Ambassador Lisa Carty
U.S. Permanent Representative to the Economic and Social Council
New York, New York
November 3, 2023
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Chair.
The United States is proud to have fought with our World War II allies, including the Soviet Union, to achieve victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. We categorically condemn the glorification of Nazism and all modern forms of violent extremism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, xenophobia, discrimination, and related intolerance.
That said, the United States continues to oppose the Russian Federation’s manipulation of the UN system to spread disinformation. This resolution is a glaring attempt by Russia to further its geopolitical aims. It invokes the Holocaust and the Second World War to malign countries that rightfully reject the celebration of their brutal domination by the Soviet Union. This is more egregious now, when Russia uses false accusations of Nazism to try to justify its war of aggression against Ukraine.
The Russian Federation’s resolution is not a serious effort to combat Nazism, antisemitism, racism, or xenophobia – all of which are abhorrent and unacceptable. Instead, Russia’s attempts to instrumentalize history to justify its aggression is an affront to Holocaust victims and to all who fought against Nazism. This resolution is a shameful political ploy.
We fully support the amendment presented today, which introduces into this resolution language that rejects the cynical use of propaganda by Russia to smear its neighbors.
In addition, we continue to have serious concerns with the resolution’s invocation of Article 4 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to justify undue restrictions on freedom of expression.
Finally, we note our concerns regarding the process by which this resolution was run. The Russian Federation failed to provide any opportunity for Member States to meaningfully engage in negotiations, holding only one sham informal in which no suggestions were taken on board.
For these reasons, we will continue to vote “No” on this resolution, as we have done since 2005, and we call on all countries to do the same.
In closing, the United States calls on the Russian Federation to immediately cease all military actions against Ukraine, withdraw its forces from all of Ukraine’s sovereign territory including Crimea, refrain from any further unlawful threat or use of force against any other Member State, and finally, drop the false narrative by which it has been exploiting one of history’s darkest moments to further its twisted aims.
Thank you.
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