Note: A full summary of this morning’s Security Council meeting on Ukraine (Odesa ports) will be made available upon completion.
Briefing
KHALED KHIARI, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, sounded alarm over the widespread destruction and suffering caused by the war in Ukraine. This week, the port city of Odesa has been the target of a devastating wave of air strikes. On 23 July, a Russian missile attack damaged the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-protected Transfiguration Cathedral and other historical buildings in the historic centre of Odesa, a world heritage site. In this shocking attack, one person was reportedly killed, and several others, including children, injured. The attack also caused extensive damage to an important place of worship with religious and cultural significance to Ukraine and beyond, in violation of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. The 23 July attack followed several successive nights of deadly Russian Federations missile and drone strikes targeting Odesa and other cities in southern Ukraine, including Mykolaiv and Chornomorsk, killing at least three people and injuring dozens of others. Unfortunately, the 23 July attack was not the first targeting Ukrainian culture and heritage, he said, adding that since 24 February 2022, UNESCO has verified damage to 274 cultural sites in Ukraine, including 117 religious sites.
He underscored that attacks against Ukrainian Black Sea port facilities risk having far-reaching impacts on global food security, particularly in developing countries. He highlighted disturbing reports of further Russian Federation strikes against port infrastructure, including grain-storage facilities, in Reni and Izmail ports on the Danube River – a key route for shipment of Ukrainian grain, not far from Ukraine’s borders with Romania and the Republic of Moldova. “Deliberately targeting infrastructure that facilitates the export of food to the rest of the world could be life-threatening to millions of people who need access to affordable food,” he stressed. These attacks targeting Ukraine’s grain-export facilities, similarly to all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, must stop immediately, he asserted, emphasizing that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.
The Secretary-General stated last week that he would “not relent in his efforts to ensure that Ukrainian and Russian food and fertilizer are available on international markets” as part of his ongoing efforts to fight global hunger and ensure stable food prices for consumers everywhere, he recalled. However, the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023 is only 29 per cent funded, he said, noting that further funding is desperately needed to help all in need. In the first six months of 2023, 7.3 million people have received humanitarian assistance in Ukraine. The United Nations and its humanitarian partners remain committed to providing life-saving humanitarian assistance and safeguarding the lives and dignity of persons affected by the war. In the wake of Russian Federation’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, these latest attacks signal a calamitous turn for Ukrainians and the world. Port cities that allow for the export of grain such as Odesa, Reni and Izmail, are a lifeline for many. Now they are the latest casualties in this senseless, brutal war. “Ukrainians have suffered enough, the world has suffered enough,” he said.
Statements
ARIAN SPASSE (Albania) said “in a war that has lost its way, as part of a policy that has no meaning”, the Russian Federation is targeting everything: innocent people, residential areas, civilian infrastructure and cultural heritage. With its latest decision to kill the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Moscow is again disrupting the food supply chain. Moreover, it is intentionally targeting ports and grain-storage facilities. The intense drone and missile attacks against Odesa aimed to damage the port infrastructure, including its grain and oil terminal, he said, adding that the bombardment inflicted serious damage to export facilities and destroyed at least 60,000 tons of grain. By blocking and bombing Ukrainian seaports and preventing freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, Moscow is not only preventing Ukraine from exporting its grain and agricultural production, it is condemning millions to food insecurity, mostly in developing countries in the global South.
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