War in Ukraine
the shift of the United Nations' center of gravity from the security council to the general assembly
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21680/1982-310X.2023v16n2ID36160Keywords:
United Nations Organization, Security Council, General Assembly, Russia, Ukraine, war, international peace and securityAbstract
On 24 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to launch a vast offensive by Russian armed forces on land, air, and sea across the entire territory of Ukraine, under the guise of what was justified as a "special military operation”. Such a war initiated by Russia against Ukraine highlighted the deficiencies of the United Nations when a permanent member of the Security Council is involved. Since the beginning of armed hostilities, the Security Council, a body of limited composition assuming primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, remained paralyzed in its actions by the Russian veto. On the contrary, the General Assembly, the plenary body, experienced renewed vitality, that enabled it to intervene in aid to Ukraine and to adopt a series of important albeit non-binding resolutions. The center of gravity of the United Nations thus shifted from an immobilized Security Council to a revitalized General Assembly capable of recalling the essential principles of international law, at a time when they are being so blatantly disregarded.
Downloads
References
AFRICAN UNION. Statement from Chair of the African Union, H.E. President Macky
Sall and Chairperson of the AU Commission H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, on the
situation in Ukraine. 24 Feb. 2022. Available at: https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20220224/african-union-statement-situation-ukraine. Consulted
on: 09 Feb. 2024.
BARBER, Rebecca. A survey of the General Assembly’s competence in matters of
international peace and security: in law and practice. Journal on the Use of Force and
International Law, v. 8, n. 2, p. 115-156, 2021. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/20531702.2020.1776505. Consulted on: 8 Feb. 2024.
BURGORGUE-LARSEN, Laurence. La réaction des organisations internationales face à
l’agression de l’Ukraine par la Russie: entre impuissance onusienne et renaissance
européenne. Le Club des Juristes, 28 Feb. 2022.
COMBACAU, Jean. Le pouvoir de qualification du Conseil de sécurité. In: 70 ans des
Nations Unies: quel rôle dans le monde actuel? Paris: Pedone, 2014. p. 25-36.
COUNCIL OF EUROPE. Committee of Ministers. 2.3 Situation in Ukraine – Measures to be
taken, including under Article 8 of the Statute of the Council of Europe. In: EUROPEAN
COUNCIL MEETING, 1426, February 25, 2022. Decisions, 2022. Available at:
https://rm.coe.int/native/0900001680a5a360. Consulted on: 8 Feb. 2024.
DUPONT, Angèle; MARKUS, Jean-Paul. Petit point sur les sanctions européennes contre la
Russie depuis le début de la guerre, à la veille du onzième ‘paquet’. Les Surligneurs, 22 May
2023. Available at:
https://www.lessurligneurs.eu/petit-point-sur-les-sanctions-europeennes-contre-la-russie-depui
s-le-debut-de-la-guerre-a-la-veille-du-onzieme-paquet/. Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
ESCOBAR HERNÁNDEZ, Concepción. Ucrania y la Corte Penal Internacional: una
oportunidad para la Corte y para la lucha contra la impunidad. Revista Española de Derecho
Internacional, v. 74, n. 2, p. 57-76, 2022. Available at:
https://www.revista-redi.es/redi/article/view/95. Consulted on: 7 Feb. 2024.
EUROPEAN UNION. Press statement of President Charles Michel of the European
Council and President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission on Russia’s
unprecedented and unprovoked military aggression of Ukraine. 24 Feb. 2022. Available
at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_22_1321. Consulted on: 7
Feb. 2024.
FERNANDEZ, Julian Mandat d’arrêt contre Vladimir Poutine: la Cour pénale internationale
a-t-elle franchi le Rubicon? Le Rubicon, 20 Mar. 2023. Available at:
https://lerubicon.org/mandat-darret-contre-vladimir-poutine-la-cour-penale-internationale-a-telle-franchi-le-rubicon/. Consulted on: 8 Feb. 2024.
FERNANDEZ, Julian; UBÉDA-SAILLARD, Muriel. Agression de l’Ukraine: qu’espérer de
la Cour internationale de Justice et de la Cour pénale international. Le Club des Juristes, 5
Mar. 2022.
JACOB, Patrick. Les sanctions de l’UE contre la Russie comme mesures de réaction à un fait
internationalement illicite. Revue Générale de Droit International Public, v. 127, n. 1, p.
71-97, 2023.
KELLY, Michael J. United Nations Security Council permanent membership and the veto
problem. Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, v. 52, n. 1, p. 101-118,
2020. Available at:
https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2567&context=jil.
Consulted on: 13 Feb. 2024.
KOUDÉ, Roger. Invasion de l’Ukraine: la Russie fait usage de son ‘droit de veto’ au Conseil
de sécurité des Nations Unies. Revue Politique et Parlementaire, 28 Feb. 2022. Available at:
https://www.revuepolitique.fr/invasion-de-lukraine-la-russie-fait-usage-de-son-droit-de-veto-a
u-conseil-de-securite-des-nations-unies/. Consulted on: 13 Feb. 2024.
KOUDÉ, Roger. La sempiternelle question de la réforme du Conseil de sécurité des Nations
Unies. Revue Politique et Parlementaire, 9 Dec. 2021. Available at:
https://www.revuepolitique.fr/la-sempiternelle-question-de-la-reforme-du-conseil-de-securitedes-nations-unies/. Consulted on: 13 Feb. 2024.
MAIA, Catherine. Agression de l’Ukraine par la Russie: réflexions sur l’impuissance du
Conseil de sécurité. Multipol, 5 Mar. 2022. Available at:
https://reseau-multipol.blogspot.com/2022/03/analyse-agression-de-lukraine-par-la.html.
Consulted on: 13 Feb. 2024.
MAIA, Catherine. Quel rôle pour la Cour pénale internationale face aux allégations de crimes
en Ukraine? Revue des Droits et Libertés Fondamentaux, v. 17, 2022. Available at:
https://revuedlf.com/droit-international/quel-role-pour-la-cour-penale-internationale-face-auxallegations-de-crimes-en-ukraine/. Consulted on: 7 Feb. 2024.
MAIA, Catherine. The Security Council and the use of force: between military power and
powerlessness. African Yearbook of International Law, v. 23, n. 1, p. 473-488, 2018.
MAIA, Catherine; BAHADUR NAGAR, Shashaank. Poland-Belarus border crisis: a
vanishing point of international refugee law. Observatory on European Studies, 13 Dec.
2021. Available at: https://www.eurolatinstudies.com/laces/announcement/view/96. Consulted
on: 27 Feb. 2024.
MAIA, Catherine; GBÉNOU, André-Marie. Annexions russes de territoires ukrainiens:
lorsque l’Assemblée générale condamne ce que le Conseil de sécurité est empêché de
condamner. Le Club des Juristes, 31 Oct. 2022. Available at:
https://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/international/annexions-russes-de-territoires-ukrainiens-lor
sque-lassemblee-generale-condamne-ce-que-le-conseil-de-securite-est-empeche-de-condamne
r-498/. Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
MAIA, Catherine; GBÉNOU, André-Marie. Exclusion de la Russie du Conseil de l’Europe:
une fragilisation de l’organisation paneuropéenne? Le Temps, 20 Mar. 2022. Available at: https://www.letemps.ch/opinions/exclusion-russie-conseil-leurope-une-fragilisation-lorganisat
ion-paneuropeenne. Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
MAIA, Catherine; GBÉNOU, André-Marie. La motivation du droit de veto au Conseil de
sécurité au cœur d’une nouvelle résolution de l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies.
Multipol, 3 May 2022. Available at:
http://reseau-multipol.blogspot.com/2022/05/actu-la-motivation-du-droit-de-veto-au.html.
Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
MAIA, Catherine; HAMA, Kadidiatou. Les mandats d’arrêt de la CPI à l’encontre du
président russe et de la commissaire russe aux droits de l’enfant: un coup d’épée dans l’eau?
Les Surligneurs, 23 Mar. 2023. Available at:
Feb. 2024.
MARPLES, David R. (ed.). The war in Ukraine’s Donbas: origins, contexts, and the future.
Budapest: Central European University Press, 2022.
MAUREL, Raphaël. Pourquoi l’agression de l’Ukraine par la Russie est illégale? Les
Surligneurs, 26 Feb. 2022. Available at:
https://www.lessurligneurs.eu/pourquoi-lagression-de-lukraine-par-la-russie-est-illegale/.
Consulted on: 27 Feb. 2024.
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES. Statement from the OAS General
Secretariat on the Russian attack on Ukraine. 24 Feb. 2022. Available at:
https://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-008/22. Consulted on: 9
Feb. 2024.
PAIGE, Tamsin Phillipa. Mission: impossible? Reforming the UN Charter to limit the veto.
Journal of International Peacekeeping, v. 25, n. 2, p. 187-194, 2022.
TRAHAN, Jennifer. Existing legal limits to Security Council veto power in the face of
atrocity crimes. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 2020.
UNITED NATIONS. General Assembly Holds First-Ever Debate on Historic Veto
Resolution, Adopts Texts on Infrastructure, National Reviews, Council of Europe
Cooperation. 26 Apr. 2023b. Available at: https://press.un.org/en/2023/ga12500.doc.htm.
Consulted on: 13 Feb. 2024.
UNITED NATIONS. General Assembly. Resolution A/RES/ES-11/1, adopted on 2 March
2022. Aggression against Ukraine. [New York]: UN, 18 Mar. 2022a. Available at:
https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3965290?v=pdf#files. Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
UNITED NATIONS. General Assembly. Resolution A/RES/ES-11/2, adopted on 24 March
2022. Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine. [New York]: UN, 28
Mar. 2022b. Available at: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3966630?ln=en&v=pdf.
Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
UNITED NATIONS. General Assembly. Resolution A/RES/ES-11/3, adopted on 7 April
2022. Suspension of the rights of membership of the Russian Federation in the Human Rights
Council. [New York]: UN, 8 Apr. 2022c. Available at:
https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3967950/files/A_RES_ES-11_3-EN.pdf. Consulted on: 9
Feb. 2024.
UNITED NATIONS. General Assembly. Resolution A/RES/ES-11/5, adopted on 14
November 2022. Furtherance of remedy and reparation for aggression against Ukraine. [New
York]: UN, 15 Nov. 2022d. Available at:
https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96
FF9%7D/a_res_es_11_5.pdf. Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
UNITED NATIONS. General Assembly. Resolution A/RES/ES-11/6, adopted on 23
February 2023. Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive,
just and lasting peace in Ukraine. [New York]: UN, 2 Mar. 2023a. Available at:
https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n23/063/07/pdf/n2306307.pdf?token=TWpk6Jj3viLz
va5Hex&fe=true. Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
UNITED NATIONS. General Assembly. Resolution A/HRC/49/L.1, adopted on 24
February 2022. Situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression.
[New York]: UN, 4 Mar. 2022e. Available at:
https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3959073?v=pdf. Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
UNITED NATIONS. Secretary-General. Secretary-General, in statement on Ukraine, calls
Russian Federation’s military offensive ‘wrong, against Charter, unacceptable, but not
irreversible’. 24 Feb. 2022f. Available at: https://press.un.org/en/2022/sgsm21158.doc.htm.
Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
UNITED NATIONS. Security Council. S/2022/431: United States of America: draft
resolution. [New York]: UN, 26 May 2022g. Available at:
https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96
FF9%7D/S%202022%20431.pdf. Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
UNITED NATIONS. Security Council. S/2022/538: Ireland and Norway: draft resolution.
[New York]: UN, 8 Jul. 2022h. Available at:
https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96
FF9%7D/s_2022_538.pdf. Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
UNITED NATIONS. Security Council. S/2022/720: Illegal So-Called Referenda in Ukraine:
draft resolution. [New York]: UN, 20 Sep. 2022i. Available at:
https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=S%2F2022%2F720&Language=E&DeviceTy
pe=Desktop&LangRequested=False. Consulted on: 9 Feb. 2024.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Revista Digital Constituição e Garantia de Direitos
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Autores mantêm os direitos autorais pelo seu artigo. Entretanto, repassam direitos de primeira publicação à revista. Em contrapartida, a revista pode transferir os direitos autorais, permitindo uso do artigo para fins não- comerciais, incluindo direito de enviar o trabalho para outras bases de dados ou meios de publicação.
Português (Brasil)
English
Español (España)
Français (Canada)
