Remarks by
Bradley A. Freden
Interim Everlasting Consultant of the US
March 25, 2025
Thanks, Chair. We specific our solidarity with the individuals and Authorities of Ukraine. As Secretary Blinken talked about beforehand, “on this time of uncertainty, we now have a transparent method ahead: Assist Ukraine defend itself. Help the Ukrainian individuals. Maintain Russia accountable.”
Chair, since this distinguished physique final met to think about the disaster in Ukraine, Putin’s unprovoked and unjustified warfare on Ukraine has led to a humanitarian disaster, together with repeated violations of worldwide humanitarian legislation, human rights abuses and warfare crimes.
Putin has been clear about his warfare goals; He seeks to conquear and annex Ukraine, its individuals, and its sovereign territory to the Russian Federation. If he can’t conquer Ukraine, he goals to destroy it. His purported justification for this unbridled warfare of aggression: Ukraine as soon as constituted a part of an earlier Russian empire.
Nevertheless, we now have a message for Mr. Putin: The age of empires and imperial conquest is over. The age of huge, highly effective international locations dictating the overseas coverage of its smaller neighbors is over. And the age of resolving border disputes on the level of a gun is over.
Women and gents, Putin’s purported “logic” threatens all of us. It threatens the very basis of worldwide legislation. It threatens worldwide peace and safety. It threatens each nation on this hemisphere that has an unresolved border dispute with considered one of its neighbors. And most straight of all, it threatens the harmless Ukrainian civilians who’re the quick goal of Putin’s cowardly assaults.
The world has witnesses indiscriminate assaults on inhabitants facilities and assaults intentionally focusing on civilians, in addition to different atrocities, a lot of which represent warfare crimes.
Russia’s forces have destroyed condominium buildings, colleges, hospitals, important infrastructure, civilian automobiles, purchasing facilities, and ambulances, leaving 1000’s of civilians killed or wounded.
Many of those websites have been clearly identifiable as in-use by civilians. This consists of the Mariupol maternity hospital, because the UN Workplace of the Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights expressly famous in a March 11 report. It additionally features a strike that hit a Mariupol theater, clearly marked with the Russian phrase for “youngsters” in big letters seen from the sky.
Putin’s forces used the identical techniques in Gronzy, Chechnya, and Aleppo, Syria, the place they intensified their bombardment of cities to interrupt the need of the individuals. Their try to take action in Ukraine has once more shocked the world and, as President Zelenskyy has soberly attested, “bathed the individuals in Ukraine in blood and tears.”
Earlier this week, Secretary Blinken introduced that, based mostly on data at present out there, the U.S. authorities assesses that members of Russia’s forces have dedicated warfare crimes in Ukraine.
Right here I need to disagree with my distinguished colleague and pal from Brazil. Whereas it might be true that the OAS shouldn’t be the establishment that can resolve the warfare Putin has unleashed on Ukraine, as a corporation of peaceable democracies, it’s actually inside our rights to resolve with whom we’ll break bread. Putin’s Russia doesn’t belong at our desk. As a area, we can’t witness silently his actions. We’re known as upon to behave.
The OAS is the area’s premier political discussion board for multilateral dialogue and motion. Our Hemisphere has a wealthy range of peoples and cultures, however we’re united in our frequent values.
Via this decision, significantly with all of the OAS member states who co-sponsored, we’re reminded of our dedication within the OAS Constitution to peace and justice. I applaud the missions of Guatemala and Antigua and Barbuda for main this decision.
At this time, the OAS is taking a step to talk clearly and straight. We don’t settle for these severe violations of worldwide legislation.
We urge Russia to stop its brutal assaults and withdraw from Ukraine.
We should stay united in our message to help the Ukrainian individuals and maintain Russia accountable.
We sit up for persevering with to work with OAS member states to uphold the values of the worldwide system and help the total restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Adopted by the Everlasting Council, March 25,2022 by the next vote:
In favor (28): Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; The Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Canada; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Dominica; Ecuador; The USA; Grenada; Guatemala; Guyana; Haiti; Jamaica; Mexico; Panama; Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; Suriname; Trinidad & Tobago; Uruguay, Venezuela.
In opposition to (0)
Abstentions (5): Bolivia; Brazil; El Salvador; Honduras; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Absent (1): Nicaragua
A RESOLUTION: “THE CRISIS IN UKRAINE”
THE PERMANENT COUNCIL
RECALLING the duty of all States below Article 2 of the United Nations Constitution to chorus of their worldwide relations from the risk or use of drive in opposition to the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in some other method inconsistent with the needs of the United Nations, and to settle their worldwide disputes by peaceable means;
REAFFIRMING the Constitution of the Group of American States specifically Article 1 by which OAS member states are dedicated, “to realize an order of peace and justice, to advertise their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence”;
RECALLING Article 3(g) of the Constitution of the OAS by which “American States condemn warfare of aggression: victory doesn’t give rights”;
REITERATING that the important rights of man should not derived from one’s being a nationwide of a sure state, however are based mostly upon attributes of the human character, and in addition that these ideas have been set forth within the Constitution of the Group of American States, within the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, and within the Common Declaration of Human Rights, and that they’ve been reaffirmed and refined in different worldwide devices, worldwide in addition to regional in scope;
ACKNOWLEDGING the shared values and customary approaches contained within the Declaration on Safety within the Americas (2003), and that peace is a worth and a precept in itself and is predicated on democracy, justice, respect for human rights, solidarity, safety, and respect for worldwide legislation;
RECALLING that the Americas as a zone of Peace is predicated on respect for the ideas and provisions of worldwide legislation, together with the worldwide devices to which member states are events, and the ideas and functions of the United Nations Constitution and the Constitution of the OAS;
REITERATING that each State has the best to decide on, with out exterior interference, its political, financial, and social system and to prepare itself in the best way greatest suited to it, and that each state has the obligation to abstain from intervening within the affairs of one other State;
RECALLING the Declaration CP/INF.9293/22 within the OAS Everlasting Council assembly of February 25, 2022, “The Scenario in Ukraine”, by which 25 member states condemned the illegal, unjustified, and unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine and known as for the quick withdrawal of the navy presence and the cessation of any additional navy actions within the nation;
RECALLING ALSO UN Common Meeting Decision A/RES/ES-11/1, “Aggression in opposition to Ukraine”, at its Eleventh Emergency Particular Session on March 2, 2022, deploring “within the strongest phrases the aggression by the Russian Federation in opposition to Ukraine” and demanding that Russia “instantly, fully and unconditionally withdraw all of its navy forces from the territory of Ukraine inside its internationally acknowledged borders”;
CONSCIOUS that the UN Common Meeting Decision additionally expressed grave concern on the deteriorating humanitarian state of affairs in and round Ukraine, with an growing variety of internally displaced individuals and refugees in want of humanitarian help, in addition to the potential affect of the battle on elevated meals and power insecurity globally;
AWARE that the Decision additionally demanded that secure and unfettered passage be allowed to locations outdoors of Ukraine and to facilitate the fast, secure and unhindered entry to humanitarian help for these in want in Ukraine, to guard civilians, together with humanitarian personnel and individuals in susceptible conditions, together with girls, older individuals, individuals with disabilities, indigenous peoples, migrants and kids, and to respect human rights;
ALARMED that the humanitarian state of affairs in Ukraine continues to deteriorate and that the UNHCR has reported that greater than 3.2 million individuals have now fled Ukraine, and that 13 million extra of these hardest hit by the warfare are internally displaced and, additionally, that the state of affairs in cities reminiscent of Mariupol and Sumy is “extraordinarily dire, with residents dealing with important and probably deadly shortages of meals, water and drugs”;
RECALLING that the UN Common Meeting, by Decision A/ES-11/L.2 “Humanitarian penalties of the aggression in opposition to Ukraine” adopted on March 24, 2002 deplored “the dire humanitarian penalties of the hostilities by the Russian Federation in opposition to Ukraine, together with the besiegement of and shelling and air strikes in densely populated cities of Ukraine, specifically Mariupol, in addition to assaults putting civilians, together with journalists, and civilian objects, specifically colleges and different instructional establishments, water and sanitation methods, medical services and their technique of transport and tools, and the kidnapping of native officers, in addition to assaults putting diplomatic premises and cultural websites”;
AWARE that, on 16 March 2022, the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice issued an Order “indicating the next provisional measures: (1) The Russian Federation shall instantly droop the navy operations that it commenced on 24 February 2022 within the territory of Ukraine; (2) The Russian Federation shall be sure that any navy or irregular armed models which can be directed or supported by it, in addition to any organizations and individuals which can be topic to its management or course, take no steps in furtherance of the navy operations referred to in level (1) above; and (3) Each Events shall chorus from any motion which could worsen or prolong the dispute earlier than the Courtroom or make it harder to resolve.”;
RECALLING resolutions CP/RES. 577 (896/92) of April 1, 1992 and CP/RES. 629 (987/94) of Might 9, 1994, by way of which the Everlasting Council granted the Governments of the Russian Federation and Ukraine respectively the standing of Everlasting Observer to the Group; and backbone CP/RES. 52 (61/72), which established that the aim of Everlasting Observers to the OAS is to advertise cooperative relations amongst states from each the Americas and elsewhere that take part within the Group’s packages;
AWARE that the Russian Federation was granted the standing of Everlasting Observer to the OAS below sure situations on the time, together with paragraph 6 of CP/RES. 407 (573/84) of 27 June 1984 which empowers the Everlasting Council to “evaluate the everlasting observer standing granted to a state when it considers that the circumstances that decided the acceptance of its request have considerably modified or now not acquire”;
EMPHASIZING that threats to world peace and safety have an effect on the safety of the Hemisphere and {that a} secure and safe Hemisphere is dependent upon world peace and safety;
RESOLVES TO:
- Declare the deteriorating humanitarian state of affairs in Ukraine as deeply distressing and wholly unacceptable and, on this regard, to demand respect for human rights and an instantaneous finish to acts that would represent warfare crimes;
- Demand secure and unfettered passage to locations outdoors of Ukraine, and to facilitate fast, secure and unhindered entry to humanitarian help with out discrimination based mostly on origin, race, nationality or ethnicity;
- Condemn all violations of worldwide humanitarian legislation and violations and abuses of human rights and calls upon all events to respect strictly the related provisions of worldwide humanitarian legislation, together with the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and Further Protocol I thereto of 1977 as relevant, and to respect worldwide human rights legislation;
- Insist that every one events respect their obligations below worldwide humanitarian legislation, specifically with regard to the safety of the civilian inhabitants;
- Reiterate the significance of the basic ideas of the United Nations Constitution and of respect for the sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine;
- Name on the Russian Federation to withdraw instantly all its navy forces and tools from inside the internationally acknowledged borders of Ukraine, and return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy;
- Acknowledge the presents of a number of Everlasting Observers of the Group of American States to facilitate dialogue and negotiations to finish hostilities and restore peace;
- To proceed analyzing the state of affairs in Ukraine, together with the obligations incumbent on all events to uphold worldwide humanitarian legislation, and on this connection, to evaluate, as mandatory, the adherence of the Russian Federation to its dedication to the OAS as a Everlasting Observer;
- To instruct the Secretary Common of the OAS to transmit this decision to the Secretary Common of the United Nations.
