On April 10 Yurii Klymenko, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine in Geneva, met with UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe Marie-Pierre Poirier.

The outcomes of last March M.-P. Poirier visit to Ukraine were discussed. She positively assessed the level of interaction between the Government of Ukraine, private sector, local communities and ordinary people in addressing the challenges Ukraine faces at the present stage of its development. UNICEF further readiness for assisting the Ukrainian side in its efforts to protect rights and interests of the children, especially the most vulnerable ones, was underlined.

Y.Klymenko called upon the UNICEF Regional Director to pay significant attention to attempts of illegal adoption of Ukrainian children by citizens of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The Permanent Representative of Ukraine also requested UNICEF assistance in recovery, recreation and rehabilitation of Ukrainian children, including those from the south-east of Ukraine, who, due to reducing the number of health institutions because of the illegal annexation of Crimea, had been deprived of such opportunities.

 M.-P. Poirier assured that her Office would monitor closely the above mentioned issues, in particular in the context of UNICEF efforts on providing social and psychological assistance to the most vulnerable Ukrainian children.

Other acute issues of bilateral cooperation, in particular immunization of the Ukrainian children on the whole territory of the State, were discussed.