United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged global efforts to end the war in Ukraine, calling for a resolution based on international law as the conflict marks its third anniversary.
“We must spare no effort to bring an end to this conflict and achieve a just and lasting peace in line with the U.N. Charter, international law, and General Assembly resolutions,” Guterres told a high-level meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday. He reiterated that Russia’s invasion in February 2022 violated the U.N.’s founding principles.
His remarks come ahead of a contentious U.N. debate in New York, where the United States is pushing for a resolution aimed at ending the war. The U.S.-backed motion, which faces competition from a rival text supported by Ukraine and its European allies, reiterates previous U.N. demands for Russia to withdraw its troops and cease hostilities—calls that have previously gained widespread support.
The division at the U.N. reflects Ukraine’s growing challenges as it enters a fourth year of war, with U.S. backing under increasing strain amid pressure from Washington for a negotiated settlement.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk, speaking at the same Geneva meeting, said any sustainable peace “must be anchored in the rights, needs, and aspirations of the Ukrainian people, in accountability, and in the principles of the U.N. Charter and international law.”
Russia, which maintains that its “special military operation” was necessary due to NATO’s expansion, is set to address the Human Rights Council on Wednesday.
Guterres also warned that human rights worldwide are under severe threat, citing “intolerable” levels of death and destruction in Gaza and grave human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Turk cautioned that the global human rights system, built after World War Two, has never been under greater strain.
