South Africa diverged from its BRICS allies by voting in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution on December 3, 2025, calling for Russia to return thousands of Ukrainian children abducted during the war. The resolution passed with 91 votes in favor amid widespread international concern over child rights violations. Ukrainian representatives in South Africa expressed deep gratitude for the decision.
On December 3, 2025, the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution 'Return of Ukrainian Children,' introduced by Ukraine, Canada, and the European Union. It received 91 votes in favor, 12 against, and 57 abstentions, demanding that Russia ensure the immediate, safe, and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children forcibly transferred or deported to Russia. The measure also urged an end to further deportations, family separations, changes to children's personal status, and their indoctrination.
South Africa's ambassador to the UN, Mathu Joyini, explained the vote by emphasizing respect for international law. 'South Africa’s vote today reflects the importance of the need to respect international law, and that children should never be targets of breaches of both international human rights and international humanitarian law,' she stated. Unlike its BRICS partners—Russia and Iran voted against, while others abstained—South Africa joined Western nations in supporting the resolution, breaking from its usual abstentions on Russia-critical measures.
This stance aligns with South Africa's prior efforts. In June 2023, President Cyril Ramaphosa appealed directly to Vladimir Putin during an African Peace Mission. In April 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky provided Ramaphosa with a list of 400 abducted children, seeking assistance for their return. Joyini noted ongoing collaboration with Canada, Qatar, and the Holy See to protect and repatriate the children, underscoring that 'the rights of children should not become a bargaining tool in any conflict.'
The resolution highlights violations of the Geneva Conventions and invokes the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It tasks UN Secretary-General António Guterres with engaging Russia. Ukraine's representative stressed, 'This resolution is not about politics; [it] is about humanity,' while decrying children as 'war trophies.' Russia's delegate dismissed the claims as a 'particularly cynical lie.'
Kateryna Aloshyna of the Ukrainian Association of South Africa praised the vote as evidence of South African leadership on children's rights, noting broad domestic support from NGOs and Archbishop Thabo Makgoba. The NGO Bring Kids Back UA reports 19,546 children abducted, with only 1,876 returned.