SA has for a third time in just over a month abstained from voting on a UN resolution resulting from the conflict in Ukraine.
Ninety-three countries on Thursday night voted in favour of a decision to suspend Russia’s membership of the Geneva-based 47-member UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Fifty-eight abstained, 24 countries voted against and 18 countries stayed away from the UN General Assembly vote altogether. This means that, though the majority of the UN’s 193 member states did not vote in favour of the resolution, the decision will pass as abstentions and stayaway votes are not counted.
The resolution differs substantially from the March 3 resolution condemning Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, which had 141 countries voting in favour and only five against.
A subsequent resolution on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine received 140 votes opposing Russia’s actions.
The resolution was based on “grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine”, and referred particularly to “reports of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation, including gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights”.
SA’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Xolisa Mabhongo, told the General Assembly ahead of the vote that SA is “deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties in Ukraine”, but feels that the world body should encourage mediation and dialogue in the conflict.
‘Premature’
Mabhongo said the tabling of the resolution was “premature and prejudges the outcomes of the commission of inquiry” to investigate violations during Russia’s military attack on Ukraine. The commission of inquiry should be allowed to finish its work and report back to the council and the UN General Assembly, he said.
He referred to resolution 60/251, which established the UNHRC, recognising “the importance of ensuring universality, objectivity and non-selectivity in the consideration of human rights issues, and the elimination of double standards and politicisation”. This resolution, Mabhongo said, “will further divide and polarise the matter and the General Assembly”.
SA diplomats told Business Day that the suspension of Russia risked diluting the credibility of the commission, which could mean that the recommendations of the inquiry will not be acted on.
They also said “antagonising” Russia further would not lead to any constructive solutions to the conflict, in which SA is advocating for a ceasefire and humanitarian corridors.
This would lay the basis for negotiations about a withdrawal, they said.
It is also understood that there was some concern that the resolution was not focused purely on ending the conflict but that it would be used as a precedent to remove countries such as China, Cuba, Eritrea, Libya, Mauritania, Pakistan and Venezuela from the council as well.
This follows a tweet to this effect by Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, which came up with the resolution and lobbied for it to be adopted by the General Assembly.
Reuters reported that it saw a note in which Russia warned countries ahead of the vote that a yes vote, or an abstention on the resolution, will be viewed as an “unfriendly gesture” with consequences for bilateral ties.
China, which is aligned to Russia through the Brics bloc, voted against the resolution while it abstained on the previous two. Brazil and India abstained. Unlike in previous votes, most African countries abstained or stayed away.
Zimbabwe, Gabon, Ethiopia, Burundi, Algeria, the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo added their “no” votes to that of Eritrea, which has thus voted in favour of Russia’s actions in both resolutions.
Some of the issues around the vote touched on the ultimate need to reform the UN Security Council, something which both President Cyril Ramaphosa and international relations minister Naledi Pandor called for at a conference of heads of SA’s missions in Pretoria.
While strongly condemning Russia’s “intervention” in Ukraine, Pandor said the war in Ukraine has exposed “the glaring double standards of the international community”.
She said while Russia had been condemned and isolated for its actions, “we have not seen concomitant actions with regards to other conflicts, including those where the laws of war and the UN Charter have also been breached”.
This includes the Israel-Palestine conflict and the war in Yemen, where civilians were “on the verge of starvation as a result of the Saudi-led bombing campaign”.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.