Unfortunately, the great unanimity and solidarity that prevailed in the international community in the first month since Russia invaded Ukraine is beginning to wane. If, on April 7, in the UN General Assembly vote on Russia's removal from the UN Human Rights Council, those countries that did not register to vote had taken part and voted "abstain", the decision would not have been taken and Russia would have remained on the UN Human Rights Council.
As is known, on March 2, the UN General Assembly voted on a resolution condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine and condemning Belarus's involvement in this war. The resolution demanded that Russia "immediately cease its military activities in Ukraine and withdraw Russian troops from Ukrainian territory". At the time, 141 of the 193 UN Member States supported the resolution. Five UN Member States - Russia, Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea and Syria - voted against. Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Morocco, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Uzbekistan were absent.
Another vote in the UN General Assembly took place on March 24. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution "Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine" in an extraordinary special session, condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The resolution reiterated the demand for "the immediate cessation of military activities in Ukraine and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory" and expressed strong support for "the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders". Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Comoros, Dominica, Guinea, Morocco, Somalia, Turkmenistan and Venezuela were absent at the time. Of the 193 UN Member States, 140 supported the resolution - an overwhelming majority of UN Member States. There was coordination of views between March 3 and 24, so although the number of UN Member States supporting the resolution is quite similar, in the March 24 vote Botswana, Brunei, Comoros and Dominica no longer supported the condemnation of Russia's war of aggression, while Bangladesh, Iraq and Senegal joined the condemnation of Russia's aggression.
However, the most significant changes took place between the UN General Assembly votes on March 24 and April 7. On April 7, 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution "Suspension of the rights of membership of the Russian Federation in the UN Human Rights Council", which reiterated its condemnation of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, pointed to the "devastating humanitarian situation in Ukraine, including the flagrant violations of human rights and international law by the Russian Federation".
On April 7, in addition to Russia's traditional and open allies (Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea and Syria), Algeria, Bolivia, Burundi, Central African Republic, China, Congo, Cuba, Ethiopia, Gabon, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mali, Nicaragua, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe voted against the resolution (not just abstained). On April 7, the number of abstentions significantly increased in the UN General Assembly vote to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council. The countries that chose to abstain were Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Mexico, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Suriname, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu and Yemen.
Meanwhile, the countries that were absent were Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
It is therefore a question of principle why a resolution supporting Ukraine and condemning Russia was already at risk of not being adopted at the UN General Assembly on April 7? If those countries that did not register to vote had decided to vote and abstained, the UN decision would not have been adopted because there would not be enough votes for a majority - 97 Member States would have to vote in favor of the resolution for it to have an overwhelming majority. Unfortunately, this result was not achieved at the UN General Assembly on April 7.
The conclusion is not favorable for us. There have been several regional wars in the course of the 21st century. The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. Since 2011, when the Arab Spring began, at the same time started interventions by Western countries and their allies, including the Russian army and mercenaries, in civil wars in Libya, Mali, Syria, Yemen, etc. All these wars had civilian casualties comparable to those seen in Ukraine. This is why many Arab countries (and not only) are puzzled by the unequal attitude of the Western public towards the war suffering (and refugees from war zones) in Ukraine and in Syria. At the same time, for many countries, Russia is important as a possible alternative global power counterweight (regardless of the outcome of the Ukraine war) in the upcoming US-China contest for global dominance in the coming decades.
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