UN General Assembly meet tomorrow on Ukraine: A look at developments so far

The emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will resume on Wednesday to discuss the war in Ukraine, which is in its fourth week now.

This comes after 22 member states including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK and the US wrote to Abdulla Shahid – President of the 193-member UN body – to convene an emergency meeting. “Following up on a letter received from 22 Member States earlier today for the resumption of the 11th Emergency Special Session of GA, I will be convening the ESS at 10:00 a.m., on Wednesday, 23 March 2022, in the General Assembly Hall, UN Headquarters, New York,” wrote Abdulla Shahid, UNGA president on Twitter.

Here’s a look at the developments so far at the United Nations amid the Ukraine war:

On February 28, the UNGA convened an emergency session on Russia’s invasion and assault on Ukraine. The session was called by 22 member states over Russia’s aggression. Shahid had presided over this session, held for three days from February 28 to March 2. This was a rare meeting for the UNGA – its 11th emergency session since 1950.

“During the last session on March 2, the UN General Assembly had voted to “reaffirm its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and deplored in the strongest terms Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.” This resolution urged for an immediate peaceful resolution between the two countries at war. A total of 35 nations, including India, had abstained on this resolution. While 141 votes were in favour of the resolution, five-member states were against it.

During the explanation of votes, India had said that it was “deeply concerned over the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ukraine and the ensuing humanitarian crisis.” India had also demanded “safe and uninterrupted” passage for all its nationals stranded in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, until now, a total of 100 UN member states including Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Kuwait, Singapore, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK, the US, and Afghanistan have co-sponsored a resolution titled ‘‘Aggression Against Ukraine’.

According to the spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly Paulina Kubiak Greer, a draft resolution sponsored by Ukraine and other member states has been submitted and is being processed.