Statement by Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Mr.Sergiy Kyslytsya at the High-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on improving Global Road Safety

Statement by Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Mr.Sergiy Kyslytsya at the High-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on improving Global Road Safety

Mr. President,

Ukraine aligns itself with the joint statement delivered by Lithuania on behalf of the group of the UN Member States on the situation of road safety in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression.

In my national capacity I would like to thank you, Mr.President, for convening this High-level meeting as well as for your efforts at the final stage of preparation to fix the damage to the process stemming from russia’s presence in a co-facilitator’s seat.

Ukraine has always supported international and national efforts in the road safety area and attached great importance to upholding commitments on all road safety-related targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

These targets were taken as a basis for the Strategy of Improving Road Safety in Ukraine till 2024, adopted by the Government of Ukraine on 21 October 2020. Ambitious goals, in particular reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by 30%, and improving the road safety management, were successfully implemented till 24 February 2022.

The progress has been undermined by the Russian troops invading Ukraine. They have used the Ukrainian roads for their offensive attempts, they have fired civilian vehicles attempting to escape from conflict-affected areas, they have destroyed road infrastructure by heavy artillery, mines and missiles.

The Joint Statement, I have mentioned above, describes the scale of destruction. Let me remind you of some details. More than 23 thousand km of roads and 300 bridges have been destroyed or damaged, since 24 February 2022. These numbers continue to grow on a daily basis.

Furthermore, targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, in particular roads, russia further aggravates global food crisis due to disruptions in supply chains.

Therefore, while joining the consensus on the Political Declaration of the High-Level meeting, Ukraine remains convinced that this document does not fully reflect the current state of play of Global Road Safety.

The implications of deliberate and large-scale destruction of the road infrastructure of one UN Member State by another state, as well as of killings of peaceful civilians by occupying forces could not be limited to the boundaries of the country affected by the aggression. They stretch far beyond and have a devastating impact on our progress on implementation of road safety-related targets on global level, as set forth in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

We regret that the Political Declaration lacks the reference to this most dramatic factor impacting global road safety. This seriously undermines the credibility and relevance of the adopted document.

Let me remind you that it is wrong to believe that consensus means unanimity. Consensus means the lowest common denominator that allows for approval of a decision. Hence it does not reflect the reality on the ground to its full.

Let us not be swayed by this misperception. The lowest common denominator suits only a part of our membership and does not allow us to achieve the necessary breakthrough or higher standards of Global Road Safety. In this regard, decisions adopted by a recorded vote suit a part of membership as well, however they also contain stronger messages which inspire us to move forward.

We consider, therefore, that addressing the road-safety-related implications of the Russian war against Ukraine should be in the focus of the United Nations, its General Assembly, the ECOSOC, the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy for Road Safety.

I thank you.