Petition for the Deployment of International Intervention Forces in Ukraine*

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has finally called for an immediate and temporary "ceasefire" in Ukraine after sixty days of armed violence. The General Assembly of the United Nations already approved Resolution 377a (Uniting for peace) in 1950, which authorizes the General Assembly to adopt – by qualified majority – the measures of peace keeping. Therefore, both the member countries of the European Union and the States that abstained on the resolutions condemning Russia, could request the convening of a new Extraordinary General Assembly. Said Assembly could support the urgency of an immediate truce and authorize sending International Peace Forces to Ukraine to guarantee it.

The signatories of this petition urge the activation of the United Nations Statute, in particular its Chapter 7, which authorizes the General Assembly to decide on peace keeping measures through the "International Peace Forces" (the so-called Blue Helmets) established since the document "United Nations Peacekeeping Operations: Principles and Guidelines" was issued to ensure compliance with the "ceasefire".

Among the essential rights, or as the basis of essential rights, the Charter of the United Nations of 1945, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and the United Nations Covenants on Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966 have established the principle of human dignity, mentioned in their respective preambles. The contempt for human dignity regarding women, minors, men, and the whole civilian population, is just one of the heinous crimes committed by the Russian army. Contempt could reach its peak if the Moscow autocrat decided to parade the Ukrainian prisoners, humiliating them as the Soviets did on the Red Square in 1945 with the prisoners of the Third Reich. The international community, mainly the OSCE and the European Union – while having the awareness and the means – have not been able to foresee the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine without any justification and to bring military operations to a halt.

The only way forward at this point appears to be the dispatch to Ukraine of international interposition forces (the blue helmets) to guarantee the peace keeping operations. Their mission – it should be reminded – is not offensive, but it is necessary to ensure compliance with the ceasefire. The decision should be taken by a qualified majority of the General Assembly of the United Nations, going beyond the stalemate taking place within the Security Council.

This intervention was also explicitly requested by the Ukrainian Parliament, which called for the deployment of a peace-keeping mission on the Ukrainian territory, launching an appeal to the United Nations for international mediation. The exceptional gravity of what has been happening since February 24 in Ukraine and Vladimir Putin's refusal to accept the start of a genuine peace negotiation now requires the adoption of exceptional measures.

This is obviously a difficult road to undertake, but the immense humanitarian tragedy must push the international community to try to take even the most difficult roads and, on this occasion, to show the world that the UN is an institution created to guarantee justice, peace, and the freedom of peoples.

* Proposed by the Italian Council of the European Movement