36^th session of the UN Human Rights Council

Agenda item 3

Clustered interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Intervention by the Permanent Representative of Ukraine

Ambassador Yurii Klymenko

September 20, 2017

Mr. President,

We welcome conducting this dialogue with both the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, may I turn to the EMRIP.

First of all, we would like to express our gratitude to the Expert Mechanism for the efforts to keep in focus the status of the rights of indigenous peoples worldwide, including the Crimean Tatars, who continue to suffer from the systematic violations of the fundamental human rights and freedoms by the Russian occupying authorities of Crimea.

While the peninsula has been totally closed for human rights monitoring mechanisms, the discrimination policy towards Crimean Tatar community, including outrageous physical harassments and psychological terror by the occupying power, continues.

In this regard, we fully support the proposition of the EMRIP to hold a half‑day discussion on the protection of indigenous human rights defenders at the 39th HRC session. We also commend holding the Side-event on Indigenous peoples of Crimea during EMRIP’s 10th working session in July this year, as such events help keeping the international community informed about severe human rights situation on the occupied peninsula.

We hope the issue of defending of the rights and identity of the Crimean Tatars will remain in the focus of the EMRIP’s attention and seek its member’s opinion on the possible ways of ensuring access of the international human rights monitoring missions to Crimea in compliance with the UNGA resolution 71/205.

Thank you.