International human rights conference “Decade 2014-2024: Telegram channel of the Ombudsman of Ukraine Dmytro Lubinets.
A large-scale international human rights conference “Decade 2014-2024: Winning back human rights. Preserving Democracy”. The event brought together more than a thousand participants – representatives of the authorities, international organisations, human rights defenders, journalists and civil society activists. This is reported by Time Ukraine Israel portal, citing the official Telegram channel of the Ombudsman of Ukraine Dmytro Lubinets.
The event, organised by the Ombudsman’s Office, the Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, was supported by the UNDP project “Transformative Recovery for Human Security in Ukraine”, funded by the Government of Japan.
Leaders’ speeches: emphasis on the struggle for democracy
The conference was opened by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In his speech, he emphasised the importance of international efforts to free Ukrainian citizens from Russian captivity. “The crime is not only the holding of our people in captivity, but also the indifference of those who have every opportunity to stop it,” Zelenskyy said, calling on the international community to take decisive action.
Among the key speakers at the event were Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Masashi Nakagome, Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine, Christoforos Politis, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, and Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. In their speeches, they emphasised the importance of political will and solidarity in defending democratic values.
Topics of discussion: from children’s rights to civilian reintegration
The panel discussions held at the conference tackled a number of pressing issues:
- The crisis of the global human rights system: challenges and ways to overcome them.
- Release and reintegration of Ukrainians from Russian captivity: concrete steps for search, return and adaptation.
- Protecting the rights of children and internally displaced persons (IDPs): Creating conditions for the safety and support of victims.
Special attention was paid to the restoration of justice and punishment of the aggressor for the crimes committed against the Ukrainian people.
Conclusions and hope for change
Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, stressed that the backslide of democracy can be stopped if there is political will. “Democracy is a choice that needs to be protected. We have to confront the global evil that does not stop escalating,” he said.
The conference became a platform for discussing bold solutions to save the world from tyrannies and dictatorships. Its outcome fills us with hope that joint efforts will bring results to protect human rights and preserve democracy.
