The winners of the essay contest „Ombudsman of Ukraine: Protection of Human Rights during the War”, students of the Donetsk State University of Internal Affairs Alina Symonenko, Kateryna Litvin, Anna Amanheldiieva, Alevtyna Muliarchyk and Veronika Syrotiuk, together with the representative of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights in Kirovohrad region Halyna Luhova, took part in the International Human Rights Conference „Decade 2014-2024. Winning human rights. Preserving Democracy” in Kyiv.
The event was opened by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He stressed that russia’s holding so many people hostage is a crime for which it must be punished.
The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, delivered a welcoming speech.
„We have to be more resilient than ever in the face of the aggressor and set an example of defending democratic values for the entire international community,” the Ombudsman said.
The event was attended by over a thousand government officials and international organisations from around the world. Among the guests of honour: Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Masashi Nakagome, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Ukraine Christoforos Politis, members of the Ukrainian Parliament, international partners, ombudsmen from different countries, NGOs, experts, coordinators, human rights defenders.
The participants of the conference discussed the following issues: cooperation between parliaments and the Ombudsman to promote human rights in times of uncertainty; the struggle for identity during the decade of suffering and resilience of Ukrainian children; observance of information rights during the war; challenges for IDPs and released civilians.
The higher education seekers of DonSUIA noted that participation in the conference, which has become a platform of unity around democratic values based on the protection of human rights and freedoms, is a great honour and invaluable experience.
