Australia thanks the High Commissioner for his oral update. We condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine. Australia recognises the critical role of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine in documenting serious violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights law.

Australia expresses its deepest sympathies to the over 20,000 civilian casualties, their families and the communities of Ukraine. Electricity and water shortages are placing an unbearable toll on Ukrainian citizens, with nearly 18 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

The multilateral system is a crucial means by which the international community can hold perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses to account. It is also critical to supporting Ukraine in its efforts to uphold the human rights of its people against Russia’s illegal and immoral full-scale war.

Aside from terrible damage and loss of life in Ukraine, Russia’s war is also propelling the food and energy security crisis. We ask what the international community can do to assist Ukraine to protect the rights of the Ukrainian people and prevent this conflict from exacerbating food security and other global challenges?