September 2023 — Page 3 of 17 — Human Rights & Charity

Karabakh: Azerbaijan must ‘guarantee the rights of ethnic Armenians’

“Azerbaijan must also promptly and independently investigate alleged or suspected violations of the right to life reported in the context of its latest military offensive…during which dozens of people, including peacekeepers, were killed,” said, Morris Tidball-Binz, the UN Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

Thousands have moved into Armenia from the Karabakh Economic Region of Azerbaijan in the span of just a few days, including many elderly, women and children.

UN chief António Guterres said on Tuesday he was “very concerned” about the displacement.

“It’s essential that the rights of the displaced populations be protected and that they receive the humanitarian support they are owed,” Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at UN Headquarters.

Long-running conflict

Conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region has persisted for more than three decades, but a ceasefire and subsequent Trilateral Statement was agreed almost three years ago following six weeks of fighting, by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, leading to the deployment of several thousand Russian peacekeepers.

Amid last week’s flare-up in fighting and the arrival of the first refugees in Armenia, the UN chief called for fully-fledged access for aid workers to people in need.

International standards must apply

Mr. Tidball-Binz said that “investigations must be conducted in accordance with international standards, in particular the Revised UN Manual on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-Legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions, also known as the Minnesota Protocol”.

This requires that investigations be carried out promptly and be thorough, complete, independent, impartial and transparent.”

“I reaffirm my readiness to provide technical assistance to the authorities for ensuring compliance with their international humanitarian law and human rights obligations to properly investigate every potentially unlawful death in line with applicable standards of forensic best practice,” the Special Rapporteur said.

Special Rapporteurs and other UN experts are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organisation. They serve in their individual capacity and receive no salary for their work.

Taking questions from reporters in New York, the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that the UN has been in communication with the Government of Azerbaijan on issues relating to international law and humanitarian principles, noting that the Government has given public assurances that all citizens in the region would be protected.

Alarming images

He also flagged a statement issued on Wednesday by Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.

“She reiterated her strong concern over the ongoing situation in the South Caucasus region…She said the images of people leaving due to fear of identity-based violence are very alarming”.

Ms. Nderitu called for “all efforts to be made” to ensure the protection and human rights of the ethnic Armenian population who remain in the area and for those who have left.

Emergency shelter, ‘critical’

In a press briefing in Geneva earlier in the day, the World Health Organization’s head of Health Emergencies, noted that possibly up to a third of the population of the Karabakh region has moved “in a very, very short time.”

They don’t have their normal meds with them. They haven’t eaten, they are thirsty. There is a risk of dehydration, there’s a risk to disease and other psychological traumas which go along with that. I think right now, given the cold temperatures at night emergency shelter is absolutely crucial.”

From the Field: Greening tourism in Malaysia

A school of fish gathers off Lang Tengah Island, Malaysia.

Coral Reef Image Bank/Yen-Yi Lee

In Malaysia, tourism is a major economic sector and generated over $18 billion in revenue in 2019.

After revenues plummeted by 72 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malaysian authorities, with the help of UNDP’s sustainable tourism recovery project, looked to reinvigorate the industry by putting out a greener welcome mat for global visitors.

On World Tourism Day, marked annually on 27 September, find out how they did it here.

Myanmar: ‘Inhumanity in its vilest form’ continues, warns Türk

“Each day, the people of Myanmar are enduring horrifying attacks, flagrant human rights violations and the crumbling of their livelihoods and hopes,” said Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

He was briefing the Human Rights Council – the UN’s primary body for the protection and promotion of rights globally, including findings since his July report was issued.

Junta’s ruthless repression

Mr. Türk emphasized the military’s blatant disregard for fundamental principles of humanity as well as the Security Council’s repeated demands for an immediate cessation of hostilities and unhindered humanitarian access.

“We are faced here with a system of ruthless repression designed to coerce and subjugate its people and to erode a society so that the predatory interests of the military are preserved,” he said.

“Senseless military attacks are exacerbating the human rights crisis with interconnected humanitarian, political, and economic impacts, imposing an unbearable toll on the people in Myanmar.”

Muzzling free press

He also voiced concerns over the military’s denial of humanitarian access to those affected by Cyclone Mocha in May, particularly in Rakhine state, where widowed Rohingya women have reportedly been forced to beg for food.

The military also threatened legal action against anyone reporting a different death toll from the massive disaster to the junta’s official figure of 116 deaths.

In this context, a photojournalist was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by a military for covering the post-cyclone situation in Rakhine, the biggest sentence handed down to a journalist since the 2021 coup.

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Reliance on foreign sources

Mr. Türk pointed to three specific military tactics employed against civilians: airstrikes, mass killings, and the burning of villages.

Between April 2022 and May 2023, the military conducted 687 airstrikes, more than double the number in the preceding 14 months.

The report corroborated data confirming that the increased use of air power, along with heavy weaponry, military hardware and aviation fuel, “can only be purchased from foreign sources”, the rights chief said.

‘Inhumanity in its vilest form’

Mr. Türk further reported that ground operations resulted in 22 documented mass killings – involving the murder of ten or more individuals. Witnesses described soldiers using horrific methods to inflicting pain on civilians, including burning alive, beheading, dismemberment, rape and more.

“This is inhumanity in its vilest form,” the High Commissioner said, stating that entire villages were set ablaze, leading to the destruction of over 75,000 structures, driving displacement and increasing humanitarian needs.

Civilian rule has vanished

“Civilian rule of law in Myanmar has vanished, with the military deliberately eroding the foundations of governance and justice in the country,” Mr. Türk said, urging the Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

According to credible sources, 24,836 people have been arrested, 19,264 are still detained, and 150 have been sentenced to death by military-controlled courts that lack any independence or adherence to due process or fair trial rights.

World News in Brief: Crisis deepens for Mali’s children, human rights updates from Brazil, Montenegro

UNICEF Representative in Mali, Pierre Ngom, told reporters in Geneva that dozens of children have been killed this month alone by non-State armed groups in the north and centre of the country.

An attack on a boat on the Gao-Timbuktu axis on 7 September claimed the lives of at least 24 youngsters.

Mr. Ngom called for urgent action to protect and support children in Mali: “Investments in peace and security must go hand in hand with getting all children in school and learning, fully vaccinated, protected from grave violations, and free from malnutrition.”

Peacekeeping withdrawl

He said that heightened insecurity has been further amplified by the ongoing departure of UN peacekeepers.

The UN Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) pull-out is scheduled for the end of the year. Mr. Ngom underscored that MINUSMA was helping ensure the safety of UNICEF teams implementing vaccination campaigns in insecure zones.

According to UNICEF, with just a few weeks until the start of the 2023-2024 academic year, more than 1,500 out of 9,000 schools are not functional.

In the southeastern Ménaka region, half of all schools are closed. In all, half a million children are affected, but UNICEF is working with the Government to provide classes through radio programming, and recruit community volunteers to fill in for teachers.

Brazil: UN rights office hails ‘encouraging’ ruling on Indigenous Peoples’ land claims

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) welcomed on Tuesday a recent Brazilian Supreme Court ruling in favour of a land rights case brought by Indigenous Peoples.

OHCHR said that the landmark decision rejected time restrictions on Indigenous People’s claims to their ancestral land and called it “very encouraging”.

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An opposing legal argument would have blocked Indigenous Peoples who were not living on their ancestral land 35 years ago from laying claim to it today; 1988 was the year when Brazil’s constitution was adopted.

OHCHR said that such limits would have “perpetuated and aggravated historic injustices suffered by Brazil´s Indigenous Peoples”.

The UN rights office said that it remained concerned that a draft bill currently being discussed in Congress was seeking to impose the 1988 deadline which has now been rejected by the Supreme Court.

Failure to ensure judicial independence impeding justice in Montenegro: UN expert

Failure to elect a seventh member of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme State Prosecutor and new lay members of Montenegro’s judicial council, has put plans for judicial reform at risk there, an independent UN rights expert said on Tuesday.

Margaret Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers said in a statement at the end of an official visit there that this would hinder access to justice “for all its citizens.”

She added that Montenegro’s Parliament had failed, on multiple occasions, to elect the new members needed to staff these important institutions.

“As a result, strategic leadership in these institutions is lacking, and planning and action for reform of the system is not possible”, she said.

‘Country above politics’

“Members of Parliament must put the interests of their country above politics, and ensure these appointments take place without any further delay.”

Ms. Satterthwaite said she had met with judges and prosecutors who reported working in conditions that were manifestly underfunded.

Buildings were old, too small, and in a poor state of repair. There was insufficient office space, creating security risks for judges and prosecutors. Up to date information technology and digitalisation was severely lacking, she said.

“During my visits to courts, I was shocked to see and hear about inadequate facilities for storage of archives and evidence, including firearms and drugs,” the independent expert added.

Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, are not staff and do not receive a salary for their investigative work.

Rights experts warn against forced separation of Uyghur children in China

Classroom teaching at these institutions is almost exclusively in Mandarin, with little or no use of the Uyghur language, they said in a statement.

They warned that separating the children from their families “could lead to their forced assimilation into the majority Mandarin language and the adoption of Han cultural practices.”

‘Orphans’ with families

The experts said they have received information about large-scale removal of youngsters from their families, including very young children whose parents are in exile or “interned”/detained.

The children are treated as “orphans” by State authorities and placed in full-time boarding schools, pre-schools, or orphanages where Mandarin is almost exclusively used.

“Uyghur and other minority children in highly regulated and controlled boarding institutions may have little interaction with their parents, extended family or communities for much of their youth,” the experts said.

“This will inevitably lead to a loss of connection with their families and communities and undermine their ties to their cultural, religious and linguistic identities,” they added.

Local schools closed

They said the children reportedly have little or no access to education in their own Uyghur language and are under increasing pressure to speak and learn only Mandarin, compared to education aimed at bilingualism.

Teachers can also be sanctioned for using the Uyghur language outside specific language classes.

The UN experts said they were also informed of an exponential increase in the number of boarding schools for other Muslim and minority children in Xinjiang in recent years.

Conversely, many local schools providing education in Uyghur and other minority languages have been closed.

“The massive scale of the allegations raises extremely serious concerns of violations of basic human rights,” they said.

About UN experts

The statement was issued by Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on minority issues; Alexandra Xanthaki, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, and Farida Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on the right to education.

The experts receive their mandates from the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and are independent from any government or organization.

They are not UN staff and are not paid for their work.

Ban smoking and vaping in schools worldwide urges WHO

According to the UN health agency, the tobacco industry’s approach has resulted in increased use of e-cigarettes, with nine out of 10 smokers starting before the age of 18 – and some as early as 11.

“Considering that children spend nearly one-third of their waking hours in school, and much of the peer pressure they encounter occurs within these educational environments, schools play a pivotal role,” WHO said.

Schools are in “a uniquely powerful position to play a major role in reducing the serious problem of smoking and other tobacco and nicotine use by kids”.

The appeal of e-cigarettes

Although smoking has continued to decline among European teens, WHO reported that there has been a rise in novel and emerging tobacco and nicotine products – including electronic cigarettes.

The UN agency pointed out these products have been made more affordable for young people owing to the sale of single-use cigarettes and e-cigarettes, which also typically lack health warnings.

“If we don’t take urgent action now, we risk seeing the next generation of tobacco and nicotine users recruited through tobacco industries’ unethical practices,” said Dr Hans Henri Kluge, Regional Director for WHO European Region.

Vaping involves heating a liquid and inhaling the aerosol into the lungs.

New guidance

The alert comes as the WHO released two new publications to coincide with the return to school of children in many countries of the global north: “Freedom from tobacco and nicotine: guide for schools,” and the “Nicotine and Tobacco-Free Schools Toolkit”.

The launch also coincided with a warning last month by regulators in the United States that companies must stop selling illegal e-cigarettes that appeal to youth by resembling school supplies, cartoon characters, and even teddy bears.

“Whether sitting in class, playing games outside or waiting at the school bus stop, we must protect young people from deadly second-hand smoke and toxic e-cigarette emissions as well as ads promoting these products,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, WHO Director of Health Promotion.

“It is deeply concerning that the tobacco industry is still targeting young people and makes vast profits, harming their health”, he continued.

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Schools must be safe spaces for young people, where they are free from exposure to, or pressure to use nicotine products. Creating a smoke- and nicotine-free environment in school settings is fundamental to helping prevent young people from starting smoking”.

The WHO guides also highlight countries that have successfully implemented policies in support of tobacco and nicotine-free campuses. They include India, Indonesia, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Qatar, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine.

‘Whole-of-school’ approach

WHO emphasized a “whole-of-school” approach to creating nicotine and tobacco-free campuses. Input is needed from teachers, staff, students and parents, WHO maintained.

The UN health agency’s documents include information on how to support students wanting to quit, education campaigns, implementing policies and how to enforce them.

Advice to educators and policymakers includes:

Banning nicotine and tobacco products on school campuses
Prohibiting the sale of products near schools
Banning direct and indirect ads and promotion of nicotine and tobacco products near classrooms
Refusing sponsorship or engagement with tobacco and nicotine industries, for instance for school projects.

Dangers of tobacco smoke

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, WHO medical officer Dr Kerstin Schotte warned that tobacco kills “eight million people every year, or one person every four seconds”.

Meanwhile, 1.3 million people who die from tobacco smoke don’t even use the product themselves but breathe in second-hand smoke.

Dr Schotte noted that “half of the world’s children breathe tobacco polluted air and as a consequence, 51,000 children die every year due to exposure to tobacco smoke”.

UNODC joins regional crime fighters to tackle scams and human trafficking in SE Asia

The focus of the plan is on criminal activity associated with casinos in the region, and other scams including money laundering and cybercrime.

The plan of action was announced in the Thai capital by officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) together with partner China, and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The new plan aims to strengthen prevention measures and improve the capacities of crime fighters to investigate international organised crime and human trafficking across the whole region.

Crime ‘mushrooming’

“Trafficking in persons connected to casinos and scam operations run by organized crime has mushroomed across Southeast Asia, particularly in the Mekong” remarked Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Regional Representative to Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“There is an urgent need for regional cooperation to address these increasingly integrated and interlinked crimes in the region, as well as the ecosystem they exist in.”

Human trafficking to recruit victims into criminal activity, is just one aspect of transnational organised crime, according to a policy report issued by UNODC.

It is often connected to the operations of border casinos, large scale money laundering, cybercrimes, and a range of other criminal offences. There have also been credible reports of torture and extortion in these operations over the past year, the report notes.

Unprecedented profits

Profits from criminal gangs in the region have reached unprecedented levels, and illicit cash is increasingly being moved through the regional casino industry and other large cash flow businesses, including through a surge in the use of cryptocurrencies.

“Organized crime groups are converging in the region where they see vulnerabilities,” Mr. Douglas commented.

UN News/Daniel Dickinson

A Thai navy launch patrols the Mekong River along the borders of Thailand with Laos and Myanmar.

He added that “operations against syndicates in some countries like the Philippines have caused a partial displacement, and we have seen criminals moving infrastructure into places where they see opportunity – basically where they expect they will be able to take advantage and not be held to account, to remote and border areas of the Mekong,” he said.

According to the report, scammers operating in one southeast Asian country are estimated to be generating between $7.5 and $12.5 billion, or half the value of that country’s GDP.

No longer in the shadows

The report has found that, rather than operating in the shadows, transnational organised crime groups there can be remarkably open, in some cases presenting themselves as legitimate business entities or even philanthropic organisations.

Some organised crime chiefs have developed public alliances with influential business leaders and officials.

Co-chaired by the Philippines and UNODC, the new plan is finalised and will be tabled by the Philippines at the next ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime.

“Addressing this issue in one or a few countries’ domestic contexts, while necessary and welcome, will not have a significant impact,” warned Rebecca Miller, UNODC Regional Advisor on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling.

“The plan the region has agreed to, includes practical and targeted actions to address transnational crime comprehensively and strategically. Progress is being made, but more needs to be done and UNODC stands ready to support,” she added.

Security Council’s ‘west-led irrational structure’ must be reformed, DPRK tells UN

To that end, representation of developing countries that make up the absolute majority of United Nations, must be expanded and strengthened, said Kim Song, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of DPRK to the UN.

“The issue to be addressed before anything else in the UN activities is to ensure that the Security Council is not allowed to be used as an instrument of specific forces for pursuing their geopolitical purposes, but strictly observes the principles of objectivity, impartiality and equity, befitting its heavy responsibility for maintenance of international peace and security,” he stressed.

‘Nothing more than an insult’

Mr. Kim cited recent Council meetings, convened to debate as separate agenda items “the legitimate right” to launch a satellite and “human rights issues” of the country.

It is “nothing more than an insult” to the spirit of the UN Charter that the Security Council put on table “the just and independent right” of a sovereign State and groundlessly took issue with human rights situation of an individual country, he said.

“The Security Council should put an end to the acts of discrediting sovereign States, interfering in their domestic affairs and fomenting confrontation and division by tabling issues detrimental to its mission and mandate,” he added.

Main purposes of the UN

Mr. Kim also emphasized that peace, prosperity, progress and development were the main purposes of the UN and they remain “an invariable desire of humankind as ever”.

He noted the end of COVID-19 global public health emergency thanks to the joint efforts of the international community, although the socio-political instability incurred by the pandemic remains.

In addition, abnormal climate events such as El Niño caused a myriad of natural disasters, leading to enormous human and material losses, reminding that climate change is a pressing common task “to which we should no longer remain indifferent.”

“In order for humanity to successfully achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development braving through all these crises and challenges, we should seek correct ways and means to solve the problems while defending multilateralism around the UN and promoting unity and cooperation among countries on the basis of the international law and fundamental principles governing the international relations,” he stressed.

US and ROK both ‘hysterical’

Making matters worse, some UN Member States “are instigating confrontation” among countries in pursuance of hegemony and self-profits.

For example, he said the United States made 2023 an “extremely dangerous year…trying to provoke a nuclear war. He denounced leaders from both the US and Republic of Korea for “hysterical remarks of confrontation remarks of confrontation such as ‘end of the regime’ and ‘occupation of Pyongyang’ in flagrant violation of the principles and purposes of the UN Charter.

He also said Washington was trying to create “the Asian version of NATO,” the military alliance that includes European nations and the United States and Canada.

“The DPRK remains steadfast and unchanged in its determination to firmly defend the national sovereignty, security interests and well-being of the people against the hostile threats from outside,” he said, adding that “the US and its following forces should look back on the consequences of their hostilities committed … and make the right choice judging what the end result would be.”

Full statement available here.

Engagement key to reform of Taliban decrees restricting women’s rights

Roza Otunbayeva, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), called for a “reframed engagement strategy”, expressing concern over the “lack of positive direction” in current efforts.

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“The lack of trust on all sides is a serious impediment to building confidence but the doors to dialogue are still open,” she said.

“This moment, despite its problems, is an opportunity. We must ensure that the doors to dialogue are not shut.”

Taliban policies ‘unacceptable’

Ms. Otunbayeva said engagement has been significantly undermined by the more than 50 Taliban decrees aimed at eliminating women from public life and education.

“The policies that drive the exclusion of women are unacceptable to the international community,” she said.

She also cited a new UN report based on more than 500 interviews with Afghan women, 46 per cent of whom said the Taliban should not be recognized under any circumstances.

“The question, however, is whether to continue engaging with the de facto authorities despite these policies, or to cease engaging because of them,” she said.

“UNAMA’s view is that we must continue to engage and to maintain a dialogue.

“Dialogue is not recognition. Engagement is not acceptance of these policies. On the contrary: dialogue and engagement are how we are attempting to change these policies.”

Reframed strategy

Ms. Otunbayeza told the Council that this engagement could be more structured and purposeful while remaining principled.

“A reframed engagement strategy must first acknowledge that the de facto authority bears responsibility for the well-being of the Afghan people, in all dimensions but especially concerning women,” she stressed.

Other components would include mechanisms to address the de facto authorities’ long-term concerns, as well as “a sincere intra-Afghan dialogue of the sort that was interrupted when the Taliban took power in August 2021.”

Additionally, “a more coherent position of the international community” would also be required.

The cost of discrimination

Sima Bahous, head of the UN’s gender equality agency, UN Women, also briefed the Council. She told ambassadors that Taliban decrees are costing Afghanistan roughly one billion dollars a year, which will only increase.

The edicts are also exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation in a country where more than two-thirds of the population depend on assistance to survive and some 20 million, mainly women and girls, are facing acute hunger.

She insisted that the way forward must be guided by women’s voices and the principles of the UN Charter.

“The past is full of examples of neglecting or ignoring women; the present is filled with the consequences. So, the future must be focused on listening to, investing in, and supporting women, as well as including them,” she said.

Call for action

Ms. Bahous recommended that the Security Council Committee that oversees sanctions against Afghanistan convene a session to examine the role it can play in responding to violations of women’s rights in the country.

“We must consider the messages we send when we frame the situation in Afghanistan purely or exclusively as a humanitarian crisis,” she further advised.

“It is an economic crisis, a mental health crisis, a development crisis, and more. And the thread that connects these different facets is the underlying women’s rights crisis. This must be the primary lens through which we understand what is going on and what we must do.”

Against ‘gender apartheid’

She also urged ambassadors to fully support efforts to explicitly codify “gender apartheid” in international law.

“This systematic and planned assault on women’s rights is foundational to the Taliban’s vision of state and society and it must be named, defined and proscribed in our global norms so that we can respond appropriately,” she said.

Legal expert Karima Bennoune, who also briefed ambassadors, recalled that some Afghan women activists recently went on a hunger strike to demand that the international community recognize that gender apartheid is being practiced in their country.

“This Council has repeatedly called on the Taliban to end its grave abuses, but there is more you must do to hold them accountable for their decimation of women’s rights. I am here today to ask the Council to make clear through action that the international community will not tolerate the system of gender apartheid the Taliban have imposed,” she said.

The Special Representative later took questions from correspondents outside the Security Council chamber:

No time for finger pointing; we must work together to tackle pressing challenges, says Canada

Noting that we are at the halfway point in the global effort to ensure achievement of the of the Sustainable Development Goals, Mr. Rae said: “The consensus this past week was clear: we are far behind where we need to be to meet the commitments we have made to our populations and to one another.”

Canadians are also experiencing climate and environmental crises, he continued, recalling that his country experienced the most destructive forest fires in its history this summer.

“[All these challengers] are not a window into our future, but rather a testimony to our present,” cautioned Mr. Rae, emphasizing that the response to these challenges must not be complacent, divided or nostalgic.

“It is not a question of pointing fingers or looking for panaceas, but rather of taking concrete measures to help address, both in Canada and around the world, the challenges we face together,” insisted the Representative.

Hotspots

Talking about migration crisis including the Darien Gap migration, Rohingya displacement in Bangladesh, Afghanistan refugees and Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, and the conflict in Sudan, Mr. Rae expressed shock in how many people are forcibly displaced around the world, underscoring the need to see these issue in a ‘broader, global light.’

Gender equality, democracy

Turning to women’s empowerment, Mr. Rae stated: “Gender equality is a not an issue to be bartered against perceptions of progress, nor is it a “nice to have” or something to be qualified.”

Calling attention to the importance of upholding the values of free and democratic societies, he noted: “We have seen, and continue to realize, extent to which democracies are under threat through various means of foreign interference.”

He further added that we can get closer to equality, and to justice, by building open, inclusive societies, and by promoting and protecting human rights for all and upholding the rule of law.

War in Ukraine

Mr. Rae reminded the Assembly that the UN Charter clearly commits all States to end the scourge of war and as such, Russia’s aggressions against Ukraine violated the Organization’s founding document. Asserting that Russia should be held accountable for its actions, he added: “We welcome the indictments by the International Criminal Court against President Putin and his Commissioner for Children’s Rights. Because no one is above the law.”

“Canada will continue to explore every measure to support Ukraine as it continues to defend itself, its people, its identity, its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he concluded.

Full statement available here.