The Council of Europe supported the international high-level expert Conference ‘United for Justice: Accountability for Attacks Against Civilian Objects’, held in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 11 September 2024.
The Conference provided a platform for expert exchange on critical topics such as the scale of damage in Ukraine, and accountability for the destruction of energy, grain and port infrastructure, healthcare and educational facilities.
Among speakers and participants were Presidents of States, representatives of the Council of Europe and European Union institutions, the International Criminal Court, the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA), leading experts in international law, Prosecutors General of European states, and Ukrainian government officials.
Attending the event in person, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, addressed the audience with the words “Laws hold power when people take action…”. The President urged the international community to unite for the sake of justice and to hold the aggressor state and its political and military leadership accountable.
In her closing remarks, Clare Ovey, Director of Human Rights (Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe), addressed the far-reaching human rights implications of ensuring justice for violations of international law. She reiterated the need to avoid impunity for serious violations of human rights and to provide redress to all victims of the unprovoked war of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and she highlighted the unwavering commitment of the Council of Europe to that effect. “We shall remain united for justice,” Ms Ovey noted, “and – together - we shall prove successful in ensuring accountability for the ongoing attacks on civilian objects.”
In line with the series of ‘United for Justice’ conferences launched in Lviv in 2023, the event reaffirmed that “no peace can be without justice and accountability”.
The Council of Europe contribution to the Conference was provided through the Project “Human Rights Compliant Criminal Justice System in Ukraine” as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026).
Closing remarks by Clare OVEY, Director of Human Rights of the Council of Europe
