“AP” reports that russia has lost elections to three U.N. bodies. Experts believe that this is a concrete sign of the organization’s member states’ rejection of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and occupation of Ukrainian territories, including Crimea. Outrage among other states is only increasing. In the voting at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Russia was defeated by Romania for a seat on the Women’s Rights Commission.
The aggressor also lost to Estonia for membership on the UNICEF executive board. Russia lost to Armenia and the Czech Republic in the secret ballot for the membership in the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Before that, the UN General Assembly approved six resolutions against Russia. The latter once again called on the Kremlin to cease military operations and withdraw its troops from all the territories of Ukraine that are now under the illegal control of Russia. U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the voting results send “a clear message from ECOSOC members that no country in the world should hold positions in the most important UN bodies if it flagrantly violates the UN Charter”.
However, in a vote for members of the 14 commissions, councils and expert groups that ECOSOC oversees, Russia was still elected to the Commission on Social Development by acclamation. This decision was not accepted by the U.S. and Great Britain, stating that the Russian invasion violated international law and the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The aggressor was elected in the same way to the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting, notes “Voice of America”. It also greatly angered other states.
Most UN member states do not support Russian current chairmanship of the Security Council today. The procedure to clarify the legitimacy of Russia’s participation in the Security Council and in the UN is in principle ongoing.
