UN Council Adopts Resolution ‘Cooperation with and Assistance to Ukraine in the Field of Human Rights’

Ukraine welcomes the adoption of the resolution “Cooperation with and Assistance to Ukraine in the Field of Human Rights” by the UN Human Rights Council.

The document stipulates that the UN Human Rights Council will continue to review the human rights situation in Ukraine – throughout its territory within internationally recognised borders – over the next two years.

The review will take place within the framework of interactive dialogues with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, with special emphasis on the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.

In accordance with the resolution, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights will also continue to provide technical assistance to Ukraine in the field of human rights.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba praised this decision and stated: “Thanks to this resolution, we have kept the focus of the UN Human Rights Council’s attention on the consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine for another two years. This is part of the Foreign Ministry’s systematic work to convey the truth about the Russian Federation’s gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions to the world.”

The document was co-sponsored by Ukraine and 45 more countries, including the EU member states, Australia, Albania, Great Britain, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Israel, Canada, Libya, Moldova, Norway, New Zealand, Northern Macedonia, USA, Turkey, Montenegro, Switzerland, and Japan.

Background: the resolution has been initiated by the Ukrainian delegation to the UN Human Rights Council since 2014. This year, the fifth resolution was approved, referring to the UN General Assembly resolutions “Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine” and welcoming the cooperation between the Government of Ukraine and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Natalia Tolub