Statement of Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Mr. Sergiy Kyslytsya at the 11-th UN General Assembly special session on the prevention of the putting to a vote of draft resolution L.3

Mr.President, distinguished delegates,

The state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, or course of actions, especially as relating to decisions and attitude change.

That is how the General Assembly is already perceived by the peoples of the world, and it is called cognitive dissonance. The text L.3. a twin brother of the defunct Russian draft in the Security Council, where Russia got just one vote in its support, is a ticket to a public perception defeat for this Assembly.

If one thinks that the L.3 draft is about Ukraine, they are wrong.

This text has never been a product of consultations with Ukraine, neither is it a product of cross-regional consultations as was the case with the resolution just adopted.

It is a text promoted unliterally by one country prompted by another that has not even cared to hide it. No matter what the result of action in the Assembly will be, if there’s action on L.3 it will certainly mean further undermining of its authority, if not the loss of the remainder of it.

If this isn’t compelling enough for you – maybe the authority and image of this Assembly isn’t that important to you – then let me offer you another analogy. Imagine you have a child dying in your arms and instead of administering to him the proper medicine that may be bitter and with many side effects, but is the one that gives at least a chance of saving the child, instead of that of that you opt for a placebo, nameless, generic, inexpensive one, handed over to you by a big supplier.

Will you opt for it?
Will you leave the dying child with no chance whatsoever?
Just because this nameless, generic pill was so easy to get and to swallow?
Think about it! That’s exactly what document L.3 is.

It’s fresh paint on the moldy rotten structure of the Assembly where the paint isn’t actually paint but the blood of Ukrainian children, women and defenders. Let’s spare the Assembly from this shame! Let’s prove that the Assembly is still a solid structure and we are the United Nations that have been wise enough to avert imminent disaster.

Pursuant to Rule 91 of the General Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, we propose that the General Assembly decide not to vote on the resolution proposed by South Africa, A/ES11-L.3. We urge all delegations to vote against the proposal of the South Africa to go ahead with the adoption of L.3