Statement by Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN H.E. Dr. Andrii Melnyk at the informal meeting of the UN General Assembly plenary to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter

(26 June 2025)

Mr. President,

It is a very personal moment for me to speak today on behalf of Ukraine at the solemn commemoration.

Few may recall that Ukraine, then the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, was among the original 51 founding members who signed the UN Charter in 1945. Our seat at that historic table reflected not only our devastating losses during the Second World War – 10 million Ukrainian lives – but also the determination of our people to shape a more just and peaceful world.

And Ukraine did more than sign – our head of the delegation to the San Francisco Conference – and my predecessor – played a decisive role in the drafting process. He chaired the First Committee which was responsible for crafting the Preamble and Chapter I – the very heart of the UN Charter – its purposes and guiding principles.

These words, forged with Ukrainian participation, continue to inspire generations striving for peace, justice and sovereign equality. Even before regaining full independence in 1991, Ukraine’s voice within the United Nations was clear and active.

Today, as Ukraine defends itself against the unprovoked, full-scale aggression of Russia, the permanent member of the Security Council, our commitment to the United Nations Charter is not a matter of words. It is our Bible.

Today the UN faces the greatest challenges in its entire history: wars of aggression, mass atrocities, the erosion of international law. All these threaten the very foundations of our rules-based global order.

That is why the long-overdue reform of the Organization must not become just another bureaucratic exercise. We must go back to the roots – to the original purpose for which the UN was created: to prevent wars and to stop them when they break out.

Let us stop dancing around the subject. Let us stop kicking the can down the road.

I thank you. 

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UN Photo/Loey Felipe