South Africa has drafted its own humanitarian resolution on the Russia-Ukraine war which will be tabled in the UN General Assembly on Thursday evening, South African Ambassador Mathu Joyini has announced.
Pretoria’s draft follows just hours after Ukraine introduced a French and Mexican-authored failed draft resolution in the UN Security Council that named Russia as the cause of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Ukraine, Joyini said.
According to her, the South African initiative sought to present a text focused entirely on the humanitarian needs of the people as opposed to the competing draft that deplored Russia for the dire human conditions as a result of its invasion of Ukraine and its consequences.
Joyini argued in favour of a text devoid of matters that would weaken the unity and consensus in the General Assembly ahead of a vote on both drafts later on Thursday.
South Africa is attempting to present a resolution that only addressed the humanitarian situation, arguing that a failure by the General Assembly to win a consensus would not bode well for humanitarian action and relief in Ukraine, Joyini said.
The ambassador said political and strategic issues pertaining to the conflict should be discussed elsewhere, thereby guaranteeing unity in Thursday’s draft resolution when tabled in the General Assembly.
NM/jn/APA