On November 16-17, Kyiv sees the 40th Annual Forum of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and the 10th Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians on the International Criminal Court and the Rule of Law (CAP-ICC)
The event is attended by Ukrainian and foreign parliamentarians, representatives of central executive authorities and public organizations of Ukraine.
The first sessional day (November the 16th) of the forum takes place at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Hryhorii Nemyria, Head of the Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities and Interethnic Relations of the Ukrainian Parliament, Chief of the Organizing Committee of the PGA annual forum opened the sitting. He warmly welcomed the guests on behalf of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The participants were then addressed by PGA President Hon. Margareta Cederfelt, MP, Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE-PA. She spoke of PGA’s activities on ensuring responsibility for international crimes and the rule of law. Past deliberations of the CAP-ICC subsequently informed and inspired initiatives of several hundred lawmakers which led, as of today, to the ratification of the Rome Statute by 77 out of the current 123 states parties and to the domestic implementation by 36 states, she said. M.Cederfelt expressed her hope that Ukraine would ratify this statute in the near future.
The speaker also noted that PGA brings together some
1,300 members from 142 parliaments and provides information and mobilization of
parliamentarians worldwide to ensure the advancement and advocacy of human
rights, including rule of law and gender equality. Afterwards, Dmytro Storozhuk, Deputy Prosecutor
General of Ukraine, noted in his speech that PGA’s long-term activity aimed at
protection of human rights and societal security, advocacy of the rule of law
is unique. The chamber also saw Hugues Mingarelli, EU Ambassador
to Ukraine and Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine. He spoke about the Russian
aggression against Ukraine resulted in thousands of victims and violations of
human rights and international humanitarian law, which must be punished for
sure. For this purpose the Rome Statute can be used as an effective tool in the
fight against impunity. This is
extremely important for Ukraine, which has once again faced an external
military aggression. “I would like to convince you that the EU is on the
Ukrainian side in the process of implementing reforms that have been extremely
effective over the last 4 years,” stressed the politician in conclusion. More speeches were then delivered by Hryhorii Nemyria,
head of the Committee on Human Rights,
National Minorities and Interethnic Relations, O-Gon Kwon, the President of the
Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal
Court and Marc Perrin de Brichambaut,
Vice-President of the International
Criminal Court, a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague
and a former Secretary General of the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe.