The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, conducted a visit to Ukraine from 17 to 21 March 2025, during which he focused principally on placing human rights at the heart of the discussions towards peace.
During his visit, the Commissioner expressed concern at the continuing plight that people in Ukraine have endured since the start of the war and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including bombardment, mass displacement, and human suffering on an unimaginable scale. Building on his recent human rights elements central to a roadmap to peace in Ukraine, the Commissioner called for the inclusion of human rights as important guiding principles to any peace discussions.
Ukraine's human rights commitments should serve as a foundation for reconstruction and recovery and for prioritising the well-being of the most vulnerable people. The Commissioner underlined the special role played by women in peace processes. He further called for the involvement of all actors, including representatives of the civil society and multilateral organisations. Commissioner O’Flaherty also emphasised the importance of supporting Ukraine in easing restrictions on human rights in an eventual transitioning out of martial law.
The Commissioner stressed that all perpetrators of gross violations of human rights and war crimes must be brought to justice. He expressed firm support for the Council of Europe’s contribution to initiatives on criminal accountability and justice mechanisms such as the Register of Damage for Ukraine or the ongoing work towards the establishment of a special tribunal to address the crime of aggression against Ukraine and a claims commission. He called for continued support for Ukraine’s national capacity to prosecute and try war criminals and for the investigations carried out by the International Criminal Court.
Emphasising that all victims of Russia’s aggression must receive reparations and rehabilitation, the Commissioner urged that adequate funds be made available to that end already now, noting with interest the ongoing discussions on the possible use of frozen assets for this purpose. Furthermore, on the issue of funding, he noted the negative impact of the recent US aid freeze on humanitarian and human rights projects in Ukraine and reiterated his call on European states to fill the funding gap.
The Commissioner highlighted the plight of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians missing or detained by Russia. Their urgent release and return, as well as the return of all Ukrainian children taken to Russia and the tracing of victims of enforced disappearance and all other persons missing due to the war are essential to a just and lasting peace.
Commissioner O’Flaherty deplored the continued lack of access for the UN and other independent international human rights monitoring bodies to territories of Ukraine remaining under Russian occupation. He stressed the importance of maintaining international attention and increased monitoring of the human rights situation of people living in these areas.
The Commissioner insisted that respect for human rights should be at the heart of any planning for the voluntary return of internally displaced persons and refugees. Drawing attention to the difficult situation of millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine, he called for better addressing their pressing humanitarian needs, such as housing, education, and access to employment and social services. The Commissioner recommended strengthening integration measures for those IDPs who are still unable or unwilling to return, ensuring that all those who choose to return home one day can do so under safe and dignified conditions.
The Commissioner reiterated that Russia’s continuing aggression against Ukraine is an attack on the whole of Europe and the core values shared by all members of the Council of Europe. He observed that the EU accession pathway carries with it human rights obligations as also should any peace agreement, and that these two important sets of commitments will need to be aligned and cross-referenced. “The path to peace must be grounded in human rights, justice, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to human dignity”, said the Commissioner pledging to continue to use his voice to defend the human rights of the victims of Russia’s aggression.
The Commissioner’s observations are forthcoming.
During his visit to Ukraine, the Commissioner met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of National Unity, Oleksiy Chernyshov; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mariana Betsa; the acting Prosecutor General, Oleksiy Khomenko; the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets; the Secretary of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Brigadier General Dmytro Usov; the Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel and their Families, Olha Kobylynska; the Gender Advisor of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Olena Hrihoriyeva; and representatives of Ukraine’s civil society and international organisations. In Lviv, he met with the First Deputy Mayor of Lviv, Andriy Moskalenko, and spoke to representatives of the Lviv region IDP Council in a local centre for IDPs from Mariupol. In nearby Novyi Rozdil, he met with a group of internally displaced persons living in an IDP collective residence. The Commissioner laid flowers in commemoration of Ukrainian soldiers at Lviv’s Lychakiv Cemetery and in Kyiv, accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Health for European Integration, Maryna Slobodnichenko, he visited the Children’s Hospital ‘Okhmatdyt’ partly destroyed by a Russian missile strike in July 2024.