Statement by Delegation of Ukraine to the United Nations,

at the UN Security Council open debate “Protection of civilians in armed conflict: Protection challenges and needs faced by women and girls in armed conflict and post-conflict settings”

Mr.President,

Thank you for giving the floor to Ukraine to contribute to this important and timely debate.

Let me thank all briefers for their statements.

Ukraine is alarmed by the fact that civilians continue to account for the majority of casualties in conflicts. Many of these civilians are women. The high number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is disturbing as well.

We fully support the concern of the Presidency and the Security Council as a whole of the protection challenges and needs faced by women and girls in armed conflict and post-conflict settings.

2015 marks fifteen years since the adoption of the Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) established the basis for the women, peace and security agenda and for the special protection and the full and equal participation of women in all conflict prevention, resolution and post-conflict peacebuilding efforts. The resolution proved to be an effective instrument for the member-states to implement their policies in this important area.

We are looking forward to the Global Review of the implementation of this resolution in 2015. We hope that it provides an additional impetus to fulfil all our commitments on women, peace and security.

Ukraine actively supports the efforts of the UN member-states on the implementation of the UN security Council Resolution 2122 (2013) on the need to address the full range of human rights violations and abuses experienced by women in armed conflict and post-conflict situations.

At the same time I would like to underscore that the full implementation of measures on civil protection, including the protection of women, on the territory of theDonetsk and Lugansk regions in Ukraine is seriously undermined by systematic violations by the Russian Federation of the provisions of Geneva Conventions of 1949 and its continuous aggression on the territory of my country.

Mr.President

Ukraine is very alarmed by the latest UN reports on the violence in countries where women have been directly targeted and have been disproportionately affected by mass displacement. We fully agree that women’s rights are under threat and that the role of women in countering terrorism and extremism is underutilized.

We urge all countries to make everything possible to stop the violence and continue the implementation of the provisions of the resolution 1325. 

A national action plan in accordance with the resolution 1325 to promote women’s equal and full participation in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace-building and peacekeeping, as well as incorporate gender perspective in all areas of peace building, is being developed by the Government of Ukraine, in close consultations with the UN agencies and civil society. We expect this plan to be adopted in 2015 and Ukraine is ready for its full implementation.

The Plan provides for a number of practical steps aimed at promoting women’s greater participation in political, economic, and social life, as well as addressing the current challenges faced by women and girls, first and foremost those caused by the ongoing foreign aggression against our country.

Ukraine actively supports efforts of the UN member-states on the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution 2122 (2013) on the need to address the full range of human rights violations and abuses experienced by women in armed conflict and post-conflict situations.

Mr.President,

The terrorist groups armed and supported by the Russian Federation continue to act openly in the East of Ukraine. Civilians, including women and children, continue to die from the Russian bullets and shells which are illegally brought to Ukraine.

According to the latest official statistics, the number of internally displaced persons in Ukraine due to the Russian aggression is 921,640 people. About two-thirds of adult IDPs are women. The Government fully understands their specific needs, as most IDP families include elderly and unaccompanied women with children.

In this regard the law on IDPs was adopted on 20 October 2014 inUkraine which was welcomed by the international community including the UN Refugee Agency. The law is aimed at ensuring the rights and freedoms of IDPs, including women, and addressing key issues in this area, including through facilitating humanitarian assistance.

In its recent report the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine finds that, in the Donetsk region, women comprise about 15 per cent of those killed and 15 per cent of those wounded as a result of the conflict.

There have also been incidents of abductions and sexual violence, by illegal armed groups, whose whereabouts remain unknown. 

Mr.President,

We are particularly alarmed by the facts of abduction of people in the territory of Ukraine and their subsequent illegal transfer to the Russian Federation for interrogation.

Ukrainian servicewoman Nadiya Savchenko captured in the Luhansk region in July last year, without any legal grounds, remains in a detention facility in the Russian Federation subjected to inhuman practices which constitute a violation of international law and obligations under bilateral treaties.

Even after obtaining the international immunity as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe on 26 January 2015 Nadiya Savchenko remained imprisoned.

The Parliamentary Assembly considered Savchenko’s transfer to the Russian Federation and subsequent imprisonment by the Russian authorities to be in violation of international law amounting to her de facto kidnapping. It demands that the Russian Federation respect its obligations under international law as a Party to the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities and its Protocol and calls upon the Russian authorities to release Ms Savchenko within 24 hours and to ensure her return to Ukraine or hand her over to a third country.

The most ironic and bullying is that now Savchenko is charged by the Russian authorities for illegal crossing of Russian border.

We demand the immediate release of Nadiya Savchenko and will make everything possible to ensure that those involved in her abduction and illegal detention are brought to justice.

I thank you Mr. President