Bangladesh abstained from voting as the UN General Assembly adopted a new resolution calling for an end to the war in Ukraine, hours before the conflict entered its second year today.
The UN General Assembly at its 11th emergency special session demanded Russia's immediate withdrawal from Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter.
A total of 141 member states voted in favour of the resolution and seven -- Belarus, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria – voted against.
Among the 32 abstentions were Bangladesh, China, India, Iran and Pakistan.
The UNGA reiterated its demand that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine and called for a cessation of hostilities".
It also urged member states to cooperate in the spirit of solidarity to address the global impacts of the war on food security, energy, finance, the environment and nuclear security and safety.
Underscoring that arrangements for a lasting peace should consider these factors, the UNGA also called upon all nations to support the secretary-general in his efforts to address these impacts.
The assembly also reaffirmed its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, extending to its territorial waters.
The resolution also emphasised the need to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed in Ukraine through independent national or international investigations and prosecutions to ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes.
The world body on Thursday also rejected two amendments proposed by Belarus. The first proposal would have altered several of the resolution's provisions, and the second would have had the assembly call on member states to, among other things, refrain from sending weapons to the zone of conflict, according to UN News.
At the outset of the session on Wednesday, the assembly president, Csaba Kőrösi, said in this "new chapter of history", the world is facing "stark choices about who we are as an international community".
"These choices will either set us on a path of solidarity and collective resolve to uphold the tenets of the UN Charter," he said, "or a path of aggression, war, normalised violations of international law and collapsed global action."
Days after the 24 February 2022 invasion, UN Security Council members had voted to allow the General Assembly to convene the eleventh emergency special session after Russia had vetoed a resolution that would have condemned the invasion of Ukraine.
In line with resolution 377A(V), adopted in 1950, the Assembly is able to take up international peace and security matters when the Council fails to do.
