Mr. President,

For a year, ladies and gentlemen, we have all been witnessing the serious violation of the UN Charter in Ukraine. For a year, Russia's military aggression against Ukraine has continued in defiance of international law. For a year, the trust and the security order that prevailed in Europe are under threat.

Every country in the world has been affected in some way by the consequences of this war. Its consequences are disastrous.

The human cost is impossible to quantify: in addition to the thousands of dead, wounded and missing on the ground, more than eight million people had to flee their homes - eight million, this represents the entire population of my country, Switzerland.

Last year, I saw with my own eyes the destruction and suffering in and around Kyiv. All of us here now have in mind the names and inhuman images of Bucha; Kramatorsk; Mariupol; Kharkiv and Kherson.

These horrors are taking place as we are about to commemorate the 75 years of the Geneva Conventions next year.

With these Conventions, we wanted to raise the law above barbarism, including international humanitarian law.

We wanted to turn the page on the experiences of past wars. This Assembly has repeatedly stated that such wars must never happen again.

The Russian aggression against Ukraine shows us once again that we are not safe.

A permanent member of the Security Council has decided to attack its neighbour, an independent nation, a sovereign nation.

But let us not give up!

That would be a serious mistake. It would be a vindication of all forces seeking power, no matter how they use it.

Mr. President,

With the resolution submitted to the vote today, we are sending a strong message of peace and respect for the principles that unite us.

Switzerland strongly condemns the serious violations of humanitarian and human rights law committed in Ukraine.

And I call on the entire international community here today to work together, side by side, for a peaceful resolution of this conflict.

Ukrainians have the right to live in peace: a peace built on the fundamental principles of international law such as the prohibition of the use of force, territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

Switzerland is ready to play its part.
Let us together reaffirm the importance of the UN Charter at a time when major challenges require urgent global solutions.

Consider energy shortages, consider food insecurity, inflation, climate change, consider migration: These challenges remind us that we all depend on each other.

They remind us of our responsibilities.

Turning inward is not a solution! Let us strengthen our ties, repair the cracks in our institutions and restore our mutual trust.

Finally, we must allow the Ukrainian people - and all the people in the world who have been struck by war - to regain hope, to live in peace.

Our unity is critical: Thanks to ongoing efforts such as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, some of the negative consequences of the war have been mitigated – on the human, security, political and economic fronts.

Switzerland provides humanitarian aid, hosts refugees and has launched the reconstruction process in Ukraine last summer in Lugano.

But more needs to be done, for example in the area of humanitarian needs and particularly demining.

My country will continue to support Ukraine, while not forgetting other conflicts around the world.

Next Monday, for instance, I will be hosting a pledging conference for Yemen in Geneva with my Swedish counterpart.

Mr. President,

By supporting this resolution on Ukraine today, on the eve of the first anniversary of the war, we are sending a clear message in favour of the UN Charter.

Expectations are high, ladies and gentlemen. Let us not disappoint those who count on us, whether in Ukraine, Russia or any other country.

I thank you.

UN General Assembly: Declaration by Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis