Intervention by the delegation of Ukraine

during 80th UNGA Third Committee interactive dialogue with Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons,

Ms. Paula GAVIRIA BETANCUR

21 October 2025

Thank you, Chair.

Ucrania agradece a la Relatora Especial por el informe presentado y por destacar las buenas prácticas que nuestro país ha adoptado en la atención del desplazamiento interno.

Ucrania respalda plenamente el llamamiento de la Relatora a los Estados Miembros para que superen la asistencia temporal y adopten enfoques estructurales y centrados en las personas que garanticen los derechos de las personas desplazadas internamente. En Ucrania, país que sigue sufriendo la agresión de la Federación de Rusia, dichos enfoques no son opcionales, sino esenciales para garantizar la estabilidad y la dignidad de nuestro pueblo. No obstante, esta es una experiencia que desearíamos no haber tenido que vivir.

For more than eleven years of Russia’s war, and especially since the full-scale invasion in 2022, millions of Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes, including myself, my family, and most of my friends from my hometown, Kharkiv. Entire communities have been erased from the map. Many people have been displaced twice — first in 2014, and then again in 2022. TWICE, they fled the war, started a new life, integrated into society, and had to flee again.

Ukraine remains firmly committed to ensuring that every displaced person is seen, supported, and empowered to return or resettle safely and voluntarily. But the scale of this tragedy demands global solidarity. Russia’s ongoing full-scale aggression remains the root cause of this suffering. Accountability and a just, lasting peace are indispensable for any durable solution.

Finally, we would like to ask the Special Rapporteur: in your view, in situations where security challenges persist, what more can be done by governments to ensure that IDPs are not only protected and housed, but meaningfully reintegrated into local communities as equal participants in recovery and development?

I thank you.