Russia rebukes UNICEF head for refusing to brief UNSC on Gaza children

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
25 Jan 2025 19:37

Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzya, accuses UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell of failing to present a "weighty argument for her refusal" to address the issue of children in Gaza.

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Executive Director of UNICEF Catherine Russell addresses members of the UN Security Council at the United Nations headquarters, on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023 (AP)

Russia criticized the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for declining to brief the Security Council on the situation of children in the Gaza Strip during a meeting convened at Moscow's request, the Middle East Monitor reported on Saturday.

Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzya, noted on Thursday that UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell had promptly briefed the Security Council in December regarding children in Ukraine, coinciding with the US presidency of the Council.

Addressing the Council, Nebenzya stated, "The refusal of UNICEF’s head to brief the Security Council about the horrific tragedy linked to the deaths of tens of thousands of children in Gaza is a flagrant step which deserves our most serious censure."

He further accused Russell, who is a US citizen, of failing to present a "weighty argument for her refusal" to address the issue of children in Gaza.

"So, it would appear that for UNICEF, children in Gaza are less important than children in Ukraine," Nebenzya pointed out.

Additionally, the Russian envoy attributed partial responsibility for the killing of children in Gaza to Washington, citing the US veto that protected "Israel" during the war. Nebenzya highlighted that the US ignored Russia's calls for a Security Council meeting on the matter in December.

In response, UNICEF attributed Russell’s inability to deliver the briefing to scheduling conflicts, with a spokesperson explaining that she was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and was unable to adjust her commitments to brief the Security Council.

"The UNICEF Executive Director has briefed the Security Council several times on the situation of children in Gaza and appreciates the Council’s focus on children impacted by war," a UNICEF spokesperson said.