The United Nations, an organization which was born out of war to end wars has failed to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but vows not to give up. The organization has expressed broad opposition to Russia’s war, despite Russia’s permanent seat on the Security Council.
On February 25, a total of eleven of fifteen Security Council members voted in favor of a United States-led resolution strongly condemning the war and called on Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine. Russia’s veto, however, blocked the measure while China, India, and the United Arab Emirates abstained.
A week later, an emergency session of the full UN General Assembly—the first such session since 1997—voted 141-5 in favor of similar text denouncing the war.
A no vote from any one of the five permanent members of the Council stops action on any measure put before it.
The UN’s permanent members are: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated after the meeting that “while the United Nations had today not achieved its primary objective to end war, we must never give up.”
“We must give peace another chance. Soldiers need to return to their barracks. Leaders need to turn to the path of dialogue and peace,” Guterres said.
The work of the UN includes feeding the hungry, vaccinating children and promoting development to protecting civilians in peacekeeping operations, mediating conflicts and supporting refugees and migrants while presenting a lifeline of hope for all.
