A Statement on the Ukraine War

(日本語版の記事はこちら）

Japan Civil Society Network on SDGs (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Co-chairs: Atsuko Miwa and Masaaki Ohashi) has issued a Statement on One Year of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine.

The statement is as follows

February 24, 2023

Statement on One Year of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Masaaki Ohashi, Atsuko Miwa

Co-Chair, Japan Civil Society Network on SDGs

We appealed for "dialogue and diplomacy, not war and force" when Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago.

Unfortunately, this call has not been achieved yet. No clear path has been found to end the destructive violence, and fears of an escalation of the prolonged war have reached a peak.

The international rules and regulations have no effect on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the world’s response to climate change has been impaired. This caused, in January 2023, the Doomsday Clock to move 10 seconds forward from the previous year to 90 seconds to midnight, warning us how close we are to destroying our world.

The scale of casualties and damages caused by the war, including the loss of humanitarian volunteers and journalists, as well as civilians from more than 10 neighboring countries, has not even been captured. The intensification of the use of force, the spread of violence, growing inequality and disparity, increasing insecurity and discontent, and splitting　of the world in deep will only reverse the progress towards achieving the SDGs.

Now, we claim for peace - a world without violence all around the world.

Wisdom and solidarity are urgently required to confirm the values of mutual assistance, coexistence and solidarity, to pursue the possibility of dialogue without despair, and to overcome the devastation.

We must realize peace and we must achieve SDGs, highlighting that armed forces and any forms of violence are the greatest threat to all lives, human rights, the environment, society and the economy.

This year, as the turning point to 2030, we will explore the way together with you to create a peaceful, equitable and prosperous future which is free from armed conflict and violence, with our ‘leaving no one behind’ principle.

PDF is here 

Contact information:

Mr. Masaki Kubota, Japan Civil Society Network on SDGs

Email: teigen@sdgs-japan.net