29th session of the UN Human Rights Council
Item 10 General Debates
Intervention by Permanent Representative of Ukraine
Ambassador Yurii Klymenko
(July 1, 2015)
Mr. President,
Ukraine is committed to implementing crucially needed reforms based on the human rights approach.
Recent steps made by the legislative power and the Government of Ukraine including developing the National Human Rights Strategy and corresponding Action Plan attests to my country’s adherence to its international obligations in the human rights sphere.
We are open for cooperation with the UN, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and other relevant organizations. The OHCHR Monitoring Mission working in Ukraine on invitation by the Government from March 2014, as well as the UN Special procedures, two of which visited my country since then, provide Ukrainian authorities with valuable recommendations on enhancing the human rights situation.
But let us be realists. Given the scale of challenges Ukraine faces today as a result of occupation of Crimean peninsula, and the conflict in the southeast fuelled from across the border continuously and relentlessly for over a year, it is indeed hard to imagine that we could cope with them on our own.
This is why Ukrainian authorities have consistently called for greater international assistance to my country in the area of human rights so we could draw on experience and good practices accumulated by other states which successfully went through difficult processes of democratic transitions and managed to establish a strong culture of human rights.
Findings and assessments produced quarterly by the UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine have been truly instrumental to this end.
We are confident, it is time to bring them to the Council, thoroughly, openly and inclusively discuss with a view to figure out best ways to assist my country in ensuring proper protection of all human rights of its population.
Specifically this purpose should serve the draft resolution “Cooperation and assistance to Ukraine in the field of human rights”, which we intend to introduce under item 10 the coming days.
I thank you.