General Assembly President Philemon Young. UN General Assembly discusses Russia’s veto on Security Council resolution on Sudan UN
The President of the UN General Assembly expressed serious concern about the increasing use of vetoes by permanent members of the Security Council since 2022. According to Philemon Young, this alarming trend highlights the need for the General Assembly to take the lead on critical peace and security issues when the Security Council fails to fulfill its core mandate.
The General Assembly met on Tuesday to debate the veto imposed by the Russian delegation on a draft resolution on the protection of civilians in Sudan at a November 18 Security Council meeting, which called on the parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities. Commenting on the decision, Dmitry Polyansky, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, said that the only path to peace in Sudan is for the parties to reach an agreement not imposed by the Security Council.
“The situation in Sudan remains critical,” said Philemon Young at the General Assembly on Tuesday. “Over the past 19 months, Sudan’s civilian population has borne the brunt of the humanitarian catastrophe. More than 11 million people have been forced to flee their homes, with three million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Eighty percent of health facilities in conflict-affected areas are closed.”
There are growing reports, the General Assembly President continued, of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including cases of sexual abuse and gender-based violence.
“These atrocities require our immediate collective attention,” he stressed. – The suffering must end.”
Philemon Young called on the Security Council to “break the deadlock” and act in accordance with its mandate to maintain international peace and security.
Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said at a meeting of the General Assembly that Russia takes the veto instrument very seriously and would not have resorted to it if there were no compelling reasons for doing so, directly related to Sudan. “And, unfortunately, they did exist,” the Permanent Representative noted.
According to him, ill-considered peacekeeping initiatives in the conditions of the hot stage of the internal conflict and its vast geography can turn into a disaster.
“The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan R. Lamamra continues his efforts – we must give him time and the political opportunity to talk with everyone who has influence on the settlement – be they internal or external players. We expect that he will report to the Secretary-General on the results of his contacts,” Nebenzya added.