NEW YORK – During the 11th Emergency Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly, 193 Member States adopted the second resolution on the war Ukraine on 24 March, with 140 votes in favour, five against – Russia, Syria, North Korea, Eritrea and Belarus – and 38 others abstaining.
The resolution was drafted by Ukraine and 90 co-sponsors and entitled “Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine”.
All Member States from the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, voted in favour of the resolution.
It is the second resolution supported by all countries from the region, following the one condemning the aggression on Ukraine on 2 March.
According to the text of the resolution, the Assembly demanded full protection for civilians, including humanitarian personnel, journalists and persons in vulnerable situations, women and children among them.
It further demanded full respect for — and protection of — all medical personnel and humanitarian personnel exclusively engaged in medical duties, their equipment and means of transportation, as well as hospitals and other medical facilities.
Moreover, the Assembly demanded full respect for and protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population and infrastructure critical to the delivery of essential services in armed conflict.
It also demanded that all parties protect civilians fleeing armed conflict and violence, including foreign nationals, notably students, without discrimination.
The Assembly further demanded voluntary, safe and unhindered passage, as well as safe, unhindered humanitarian access for humanitarian personnel, their means of transportation, supplies and equipment, to those in need within Ukraine and neighbouring countries.