43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council
Agenda item 2
Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary General
Intervention by Permanent Representative of Ukraine Ambassador Yurii Klymenko
February 27, 2020
Madam President,
I would like to thank the High Commissioner for her update and dedication.
We welcome OHCHR’s activities to strengthen the work of the United Nations on prevention, the component that Ukraine has been advocating for a decade, and appreciate the work of the UN human rights field presences worldwide.
Among those 80 field presences, we pay particular attention to the activities of the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, deployed on the invitation of our Government in 2014.
Since then, the HRMMU has been reporting on grave violations of human rights, international law, IHL in the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Crimea. Just think about these figures: over 14 thousand people killed, 27 thousand wounded, 1.5 million IDPs. The areas seized by Russia have been turned into a land of fear and terror. Local economy destroyed, equipment of enterprises wrecked or moved to Russia. More than 3.4 million people need humanitarian assistance this year. Due to Russia’s ongoing aggression, conflict-affected areas have already become, according to the UN, the world’s most mine-contaminated. The Russian Federation continues to supply its occupation forces with weaponry, munitions, regular troops and mercenaries. Moreover, Russia continues to impede international navigation to Ukrainian ports through the Kerch Strait, which further aggravates the economic, social situation, economic and social rights of the residents in the broader Donbas region already affected by the attempted annexation of Crimea and Russia-fueled hostilities. Meanwhile, Russia pursues an illegal passportization in these areas, having issued more than 150 000 Russian passports in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas. Its purpose is crystal clear: to create a smokescreen for further military intervention into my country under the cover of “defending Russian citizens”.
Ukraine reiterates its commitment to the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbas by political and diplomatic means. At the same time, to stop the aggressor and bring it to justice will require a strong solidarity among UN Member-States, as well as an active involvement and concerted efforts of the whole UN system, including its human rights machinery. For the sake of lives of people, their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
I thank you.