The spring meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) continues its work. Today, parliamentarians also adopted a number of decisions that are significant for Ukraine, in particular, the Assembly adopted an important resolution on the security of the seas and oceans as part of the human right to a clean environment.
The author of the resolution, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, Yuliia Ovchynnykova, made a presentation on the resolution “Towards Council of Europe strategies for healthy seas and oceans to address the climate crisis”. The resolution was adopted with 68 votes in favour.
According to Yuliia Ovchynnykova, the document calls for the adoption of an Environmental Treaty for Ukraine, draws attention to the problems of the Black and Azov Seas in connection with russia's war against Ukraine, and recommends taking into account the proposals of the High-level Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of War, set out in the report “An Environmental Treaty for Ukraine. A Green Future: Recommendations for Accountability and Recovery”.
The resolution calls for coordination with allied states bordering the Black Sea to collect and analyse information on mines and unexploded ordnance in the Black Sea, water pollution and other effects of the war on animal and marine life and biodiversity. The document also proposes to establish a permanent body to regularly report on the environmental consequences of the war and to transmit this information to the Black Sea Commission and other international institutions, along with recommendations for repairing this damage and preventing it from happening again.
“It is important to emphasise that the Environmental Treaty is a component of the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, and this resolution is another evidence of its support by our foreign partners,” Yuliia Ovchynnykova emphasised.
She also noted that the topic of protection of the seas and oceans raises many other issues, including fishing, resource extraction in the seas and oceans, the rights of persons working in maritime navigation, and many others.
The text emphasises that despite the importance of the seas and oceans for humanity, they are constantly suffering from pollution, rising temperatures, and loss of biodiversity.
The resolution emphasises the role of the Council of Europe member states in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 14 and calls to:
- develop international instruments, in particular, to accelerate the process of signing and ratifying the UN Agreement on the Protection of the World’s Oceans of 5 March 2023;
- improve national legislation to effectively prevent and combat marine and ocean pollution, biodiversity destruction, and to recognise the crime of ecocide;
- create marine protected zones;
- strengthen cooperation with the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
“This resolution is an important step towards protecting the human right to a safe environment, protecting the seas and oceans, and preserving aquatic biodiversity. The work on the report lasted more than 2.5 years. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who helped prepare this report, advised and provided recommendations,” the speaker emphasised.
“The right to a safe environment is not just an aspiration, but a fundamental human right. And it must be ensured. Today, we have made significant progress on this path,” said Yevheniia Kravchuk, representative of Ukraine.
In particular, she said that the head of the French delegation to PACE, Bertrand Bouyx, had informed the US Congress of an appeal by 52 members of the French Parliament to support an additional package of assistance to Ukraine.
The parliamentarians noted that support for Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity means not only helping our free people, but also protecting international law and security for all.
The letter reminds us that on 16 February 2024, our countries decided to strengthen long-term bilateral security cooperation by signing an agreement providing for three billion euros of additional support from France this year.
“For more than two years, Ukrainians have been showing the world the face of a resilient and enduring nation. Their courage and dignity inspire our respect and admiration. Let us be worthy of their courage,” the document says.
“We thank our French colleagues for a strong manifestation of our unity! It is very important to have a consolidated position of Europe so that the supplementary bill on assistance to Ukraine is finally voted!” said Yevheniia Kravchuk.
Also today, Yevheniia Kravchuk registered a proposal for the PACE resolution “Eliminating gender stereotypes in the media”. The document has already appeared on the Assembly’s website: https://pace.coe.int/en/files/33512/html.
In particular, it emphasises that “the time has come for the Assembly to take further action to combat these harmful practices in the media and social media. By addressing the underlying causes of gender inequality and promoting positive portrayals of men and women, we can create a more inclusive and equitable society.” The author of the resolution expressed her hope that the proposal would be endorsed by the PACE Bureau and the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination.
Yesterday, the PACE adopted a resolution on the need to confront putin's totalitarian regime and its war against democracy. Today, according to the MP Larysa Bilozir, an updated text of the resolution has been published with the amendments made by the Ukrainian delegation.
“I would like to thank my colleagues in PACE who made a significant contribution to the development of this important resolution! Such decisions are extremely important for Ukrainians and send a signal to Europe that putin is not the only one responsible for the aggressive war against Ukraine,” Larysa Bilozir stressed.
Olena Moshenets, the Member of Parliament of Ukraine, said that today the Assembly considered the draft Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.
In particular, she noted that Ukraine is already using AI technologies to monitor public procurement (DOZORRO), which has already saved millions of hryvnias of taxpayers, and the NACP is considering using AI to verify declarations, while the NABU plans to use the technology to investigate criminal cases.
“Artificial intelligence is an integral part of the modern world, and we must provide opportunities for its fair use,” the MP said.
In addition, today the PACE held a joint meeting of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development and a hearing: “Victims of enforced disappearances: how russia captures Ukrainian civilians and violates international law”, organised by the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation with the support of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the Council of Europe.
“The speech of PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos, who stated the need to collect evidence of ruscist crimes and establish justice, was a landmark,” said Iryna Konstankevych, a member of the delegation.
She also cited several figures that were announced today at the Palace of Europe. Since the beginning of russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General has documented almost 120,000 (!) russian war crimes. In total, as of April, 34,000 citizens were included in the unified register of missing civilians of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This is verified data. In fact, it is impossible to even calculate how many Ukrainians are currently in russian captivity. Only 147 civilian hostages have been released during all the exchanges.
During the hearings, first-hand accounts of horrific abuse of Ukrainians in the occupied territories were heard, including from Ukrainian Tetiana Orlova, who spoke about the torture she had suffered when she and her husband were captured in the occupied territories.
“Ukraine is fighting for every enslaved citizen. We will return everyone who was taken away or deported by russia. The support of the world is important here, and we have it,” Iryna Konstankevych stressed.