On the 16th of November, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo has spoken clearly to the UN Security Council concerning possible escalations of the violence in Ukraine, as the country is continuously experiencing bombings by the Russian Army. Specifically, about the recent armed attacks that also targeted the capital Kyiv, Rosemary DiCarlo focused on the effects that the conflict is having on civilians, remarking that “I must say it again: attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law”.
Moreover, she also talked about the recent incident that happened in Poland a few days ago, when a rocket hit the village of Przewodow in the country, killing two people. Ms. DiCarlo stated that “Yesterday’s incident in Poland near the Ukrainian border was a frightening reminder of the absolute need to prevent any further escalation.” In this regard, the chief also remembered the 16,630 civilian casualties that have been recorded in the nine months of fighting, with 6,557 deaths, according to the UN human rights office (OHCHR).
Considering all the current attacks and the strong temperatures of the winter season, there is a strong need at this moment to support Ukrainian civilians – also because 40% of the country’s power-generation capacity has been damaged. Currently, the UN has been assisting more than 185,000 people with essential basic winter supplies.
To read more, visit:
- https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130722
- https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/risks-potentially-catastrophic-spillover-russia-ukraine-war-remain-all-too-real-under-secretary-general-dicarlo-tells-security-council
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/17/russia-under-fire-over-ukraine-missile-attacks-poland-deaths
- https://unric.org/en/unric-library-backgrounder-ukraine/
by Alexia Tenneriello
