparation for damages, deaths or injuries” arising from Russia’s “unfair acts” against Ukraine.
The document would recommend that the 193 member states of the Assembly, in cooperation with Ukraine, create “an international registry” to document claims and information about damage, death or injury caused to Ukrainians and the Kiev Government by Moscow.
Russia’s veto power in the 15-member Security Council has prevented the most powerful body at the UN from taking any action since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to invade Ukraine on February 24.
Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but reflect world opinion and have demonstrated widespread worldwide opposition to Russian military action.
The proposed resolution is co-sponsored by Canada, Guatemala, the Netherlands and Ukraine.
On Tuesday, General Assembly spokeswoman Paulina Kubiak said there would be no debate on the draft resolution, but that countries could provide an explanation of their vote before or after work began.
The resolution would reaffirm the General Assembly’s commitment to Ukrainian “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity” and reiterate its demand that Russia “immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine” and withdraw all military personnel from the ground.
The document would also express “grave concern over the loss of life, displacement of civilians, destruction of infrastructure and natural resources, loss of public and private property and economic calamity brought about by the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine.”
The draft recalls that Article 14 of the UN Charter authorizes the General Assembly to “recommend measures for the peaceful settlement of any situation (…) which it considers likely to prejudice the general welfare of friendly relations between nations”, including violations of the Charter.
The resolution also refers to a General Assembly resolution, adopted on December 16, 2005, entitled “Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Serious and Flagrant Violations of International Standards on Human Rights and Serious Violations of international humanitarian law”.
The military offensive launched on February 24 by Russia in Ukraine has already caused more than 13 million people to flee – more than six million internally displaced people and more than 7.7 million to European countries – according to the latest data. of the UN, which ranks this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for the security of Russia – was condemned by the generality of the international community, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing it on Russia. of political and economic sanctions.
The UN presented as confirmed since the beginning of the war 6,490 dead civilians and 9,972 wounded, underlining that these numbers are far below the real ones.
