UNITED NATIONS THIRD COMMITTEE: INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE WITH THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON UKRAINE
29 October 2024
Australia thanks the Commission of Inquiry for today’s update.
The Inquiry’s independent reporting helps contribute to our collective understanding of the systemic violations of human rights and the violations of international humanitarian law stemming from Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war is an unacceptable violation of the UN Charter. We reiterate our call on Russia to completely withdraw its forces from within the internationally recognised borders of Ukraine and to end this senseless war.
Australia deplores Russia’s escalation of large-scale missile strikes across Ukrainian cities, including in Poltava and Kyiv. Russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure have indiscriminately killed civilians and destroyed hospitals and schools. Russia’s repeated attacks on energy infrastructure have triggered nationwide power cuts and left millions without access to medical care.
We remain gravely concerned by [the continuing patterns of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law documented in this report. This includes deeply disturbing reports of wilful killings, torture, rape, forced transfers and deportations, including of children, and findings of sexual violence against male detainees and against women in villages under Russian control.
As members of the UN, we all have a responsibility to hold Russia to account for its violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law.
We stand with the Ukrainian people as they endure another year of Russian aggression. Commissioner, what more can the international community do to ensure justice and accountability for human rights violations in Ukraine?