We, the representatives of organisations dealing with the protection of the rights of victims of armed aggression against Ukraine, support the decision to retain the ministry responsible for people affected by the war and to transform the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories into the Ministry of National Unity. This important decision sends a clear signal to our fellow citizens, international partners and civil society that overcoming the negative consequences of the war and national unity are a priority for the state policy of Ukraine.
In September 2024, together with more than 50 organisations, we called on the President of Ukraine to support the preservation of the government ministry responsible for people affected by the war, regardless of whether they are in the temporarily occupied or government-controlled areas of Ukraine or abroad. The President spoke about this in October 2019, during the Unity Forum event in Mariupol. A person, along with their rights and needs, must remain at the center of the state’s attention, especially if they have suffered as a result of the armed aggression of the RF.
We are convinced that national unity is only possible when the state works on social cohesion, starting with communities in government-controlled areas and ending with facilitating the return of Ukrainians who were forced to go abroad due to the war. However, it is equally important to maintain and build ties with the residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. We don’t know when our lands will be liberated, but the people who remain there are citizens of Ukraine and our strongest link to the territories temporarily controlled by the aggressor state. Our people under occupation need support from their own state and consideration of their interests and needs in the development of state policies.
We believe that the priority of the Ministry of National Unity should be to maintain ties with those with whom the state is forced to lose these ties because of the war. Therefore, the human dimension should be the key focus for the renewed ministry. As well as the Ministry of Reintegration, the Ministry of National Unity should continue to ensure the formation and implementation of state policy on:
- the temporarily occupied territories and protection of the rights of the population living there, with the goal of their reintegration into a single legal, informational, socio-economic, cultural, and educational space of Ukraine;
- internally displaced persons and citizens of Ukraine who were forced to go abroad regarding the facilitation of the exercise of their rights and freedoms and the creation of conditions for voluntary return or integration at a new place of residence;
- social cohesion and the building of a long-term just peace.
We call on the government of Ukraine to be guided by the idea that national unity and resilience are one of the necessary conditions for the return of the territories occupied by the enemy when determining the scope of the Ministry of National Unity. National unity cannot be achieved without considering the interests and needs of the millions of citizens affected by the war, including those who remain in the temporarily occupied territories.
December 6, 2024
Human Rights Centre ZMINA
NGO Donbas SOS
NGO Civil Holding GROUP OF INFLUENCE
Crimean Human Rights Group
CF EAST-SOS
CO CF Stabilization Support Services
NGO CrimeaSOS
CF Right to Protection
