Closing statement by the delegation of Ukraine at the 2019 Human Dimension Implementation Meeting

(27 September 2019, Warsaw)

Madame Director,

We cannot asses the 2019 HDIM as the breakthrough in the review of the implementation of the OSCE human dimension commitments.

I would like to remind how painful was the labor that gave birth to this year’s HDIM. We invested a lot of energy and effort to agree on its agenda and modalities.

We regret that these efforts resulted in a lot of actions that have no or too little traction with the realities on the ground, as my delegation pointed out at the opening.

Distinguished colleagues,

We view as unacceptable the Russian Federation’s political provocation as it manipulated the issue of civil society participation in the HDIM and organized side-event to advance its attempts to legitimize Russia’s illegal occupation and annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol in breach of the norms of international law, OSCE principles and commitments.

We deeply regret that Russia used this HDIM to continue spreading its propaganda trying to shift its responsibility on others for the growing repressions, serious human rights violations and discrimination in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and parts of Donbas temporarily occupied by Russia.

At the HDIM Russia employed many of GoNGOs, funded and hired in Russia and abroad, and brought representatives of the occupation authorities under the cover of so-called “free journalists” and “civil society activists”. They should be driven out instead of being given the floor by the moderators under the pretext of freedom of speech, as their participation depreciates of our procedures, norms and values.

We wish to thank all delegations and civil society actors, who demonstrate constant attention and genuine deep concern over the human rights situation in the Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine.

Madame Director,

We observe the erosion of HDIM as the platform for a genuine and open dialogue of the governments and civil society as the event was hacked by GoNGOs and personalities without any human rights expertise who ignored OSCE principles and commitments as well as the OSCE rules and procedures.

This erosion is caused by the dilution of the modalities of the meeting, their discrepancy with the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act.

We regret that one OSCE participating State once again did not attend the event and the reasons of the absence of our partner were not addressed.

We believe that the incoming Albanian Chairmanship should initiate a discussion on bringing current HDIM format in line with the OSCE founding principles and commitments.

I thank you.