47th session of the UN Human Rights Council
Interactive dialogue with Special Adviser of the Secretary-General
on the Prevention of Genocide and Responsibility to Protect
Intervention of Ukraine
(25 June 2021, Geneva)
Madam President,
Let me reaffirm my Government’s commitment to the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document, in particular to the provisions on Responsibility to protect all populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
Ukraine is a party to the core instruments of international law relating to prevention of atrocity crimes, protection of populations, upholding human rights and elimination of all forms of discrimination.
Ukraine has already expressed on many occasions strong belief that R2P concept fully excludes any possibility of covert usage of military force by one State against another State under pretext of population protection leading to occupation of the territory.
The General Assembly in its relevant resolutions condemned the temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation demonstrating its total intolerance to manipulations of R2P principles.
That country also neglects the lives and safety of the residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas and pursues actions including ongoing passportization that aims to create grounds for further aggressive acts in Donbas, in contradiction of spirit and letter of R2P. All these actions have to be immediately ceased.
Under IHL, the occupying power must restore and ensure security and public life, must not repeal, amend or adopt new legislation in the occupied territory and so on. However, human rights violations have become the «norm» therein.
In the context of today’s discussion, it is worth mentioning that human rights and humanitarian presence constitutes a critical part of a prevention mechanism, which in addition to monitoring can also identify risks for sharp deterioration of the situation and make respective recommendations for early action.
We urge the Russian occupation authorities to provide unhindered access for the established international human rights and humanitarian mechanisms to the territories of Ukraine which the Russian Federation temporarily occupies so that the international missions could fully and efficiently implement their important mandates to prevent and protect.
I thank you.