The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously adopted its first declaration on Ukraine since Russia’s February invasion backing the Secretary-General’s efforts to find a ‘peaceful solution’ to ongoing the war.
The declaration, drafted by Norway and Mexico and obtained by Africa Daily News, New York, stopped short of supporting a mediation effort by Antonio Guterres, as was laid out in an earlier version of the text.
‘The Security Council expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine,’ the text adopted Friday stated.
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The 15-member council also “recalls that all Member States have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.”
The text ends by asking Guterres to submit a report to the council after the adoption of the declaration.
The declaration is the first show of unity from the Security Council since the beginning of the Ukraine war.
Shortly after the text was adopted, Russia vetoed a resolution condemning the invasion and asking Moscow to move its army back to Russian soil.
The UN has been pushed to the sidelines since Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbor on February 24. The global body, tasked with ensuring world peace, has not yet established itself as a possible mediator for a peaceful resolution of the war.
Until now, the UN has intervened in Ukraine and the surrounding countries in a mainly humanitarian role.
Meanwhile, Humanitarian needs continue to rise in war-torn Ukraine where an estimated 7.7 million people are now internally displaced, UN emergency relief chief, Martin Griffiths, has said.
Griffiths said this on Thursday when addressing the International Donor Conference for Ukraine in Warsaw, Poland.
The conference was co-hosted by Poland and Sweden, in cooperation with the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council.
The conference raised a reported US$6.5 billion.
According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, more than 5.7 million people have now fled across Ukraine’s borders seeking shelter, in the two and a half months since the Russian invasion on February 24.
