The invasion of Ukraine is an unacceptable atrocity
The unprovoked military aggression of Russia against Ukraine is a clear violation of numerous articles and provisions of the United Nations Charter, which establishes a universal shared mission to “maintain international peace and security” and “develop friendly relations among nations”, and which commits all members to “settle their international disputes by peaceful means”.
Article 2 explicitly states that:
“All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”
Violating the UN Charter with military aggression risks subverting the universality of binding international law. The destabilization of international law makes it harder to peacefully resolve disputes and to solve the biggest challenges of our time. Without global agreements to commit to, require, and act on a mutual obligation to prevent dangerous human-caused climate emergency, deviant actors may delay progress until it is too late to get to safety.
We are concerned about the human-scale impact on innocent people, across Ukraine, in the wider region, and around the world. The military invasion of Ukraine directly threatens food security in many countries across the world, and puts at risk carefully crafted mainstays of international peace and security.
The use disinformation as a weapon of war undermines the basic human right to evidence and informed decision-making. Attacks on civil society inside Russia deny the Russian people the ability to fully express and defend their own humanity. We have seen evidence of this today, as those Russians courageous enough to gather in protest of Putin’s war were detained.
We share the view of climate action allies in the region, who wrote today:
“Democracy, a strong civil society and peaceful diplomatic relations with neighboring countries are the key to the development of a modern state.”
At CCI, we value the humanity of every person as paramount. Humanity must always be a higher value than any use of power for personal or factional interest. We value multilateral cooperation under structured and agreed international law as vital to securing a livable future.
We stand with civil society allies and partners and call on all law-abiding nations to counter disinformation, stand together, and work to contain this threat. In this age of planetary crisis, when we have so much knowledge and technical capacity at our disposal, we need to be able to work together, as a diverse international community, to develop our societies sustainably, peacefully, and with respect for one another’s humanity.
The people of Ukraine have an inalienable right to live free from terror and military invasion. All people have an interest in making sure that right is actively honored and secure. The safety, security, and sustainable wellbeing of all people everywhere depends on bringing an end to this illegal invasion and holding those responsible fully accountable to the rule of law.
