Statement delivered by H.E. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, at Security Council Briefing on 'Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine'

Thank you, Mr. President,

I also thank USG DiCarlo for her insightful briefing and welcome the participation of the distinguished Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine and other Ministers and high-level officials to this meeting.

For the past three years, 24th February has represented a dark moment in history with the invasion by Russia of the territory of Ukraine. This action was a violation of the Charter of the United Nations. Regrettably, the Security Council was unable to prevent this invasion and even after meeting in this Chamber 119 times since the war began, has been unable to take action to end it.

For its part, Guyana has underscored the suffering caused to the people of Ukraine and the Russian Federation as a result of the invasion. We have outlined the growing humanitarian needs, called for human rights violations to cease and for the Russian Federation to withdraw its forces from Ukraine. We have also called for respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

Above all we have called for peace; for this war to end through dialogue and diplomacy premised on the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law. We make these calls again today.

Today, after 3 years, there is a glimmer of hope. The Security Council has taken action for the first time, laying the foundation for peace.  We underscore that a sustainable peace must be a just peace.
With this in mind, and against the backdrop of widening humanitarian needs on the ground, Guyana calls upon the conflict parties to heed the call of the UN General Assembly made in its resolutions adopted this morning. 

We also call on the parties to abide by the decision just taken by this Council and to bring this conflict to an end. We caution against waiting for all conditions to be perfect before commencing the discussion on the terms for peace. At the same time, we underscore that lasting and sustainable peace cannot be achieved at the expense of justice and international law. We urge the parties to commit themselves to achieving a lasting peace based on these tenets.

In closing Mr. President, Guyana stands ready to work with all members of the Council and the wider international community to bring the war in Ukraine to a peaceful end and to find a sustainable solution.

I thank you.