Meeting of the Group of 'Friends for Peace' on the Ukraine crisis held

Members of the Group of "Friends for Peace" had a meeting at the level of the Permanent Representatives to the UN on December 18, 2024, the first gathering of the group following their Ministerial Meeting in New York on September 27, 2024, according to Permanent Mission of the People's republic of China to the United Nations.

The participants noted that the Ministerial Meeting in September saw broad, cross-regional participation mainly from the Global South and there was a high level of interest among other UN member states in the initiative, the permanent mission said on its official website. They also noted that the joint communique issued upon the conclusion of the Ministerial Meeting was the first time that countries which predominantly represent the Global South together with some countries that are from the region collectively voiced their concerns about the Ukraine crisis, it added.

"The participants reaffirmed the key principles outlined in the joint communique, including respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, respecting the legitimate concerns of states, recognizing the need to uphold the principles of peace, security and prosperity, and the importance of peaceful solutions for all international conflicts, as emphasized by the Bandung principles, inter alia," said the statement.

"The participants reviewed the current situation of the conflict in Ukraine and the potential risks of its recent escalation. They expressed concerns at the ongoing hostilities and recalled the need to observe principles for de-escalation and the importance of non-expansion of the battlefield and non-intensification of fighting, as highlighted, among other principles, in the joint communique of the Ministerial Meeting," it emphasized.

In view of the positions and recent announcements by the parties, the participants once again called for support for a comprehensive and lasting settlement by the parties to the conflict through inclusive diplomacy and political means based on the UN Charter and international law, starting with a cessation of hostilities, it said.

"The participants are of the view that the international community, including countries from the Global South and the UN can play a constructive role in advocating for peace and in expressing wide support for a political and peaceful solution that can bring this conflict to an end" it pointed out, noting that the participants agreed to continue engaging on this issue actively through the group of "Friends for Peace."