43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council

Agenda item 10

Interactive Dialogue on Ukraine

Point of Order by the Delegation of Ukraine 

Mr. Vice President,

I express a resolute protest against the provocation that has previously taken place during this Interactive Dialogue in a form of participation of representative of Russian occupation administration in Crimea. Initially, we heard the voice of unidentified person who turned out to be a representative of occupying authorities and as such should have been forbidden to speak on behalf of the national delegation of the Russian Federation

Our delegation has recently sent to the OHCHR the Verbal Notes №28/017 of 14 February 2020 and №151/017 of 10 June 2020, drawing attention to the United Nations General Assembly resolutions 68/262, 71/205, 72/190, 73/263 and 74/168. The latter, in particular, calls “upon all international organizations and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, when referring to Crimea in their official documents, communications and publications, including with regard to statistical data of the Russian Federation, to refer to «the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation», and encourages all States and other international organizations to do the same".

Therefore, the delegation of Ukraine emphasizes that persons who by any means claim to be representing Crimea must not be accredited at the events under the aegis of the United Nations as a part of the delegation of the Russian Federation or any other delegation, but that of Ukraine exclusively on the request of the Ukrainian side.

In this regard, let me be crystal clear – Crimea is Ukraine, and any attempts to legitimize its temporary occupation, in particular under the guise of a hybrid format of HRC meetings because of the COVID-19 pandemic, should be resolutely condemned in unequivocal terms and averted in the future.

The Ukrainian delegation demands that the statement of the Russian occupation authority is not reflected in any way and form in the official records of this meeting.

I thank you.