2022 Speech - Estonia
| Session Number | 77 |
|---|---|
| Year | 2022 |
| Country | Estonia |
| Country Code | EST |
| Speech |
It is my honour to be here today, although I wish that the circumstances surrounding my first address were different. A year ago, the Secretary- General presented his inspiring report Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), which outlines his vision for the next 25 years of global cooperation, and initiated discussions on how to reinvigorate multilateralism and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
I support the goals of the report, and yet it is a Herculean task because the world is torn apart. We are witnessing the constant brutal violation of the core principles of the Charter of the United Nations on every continent. The United Nations itself has become a battlefield, where some States try to convince the world that the common values to which we all are obliged to adhere do not exist. The only standard that we must follow is the United Nations Charter — our unique common promise of peace for all nations, large and small, and a promise to advance fundamental human rights and the equal rights of men and women. It is not a choice; it is a collective responsibility to ensure that peace, justice and human rights prevail. On 24 February, the Russian Federation, a permanent member of the Security Council, attacked democratic and peaceful sovereign Ukraine. Russia started a war of aggression with the goal of ending the sovereignty of its neighbour, overthrowing its legitimate Government, exterminating the Ukrainian nation and implementing its abusive order, steeped in imperialism, self-interest and dominance. The Russian invasion, including the illegal occupation of Crimea and Russia's prior land grabs in Georgia and Moldova, demonstrate Russia's total disrespect for international law and the rules-based international order and are an assault on the United Nations Charter and every value and principle for which the United Nations stands. That brutal and unjustified aggression is the most serious threat to global peace and security since the end of the Second World War and challenges the very foundation of the United Nations system, undermining the security of all members of the international community. Some colleagues are hesitant to take sides regarding the Russian aggression. Some argue that the war is between Russia and Ukraine. I see the aggressor and the victim. Legally, as well as morally, there is only one right side to take. Standing in a grey zone encourages the aggressor, undermines this Organization and fuels human suffering. In recent years, we have witnessed devastating human suffering in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Yemen, Syria, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, to name just a few places. Russia’s war of aggression makes finding solutions to those conflicts only more difficult, as it has increased food insecurity, adds pressure on the global humanitarian relief system and exacerbates the economic crisis. I visited Ukraine two months after the invasion began. The site was horrific. I lack words to describe the brutality of that scene. The face of war is the same everywhere. Its cruelty will never leave the people who must live through it. Wars and conflicts bring only horror and misery to humankind. As of 22 August, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights recorded over 13,000 civilian casualties in Ukraine, with approximately 6,000 people killed and nearly 8,000 injured. The actual numbers are significantly higher. Each murder is further proof of the grave violations of international law by the aggressor. We condemn in the strongest terms the war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine. The Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights reported to the Security Council regarding credible allegations of forced transfers of unaccompanied children to Russian- occupied territory or to the Russian Federation (see S/PV.9126). We saw mass graves of tortured civilians. I wonder if we are living in the twenty-first century. I want to pay tribute to the immeasurable resilience of the people of Ukraine. We grieve for the victims of Russia’s aggression, and we stand with Ukraine in ensuring a future for its people and nation. That brave nation is fighting for values set out in the United Nations Charter — the noble cause of freedom, democracy and human rights. In accordance with Article 51 of the Charter, helping Ukraine to protect its right to exist is our collective obligation. At the same time, it is disturbing that the Security Council, the organ that bears the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, has been paralysed and utterly unable to play its role. Russia has abused its veto power to block the Security Council from adopting any resolutions regarding the grave violation of the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. The Security Council lies at the heart of the United Nations. It is shameful that, since 24 February, it has adopted only a presidential statement (S/PRST/2022/3) on Ukraine. How many devastating wars will it take to move forward the long- overdue Security Council reform? I am grateful that, while the Security Council remains paralysed on the issue of Russia’s aggression, the soul and the conscience of the United Nations, the General Assembly, has been active and decisive. I recall the overwhelming support for resolution ES-11/1, adopted on 2 March, which condemns Russia’s aggression and urges Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its troops from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. We deplore the Russian Federation’s failure to implement that resolution, as well as its failure to comply with the legally binding order of the International Court of Justice of 16 March, requiring Russia to immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine. Estonia has always been a strong proponent of curbing the absolute veto power, and even more so when it was used to cover up war crimes and crimes against humanity. I am glad that the General Assembly adopted by consensus the landmark resolution 76/262, the so- called veto initiative, which provides the General Assembly an opportunity to step in when the Security Council is unable to act. The question remains: how can we accept that the aggressor has a veto power in the Security Council? Conflicts and war bring about an enormous humanitarian crisis. Russia’s aggression has led to an immense need for resources and aid. Nearly 18 million Ukrainians — 40 per cent of the country’s population — are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The international support for Ukraine has been heart-warming. The United Nations is busy helping Ukrainians who did not need our help before that aggression. To date, Estonia has sent more than €20 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine. We have seen unprecedented, massive support for Ukraine from the Estonian private sector, civil society and citizens. We continue to assist, and work on, the reconstruction of Ukraine; it needs to begin now. We call on others to join us in that. Conflicts created the immense refugee crisis. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the total number of people worldwide who were forced to flee their homes due to conflicts and human rights violations was 89.3 million in 2021. The displacements were driven, for example, by the brutality of the Bashar Al-Assad regime, conflicts in the Tigray region and the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul. In 2022, that number has already exceeded the milestone of 100 million. The increase is caused by Russia's war of aggression. There are more than 7 million recorded Ukrainian refugees across Europe; another 7 million people were internally displaced. Estonia received nearly 55,000 refugees, which is 4 per cent of our country’s population. We ensure social services and basic education for refugees fleeing from war. Estonia created 1,000 additional places in various education programmes for Ukrainian refugee children by opening a new school — the Freedom School. One day, its students will be the leaders and rebuilders of Ukraine. Estonian education technology companies are donating their solutions to support Ukrainian schools and pupils whose education has been disrupted by war. Why am I saying all this? I am saying it because our future depends on young people sitting in classrooms and on their education. We are made by history; we cannot let a lack of knowledge define our future. To avoid such brutality repeating itself we must raise awareness of the history of our nations. We need to evade confusion caused by active brainwashing and disinformation. We see how ignorance makes it easy for any aggressor to put forward its false narratives. War, conflict and a lack of openness bring about extreme violations of human rights. It must be clear that basic human rights are universal, are the same for all United Nations Members and cannot be ignored by any Government. Special attention should be devoted to ensuring gender equality and the right to education. The opportunity to study should not be a wish or a dream in the twenty-first century. Let me use this rostrum to praise the courageous women who are now at the forefront of the protest against the Taliban in Afghanistan to fight for their right to choose their own path and role in society. It is our profound duty to support their struggle. I call on the de facto leaders of Afghanistan to immediately stop harassing the Afghan female staff of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. Respecting universal human rights is not a choice. Neither culture nor religion can be invoked to justify human rights violations. In the same vein, we welcome the release of the assessment report on the human rights situation in Xinjiang by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The report underscores the serious human rights violations occurring in Xinjiang, which may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity. That is extremely alarming, and it requires urgent attention by the international community. There remains little dispute over the existential crisis posed by climate change. We witnessed devastating flooding in Pakistan caused by erratic monsoon rains. In solidarity with the people of Pakistan, Estonia is providing help to those who are severely affected. Russia’s aggression also brings further pain to those already suffering from the impacts of the pandemic, conflicts, famine and climate change. Let me be very clear: that aggression has brought about high inflation and global food and energy crises. The head of the World Food Programme has warned that Russia’s aggression will lead to the worst food crisis since the Second World War. In physics and in life, the cause triggers a reaction. Russia’s aggression triggered the global food and inflation crisis. We have witnessed Russia’s occupying forces stealing Ukraine’s grain supplies, burning down warehouses and destroying grain fields. Market disruptions are not caused by sanctions. The global food and economic crises are being caused by the war that Russia started, and Russia can end all that by ending the war. Yet Russia has no intention of ending the war. Instead, the Russian regime decided to escalate it. We find its cynical nuclear threat totally unacceptable; it is a threat to the global community. To alleviate the crisis, the European Union (EU) launched the EU-Ukraine solidarity lanes initiative, which has helped to export more than 6 million tonnes of predominantly agricultural goods from Ukraine. Estonia also welcomes the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which, brokered by the Secretary-General and the President of Tiirkiye, was signed in Istanbul on 22 July. We must keep up the international pressure on Russia to monitor Russia’s adherence to the deal and its extension. We are following with deep concern the situation at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, one of the world’s largest such plants. Russia has occupied the plant and turned it into a combat zone. The risk of a nuclear disaster is very real. The power plant should be demilitarized without delay and full control of the plant returned to Ukraine. Moreover, it is essential to grant international experts ongoing and unfettered access to the facilities of the power plant. I regret that last month Russia also shamelessly blocked the consensus on the outcome document of the tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Estonia has been vocal in addressing the issues of cybersecurity at the United Nations. We continue such efforts to elevate cybersecurity as an essential component of the United Nations international peace and security agenda. Russia has demonstrated how State-provided malicious cybertools are used alongside conventional weapons. Russia’s cyberattack against Ukraine’s satellite communications on 23 February served to prepare and facilitate Russia’s invasion on the ground. It is our duty to ensure accountability and justice at all levels. Impunity breeds impunity and leads to new crimes being committed. It is of the utmost importance that there be independent and effective investigations into the atrocity crimes and crimes of aggression committed against Ukraine, as well as in Syria, Ethiopia and elsewhere. We must provide justice to victims and bring those responsible for atrocities and genocide to trial. Estonia fully supports the investigation led by the International Criminal Court. We give the most serious consideration to the establishment of an independent special court for crimes of aggression and a compensation mechanism for the damage caused by the aggression. We support all initiatives that seek to ensure accountability. In conclusion, the war in Ukraine affects us all. It is our common duty to push back the ugly manifestations of imperialism, colonialism and racism by Russia. Russia must understand that the path that it has taken is disastrous and that the war that it started cannot be won. If we stop caring and if we get tired and fall into indifference, the aggressors and criminals will only be empowered. That is not the world where we want to live nor the world that we want to leave to future generations. The United Nations is, and remains, the cornerstone of our multilateral rules-based world order. Its relevance is being put to the test; we cannot fail. The United Nations must emerge from this watershed moment stronger, more united and more relevant than ever before. |