Unifeed
UN / UKRAINE
STORY: UN / UKRAINE
TRT: 04:12
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 17 MARCH 2023, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN Headquarters
17 MARCH 2022, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Martin Griffiths on screen
3. Wide shot, delegates
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“Under the Black Sea green initiative, close to 25 million metric tons of foodstuffs have been safely exported, without incident, from Ukraine. Since August, the World Food Programme has been able to transport more than half a million metric tons of wheat to support humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Yemen.”
5. Med shot, delegates, Griffiths on personal screens
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“It is vital for global food security that both of these agreements continue, and should be fully implemented.”
7. Pan left, Council
8. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russia:
“If the Kyiv regime had been complying with the norms of IHL, specifically the non-placement of heavy weaponry and anti-aircraft systems in residential areas, then civilians would not be in the crossfire. Because our army carries out exclusively high precision strikes targeting energy and transport infrastructure objects. We are doing this to degrade the military potential and capacity of Ukraine, which the collective West is doing everything possible to shore up with deliveries of new weapons.”
9. Med shot, Nebenzya at the dais
10. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russia:
“Ukrainian and Western sadists and criminals will not be left without punishment. In Russia, there is already an international communal tribunal that is in operation and is collecting witness’ testimonies and documenting this. And their preparations to establish and launch an international tribunal that is rooted in international law, and not a rules-based-order which the collective West has devised.”
11. Med shot, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at the dais
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“The Black Sea Grain Initiative slashes global food prices. It calms market volatility. It ameliorates global food security. It saves lives. It must continue, reliably and sustainably. The Initiative must be allowed to operate efficiently. It must work at a pace that meets global demand. The delays imposed by Russia have already reduced the number of ships leaving port and increased transportation costs.”
13. Wide shot, Thomas-Greenfield at the dais
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“We know, and the rest of the world knows, that Russia exports of food are at least as high as their pre-war levels. When we hear the Russian government say they were being held back from exporting grain, from exporting for fertilizer, the numbers show is just not true. And when it comes to sanctions, we have gone to extraordinary lengths to communicate the clear carve-outs for food and fertilizers to governments and to the private sector. Simply put, sanctions are not the issue.”
15. Wide shot, Council
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ukraine:
“The report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine released yesterday provides us with a shocking record of crimes that might seem unbelievable in the 21st century.”
17. Med shot, Kyslytsya at the dais
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ukraine:
“Since August 1st last year 814 vessels have exported 24. 4 million tons of Ukrainian food from the ports of Odessa to Asia, Europe and Africa within the framework of the Black Sea grain initiative. This volume could have been significantly higher if it was not Russia’s policy of delaying the inspection of vessels.”
19. Zoom out Council
The United Nations top humanitarian official today (17 Mar) said it was “vital for global food security” that the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and the parallel Memorandum of Understanding between the Russian Federation and the UN Secretariat on the facilitation of Russian food and fertilizer exports continue, “and should be fully implemented.”
Briefing to the Security Council on Global Consequences of the War in Ukraine, Griffiths said “under the Black Sea green initiative, close to 25 million metric tons of foodstuffs have been safely exported, without incident, from Ukraine.”
Since August, he pointed out, “the World Food Programme has been able to transport more than half a million metric tons of wheat to support humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Yemen.”
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya denied accusations of war crimes and said, “if the Kyiv regime had been complying with the norms of IHL (international Humanitarian Law), specifically the non-placement of heavy weaponry and anti-aircraft systems in residential areas, then civilians would not be in the crossfire. Because our army carries out exclusively high precision strikes targeting energy and transport infrastructure objects. We are doing this to degrade the military potential and capacity of Ukraine, which the collective West is doing everything possible to shore up with deliveries of new weapons.”
Instead, the Russian Ambassador listed a series of alleged violations committed by Ukraine and said, “Ukrainian and Western sadists and criminals will not be left without punishment. In Russia, there is already an international communal tribunal that is in operation and is collecting witness’ testimonies and documenting this. And their preparations to establish and launch an international tribunal that is rooted in international law, and not a rules-based-order which the collective West has devised.”
The International Criminal Court (ICC) today issued arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova for crimes allegedly committed in Ukrainian occupied territory.
United States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Council that the Black Sea Grain Initiative “slashes global food prices. It calms market volatility. It ameliorates global food security. It saves lives. It must continue, reliably and sustainably. The Initiative must be allowed to operate efficiently. It must work at a pace that meets global demand. The delays imposed by Russia have already reduced the number of ships leaving port and increased transportation costs.”
Thomas-Greenfield said, “we know, and the rest of the world knows, that Russia exports of food are at least as high as their pre-war levels. When we hear the Russian government say they were being held back from exporting grain, from exporting for fertilizer, the numbers show is just not true. And when it comes to sanctions, we have gone to extraordinary lengths to communicate the clear carve-outs for food and fertilizers to governments and to the private sector. Simply put, sanctions are not the issue.”
For his part, Ukraine’s Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told the Council that the comprehensive report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, which was released to the Human Rights Council on Thursday, “provides us with a shocking record of crimes that might seem unbelievable in the 21st century.”
On the Black Grain Initiative, comprehensive Kyslytsya said, “since August 1st last year 814 vessels have exported 24. 4 million tons of Ukrainian food from the ports of Odessa to Asia, Europe and Africa within the framework of the Black Sea grain initiative. This volume could have been significantly higher if it was not Russia’s policy of delaying the inspection of vessels.”
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