Ukraine

In Iraq, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affair reports that is has launched a humanitarian transition overview to encapsulate critical residual humanitarian needs and help donors and agencies prioritize support in 2023.

Ministers, senior officials and representatives from around the world called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and for peace talks to commence, decrying the crimes being committed against civilians and children, while warning against escalation of the conflict into a third world war, as the Security Council addressed for the second time in a week the impact of the conflict on both the region and the international community.

The Secretary-General, noting the International Court of Justice’s Order regarding Armenia and Azerbaijan, welcomed their trust placed in the World Court and expressed hope both parties will implement the Orders, including ensuring unimpeded movement along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.

The General Assembly adjourned its emergency special session on Ukraine today on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian Federation’s invasion of that country, adopting a resolution that underscored the need to urgently reach peace, demanded that the Russian Federation withdraw its military forces and emphasized the need to ensure accountability for crimes committed on Ukraine’s territory.

Today, 53 trucks crossed from southern Türkiye into north-west Syria, carrying food commodities from the World Food Programme; shelter, hygiene and other items from the International Organization for Migration; and supplies from the UN Refugee Agency for over 5,000 people, to assist those impacted by the recent earthquake.

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) reports that protection efforts by peacekeepers in Leourou in Ouham-Pende Prefecture resulted in the release of over 100 people who were being held by armed elements who had attacked their village.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Ukraine, in New York today:

Resuming an emergency special session on Ukraine almost to the day of the first-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, the General Assembly met today to consider a draft resolution introduced by that country’s delegation that, if approved, would underscore the need to reach a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine as soon as possible in line with the Charter of the United Nations.

With Tropical Cyclone Freddy putting 2.6 million people in Madagascar, Mozambique and Zimbabwe at risk, the United Nations and its partners have pre-deployed about 80 staff, has pre-positioned emergency stocks to areas likely to be affected and has two aircraft on standby to facilitate assessments and initial response.

One week ahead of the one-year mark of the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, the Security Council met today to discuss the collapse of the Minsk agreements, with several delegates noting that what was once intended to be a blueprint for the 2014 crisis has turned into Moscow’s leverage to limit the sovereignty of Ukraine.