Russia ‘in principle’ Agrees to UN and ICRC Involvement in Mariupol Evacuations

27-04-2022

Myrthe Niemeijer

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence 

Following a meeting between UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Putin has agreed “in principle” that the UN and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) can be involved in evacuations from Mariupol. As thousands of civilians and Ukrainian troops are sheltering in the city of Mariupol and its Azovstal steel mill, many in need of life-saving assistance, coordination to facilitate humanitarian aid and evacuation is essential. 

Safe evacuation requires the establishment of effective humanitarian corridors combined with the local halting of hostilities. The Secretary-General asserted the UN’s commitment to dedicate its resources and proposed the establishment of a Humanitarian Contact Group. Consisting of Russia, Ukraine and the UN, the Contact Group could be an important step in opening an effective humanitarian corridor, by guaranteeing safe conditions and cessation of hostilities locally. 

The readout of the meeting, issued by the Secretary-General’s spokesperson, further announced that follow-up discussions will be held with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Russian Defence Ministry. [1]

Notes:

[1] The full readout is available here: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/readout/2022-04-26/readout-of-the-secretary-general%E2%80%99s-meeting-he-mr-vladimir-putin-president-of-the-russian-federation 

Sources and further reading: 

United Nations Peace and Security. Russia agrees ‘in principle’ to UN and Red Cross involvement in evacuations from Mariupol. UN News. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1116932