UNGA80 Third Committee: 

Statement by Ukraine’s Youth Delegate Mr. Yan Erl Ruzhytskyi

on agenda item 25 - Social development

9 October 2025

Chair,

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, I was a freshman at university. Every academic year since has been marked by air raid sirens, nights in shelters, and days without electricity. My groupmates and I studied through darkness, writing essays by candlelight and attending lectures in basements. We did so because we wanted to keep learning and to contribute to our country’s development. And today, I am here — as a Ukrainian Youth Delegate to the United Nations — representing that same generation which continues to learn, develop, and create despite the war.

So, what is the price of upholding the ideals enshrined in the UN Charter? Just one year ago, a Russian drone strike hit near my university. The blast wave blew out the windows, and the next morning, me and my friends were clearing the debris together. This is only one of thousands of examples of how Russia’s aggression continues to disrupt education across Ukraine.

Two weeks ago, Russian forces deliberately killed a civilian couple in Donetsk region and took their minor daughter hostage, using her to shield their units during continued assaults. She is one of around 20 thousand Ukrainian children forcibly displaced by Russia. Each child, each lost life, represents a profound social and generational loss.

Another story is that of Appaz Kurtamet, the youngest Crimean Tatar political prisoner, who was unlawfully detained by Russian authorities in 2022 on fabricated charges. His courage reflects the spirit of Ukraine’s youth — unwilling to surrender their identity, even under repression and captivity.

Behind these stories are millions of Ukrainians sustaining their communities. Young people engage in volunteering, create innovations, and strengthen civil society. Their spirit shows that social development, education, youth engagement, and resilience persist even under the shadow of war.

Chair,

Ukraine remains guided by the World Programme of Action for Youth and the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, frameworks that emphasize inclusion, dignity, and solidarity. For us, these are not abstract principles — they are a roadmap to recovery. Yet no form of social development, youth engagement, or education can truly advance without real peace — a peace that Russia is not seeking.

If the international community is to honour the very core of the UN Charter, the maintenance of international peace and security, it must act decisively: hold the aggressor accountable, support the post-war recovery of Ukraine, and protect the rights of children and youth whose lives have been shaped forever by Russia’s unprovoked aggression.

Thank you.