Statement of the MFA of Ukraine on the occasion of the United Nations Day
October 24 is the United Nations Day. This year, for Ukraine, it is the 608th day of the full-scale invasion and almost a decade of Russian aggression. Having unleashed the first full-scale war on the European continent after the Second World War, the Russian Federation is trying to destroy the post-war international order, the basic element of which is the United Nations.
It is today that the role of the United Nations as the only global organization with a comprehensive list of tasks is vital for people around the world. The world in which millions live in constant tension due to conflicts and terrorist attacks, as is currently happening in Ukraine, in the Middle East region, in African countries.
That is why Ukraine considers reforming the UN not only in the context of increasing the effectiveness of the Organization, but also as a guarantee of the rules-based international order. Russian aggression against Ukraine convincingly proves that the key task in this regard is not only to restore the ability of the UN, primarily the Security Council, to make adequate decisions in response to a threat to peace or a breach of peace, but also to ensure their proper implementation in order to quickly stop the threats. There is a need for reform in the use of the veto which cannot be used as a weapon for those obsessed with hatred and war. That is why providing the UN General Assembly with a real opportunity to override a veto, the legitimacy of Russia's presence as a permanent member of the Security Council, as well as its compliance with the criterion of a "peace-loving state" in the meaning of Article 4 of the UN Charter should become integral elements of the UN reform process.
In his statement during the meeting of the UN Security Council in September 2023, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "I am confident that the UN Charter can actually work for global peace and security. However, for this to happen, the years-long discussions of projects for UN reform must be translated into a viable process of UN reform". The ambitious tasks of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and shaping Our Common Agenda will be fulfilled only if respect for the UN Charter is restored in its entirety.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the UN has become a universal platform for the formation and demonstration of international solidarity with Ukraine. At the 11th emergency special session of the UN General Assembly, six resolutions were adopted, the last of which "Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine" received the support of 141 member states. This resolution clearly reflected the vision of ways to achieve peace in Ukraine proposed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian Peace Formula. All this is an important part of the international toolkit for holding the Russian Federation accountable.
We appreciate the efforts of the UN in humanitarian response to the consequences of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation of Ukraine and the assistance provided, especially by the UN team present in Ukraine.
Current challenges that require an immediate response from the UN system are the supply of Iranian UAVs to the Russian Federation in violation of the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, the ongoing occupation of the ZNPP, and continued shelling of the civilian population.
Ukraine remains committed to cooperation within the framework of the UN. Ensuring in action the sovereign equality of states, inviolability of borders, non-use of force or threat of force will allow all of us to work effectively to resolve global challenges to humanity.
