The Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities and Interethnic Relations held parliamentary hearings entitled: “On the state of observing rights of internally displaced persons and citizens of Ukraine residing on the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine and on the territory not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities in the area of anti-terrorist operation”
19 February 2015, 10:57
According to him, this problem pertains to security and human rights.
“On the one side of the coin, there is national security, on the other – human security. However, national security cannot be maintained at the expense of human security. This is a challenge for us,” noted Hryhorii Nemyria.
The people’s deputy Olena Shkrum (“Batkivshchyna” faction) informed that on the territory of Ukraine, there is the biggest number of internally displaced persons in Europe since 1943 while our state keeps concealing this problem.
“This is a global problem. We have the biggest number of internally displaced persons in Europe since the end of the World War II, and the Ukrainian authority keeps concealing this problem and artificially reducing the number of such people. This is inadmissible,” she said.
According to Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Valeriia Lutkovska, our country lacks the single state policy regarding internally displaced persons.
“We deem the internally displaced persons to be a problem for the state. I strongly disagree with that. These people can become the potential for country’s economic development, however, we need the state policy for that,” she underlined.
Chairperson of “Batkivshchyna” faction and member of the Committee Yuliia Tymoshenko called on the Prime Minister of Ukraine to take under his personal control coordination of action of all branches of power to resolve the problem of internally displaced persons and citizens of Ukraine residing on the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine and on the territory not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities in the area of anti-terrorist operation.
“Such coordination can be ensured only by the Prime Minister of Ukraine. Only this way we will be able to help our citizens,” she said.
In her turn, Commissioner of the President of Ukraine on peaceful settlement of the situation in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts Iryna Herashchenko called on to coordinate governments’ activity to settle this problem, and thanked volunteers for substantial assistance they render to the injured.
Former Governor of Donetsk Oblast Serhii Taruta called on to establish a body that would deal with the problems of internally displaced persons and those remaining in the ATO zone.
Member of the Committee Heorhii Lohvynskyi stressed the necessity of elaborating an action plan to resolve problems in this sphere, and called on the Government, Parliament and society to joint action. Apart from that, he informed about the bills registered this week that aim to settle problems of internally displaced persons: the draft law on amendments to several laws of Ukraine re increasing guarantees for observing rights and freedoms of internally displaced persons (Reg. No. 2166) and the draft law on amendments to the Law “On Securing Rights and Freedoms of Internally Displaced Persons” (re compensation for the damaged property) (Reg. No. 2167).
In his turn, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission Armen Harutyunyan stressed the necessity of reconsideration of the order of the Security Service of Ukraine of January 21 in line with the international norms and practices.
Representative of the NGO “Right to Protection” Dmytro Natalukha noted that internally displaced persons might become the megaphone of state’s information policy that is why their communication with the state bodies should be made positive to the maximum.
Representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Administration of the President of Ukraine, diplomatic missions, international organizations, NGOs and leading experts were in attendance at the hearings.