Bangladesh has abstained at the UN General Assembly on a draft resolution calling for Russia to be held accountable for violations of international law through its invasion of Ukraine and requiring Moscow to pay reparations to Kyiv for damages, loss and injury resulting from the war.
The draft resolution, “Furtherance of remedy and reparation for aggression against Ukraine”, introduced by Ukraine, was adopted on Monday at the 193-member UN General Assembly with 94 in favour, 14 against and 73 abstentions, by countries including Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka.
Belarus, China, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Russia and Syria were among those who voted against the resolution.
The UNGA recognized the need for the establishment of an international mechanism for reparation for damage, loss or injury arising from the Russian Federation's internationally wrongful acts.
The 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 about the resolution's divisiveness and dangerous precedent in allowing the establishment of a mechanism that is not accountable to the Assembly. Several delegations spotlighted the hypocrisy and double standards of the resolution's sponsors.
India, in its explanation, questioned whether a reparation process would contribute towards efforts at resolving the conflict and cautioned against precedents set through such resolutions.
"We need to objectively consider whether a reparation process through a vote in the General Assembly would contribute to efforts at a resolution of the conflict. Moreover, the legal validity of such a process by a General Assembly resolution remains unclear," India's Permanent Representative at the UN Ruchira Kamboj said.
