South Africa: SA Abstains From UN General Assembly Resolution Demanding Russia Pay Reparations to Ukraine for War Damage

Loey Felipe / UN Photo
The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution on "furtherance of remedy and reparation for aggression against Ukraine" during the 15th plenary meeting of the resumed 11th Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly on Ukraine. The November 14, 2022 resolution was adopted by recorded vote with 94 votes in favour, 14 against, and 73 abstentions.
15 November 2022
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Peter Fabricius

Pretoria has so far abstained from every UN resolution addressing Russia's war against Ukraine.

South Africa has abstained from a UN General Assembly resolution calling for Russia to pay reparations for the damages inflicted on Ukraine since its invasion of the country on 24 February.

The resolution was adopted by a vote of 94 in favour, with 14 against and 73 abstentions, the UN stated. But South Africa's UN ambassador objected to the "exceptionalism" and "double standards" of the initiative, saying it proposed reparations for Ukraine, but not victims of other attacks.

The text adopted on Monday called for a register to be established to record the damage Russia has caused to Ukraine and for the establishment of an international mechanism for reparations for damage, loss or injury arising from Russia's actions.

The General Assembly also reaffirmed its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and demanded that the Russian Federation immediately cease its use of force and completely and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces from that country's territory.

"Many delegates expressed their support for the establishment of a registry while others voiced their concern over the resolution's divisiveness and dangerous precedent in allowing the...

Read the full story on Daily Maverick.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2022 Daily Maverick. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 400 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.