"An attempt to shift the blame": why Russia blocked the UN Security Council resolution on climate and security

The UN Security Council voted on the draft resolution "Climate and Security" submitted by Ireland and Niger.

The document proposed to establish a link between the threats of climate change and international security, and to integrate these threats as a "central component" of UN strategies for conflict prevention.

The draft resolution was supported by 12 members of the Security Council, Russia and India voted against, China abstained.

Explaining Moscow's position before the vote on the document, Russia's Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenzya stressed that the proposed initiative turns a scientific and socio-economic problem into a political issue, which is fraught with a number of consequences.

“Positioning climate change as a threat to international security takes the Council's attention away from the true root causes of conflicts in countries on the UN Security Council agenda.

This is convenient for those states that actively contributed to the emergence of such conflicts or conducted military operations bypassing the Security Council mandate, or simply do not want to provide the necessary practical assistance to the development of countries in need, ”Nebenzya said.

The diplomat also stressed that the plight of many states, which are considered the most vulnerable in terms of climate change, is directly related to the past colonial policy of the Western countries.

“I appeal to them: how beautifully it was thought to declare the greenhouse gas emissions to be guilty, and also the Sun and the Moon, and also to shift the responsibility onto the developing countries themselves,” said the permanent representative of the Russian Federation.

According to him, the fight against climate change and adaptation to its negative consequences are issues of sustainable development, which should be addressed by specialized sites, the main of which remains the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Nebenzya also expressed disappointment at the attempt to "stuff" this draft resolution in the absence of consensus of the members of the Security Council, when the countries with great difficulty managed to agree at the Glasgow summit on how to implement the Paris Climate Agreement and measures to be taken to counter this problem.

“The climate agenda should play a unifying role to ensure the ultimate success of individual and joint actions, and not bring ever new discord, especially for political purposes,” the diplomat emphasized.

• Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya

• RIA News

• © Brian Smith

The Permanent Mission of Russia to the UN, following the meeting, also indicated that the document proposed a one-sided (through a climatic prism) approach to conflicts and threats to international peace and security.

“The proposal to create such an automatic relationship was generic.

It ignores all other aspects of situations in which countries find themselves in conflict or lagging behind in socio-economic development, ”the message says.

“We have to admit that behind such a line there is by no means concern about the fate of countries and people facing the problems of climate change.

We see this as an attempt to shift the blame onto the developing states themselves and create a new lever, thanks to which one can dictate one's vision of fulfilling climate obligations, and in the long term initiate the inclusion of practically any country on the Security Council agenda for climatic reasons, ”the permanent mission stressed.

Russian diplomats added that it is necessary to look for an integrated approach to solving climate problems: “We recognize the existence of a complex interweaving of problems.

And the consequences of climate change, and natural disasters, and poverty, and the weakness of local authorities ... and the threats of terrorism, which are an unbearable burden on some countries and regions.

All these situations have their own specifics. "

At the same time, Russia, together with India and China, submitted to the UN Security Council a draft resolution on assistance to the Sahel region (territories in Africa lying to the south of the Sahara Desert), the situation in which causes "the utmost concern of the international community."

“Our project, unlike the Irish-Nigerian one, covers the whole range of problems facing the region and is aimed at mobilizing international efforts, including funding, to provide comprehensive assistance to those in need.

We are ready for substantive and constructive work on it with all members of the Security Council, ”the permanent mission said.

In turn, the head of the Indian delegation to the UN TS Tirumurti called the draft resolution proposed by Ireland and Niger a step backward in collective efforts to combat climate change.

“This is an attempt to shift responsibility to a body that does not work by consensus and does not reflect the interests of developing countries.

India had no choice but to vote against, ”he said.

At the same time, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the UN Geraldine Burne Nason said that the members of the Security Council for the first time in history had the opportunity to admit that climate change worsens the situation in the field of security and stability: "Instead, we missed the opportunity to act and turn away from the realities of the world in which we live."

Her British counterpart Barbara Woodward expressed regret over the vote, saying that inaction on the topic of climate change would be disastrous.

And the US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that Russia “let the world down” by vetoing the resolution.

“Only the UN Security Council can ensure that the security impact of climate change is integrated into the critical work of conflict prevention and mitigation, peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance,” she wrote on Twitter.

Later, the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, expressed "absolute disagreement" with such criticism from the United States, stressing that Moscow is a responsible participant in the climate agenda and closely monitors the nuances associated with it.

“The resolution was indeed completely unacceptable.

And not only Russia, but, as you know, a number of other countries have supported us.

The climate agenda cannot be a constraint or constraint on countries' right to development.

Moreover, these restrictions should come from those countries that at one time badly damaged the climate, providing themselves with high rates of development and thus obtaining a highly industrial economy, "the Kremlin spokesman added.

According to him, the climate issue is being discussed in the most active way both by the government and at meetings under the leadership of the president.

“The climate agenda is extremely important - it is one of the priorities of our foreign policy, which was clearly demonstrated, after all, we actively participated in the climate events that took place last month,” he said.