His Excellency Mohamed Abushahab, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE to the United Nations (UN), delivered the UAE’s statement during the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Ukraine.
His Excellency started his address by welcoming the participation of Ukraine in the meeting, and expressing condolences on behalf of the UAE to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in Hroza and Kharkiv. Abushahab continued to discuss the strikes, saying: “As we’ve heard from our briefers, the strike on Hroza, which occurred during a memorial service, was one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in Ukraine since February 2022.
According to the UN, nearly 20% of the town’s population was killed within seconds.” He expressed that such cases are “unacceptable tolls” that the conflict has brought upon civilians. “Hroza and Kharkiv are the most recent examples of the toll that this conflict has wrought on civilians, as in both locations, children and the elderly were among those killed. In less than two years, there have been more than 27,000 recorded civilian casualties in Ukraine.
“These numbers, though shocking, do not reveal the true cost of the conflict, including the thousands of people and families whose lives have forever been altered,” Abushahab said. “International humanitarian law is unequivocal: civilians and civilian objects can never be the target of attacks, and the fundamental principles of proportionality and distinction must be respected,” His Excellency said.
Continuing the statement, Abushahab discussed the “extensive” damage to Ukrainian infrastructure and its worrisome impacts on civilians. “The extensive damage and destruction of critical infrastructure throughout Ukraine is a further concern, particularly with winter approaching. The provision of electricity and heating during the coming months will be critical for the health and safety of civilians,” he said. Referring to Resolution 2573, he noted: “We recall the importance of protecting objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population and this Council’s call in Resolution 2573 on all parties to armed conflict to refrain from ‘attacking, destroying, removing or rendering useless objects that are indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.’”
Abushahab urged the attendees to facilitate the “life-saving” work of humanitarian organisations, adding that all humanitarian actors and facilities must receive protections under international humanitarian law. “First responders and humanitarian organisations continue to provide vital services to those wounded and displaced by this conflict. We stress once again the importance of facilitating their life-saving work and underline that all relevant authorities must ensure that humanitarian actors and humanitarian facilities receive the protections afforded to them under international humanitarian law,” he urged.
Abushahab expressed the UAE’s position that “only peace will bring a definitive end to the suffering, and so the pursuit of peace must be our ultimate goal”. “The UAE remains resolute in its support of all serious efforts to achieve a just and sustainable peace that is based upon the principles of the UN Charter, respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity,” he said.