Annual report

 of the Office of the United Nations 

High Commissioner for Human Rights  

Intervention by Permanent Representative of Ukraine 

Ambassador Yurii Klymenko

June 5, 2020

Madam High Commissioner,

I would like to thank you for the OHCHR comprehensive and multidimensional report.  

Welcoming the OHCHR’s dedicated activities worldwide, we pay special attention to the work of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, deployed by the invitation of our Government in March 2014.

I would like to stress on the excellent cooperation existed so far between the Government of Ukraine and the Mission and to thank the HRMMU for the technical assistance provided to our country, in particular, in the sphere of application of human rights based approaches to the implementation of the UN Partnership Framework and the formulation of the Multi-year Humanitarian Response Plan, as well as supporting the National Human Rights Action Plan.

Our Government carefully studies all recommendations contained in the OHCHR regular reports on the human rights situation in Ukraine prepared by the Mission with a view to implement the most relevant of them.

However, reading this Annual report we were surprised not to find there any mentioning about the HRMMU activities with regard to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation. I wish to remind that, according to Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the OHCHR, the Mission was invited  with the aim to “monitor the human rights situation in the country, with particular attention to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Eastern and Southern regions of Ukraine”.

With regard to the mentioned in the OHCHR`s reports so-called conflict in Eastern Ukraine, that in reality is a Russian armed aggression against my country, I would like to stress that no conflict can be resolved without effectively addressing its root causes. In our case, it is occupation of the part of the Ukrainian territory – certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as Crimea. The 74^th session of the UN General Assembly considers the situation on the mentioned territories under agenda item 63 “The situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine”.

We would be grateful therefore if the Office does not shy away from the obvious in its future Annual reports as well as its regular reports on Ukraine. 

In conclusion, Madam High Commissioner, let me once again assure you in my country’s open, transparent and constructive approach to cooperation with you and your Office.

I thank you.