Government officials and civil society discuss ways to advance the human dimension of security in Ukraine at OSCE/ODIHR event in Kyiv

More than 150 representatives of civil society, international organizations and academia, as well as government and elected officials, gathered in Kyiv on 26 and 27 September to review the results of activities carried out with the support of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to strengthen the human dimension of security in Ukraine.

The discussion also focused on steps to promote greater compliance with OSCE commitments and international standards in the areas of democratization, human rights, and tolerance and non-discrimination.

“Human rights are truly inseparable from the notion of security,” ODIHR Director Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir said at the event. “There can be no sustainable security without respect for human rights and resilient democratic institutions, as a culture of democracy is ultimately a culture of peace.” 

The event was part of ODIHR’s Strengthening Dialogue among Civil Society and with Key Governmental Stakeholders in Ukraine project, which is designed to address key human rights issues in the country. Through the project, ODIHR has supported civil society actors in human rights monitoring and preventing hate crime, promoting dialogue with the government on democratic governance reforms, and designing a methodology for assessing the compliance of Ukraine’s legislation with human rights standards. 

“As democratic governance is not possible without regular interaction between government bodies and civil society, active co-operation between these two is crucial for strengthening the human dimension of security in Ukraine,” said Iryna Heraschenko, First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada, the country’s parliament.    

The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Gender, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, added that "gender equality is an imperative to advance democracy, peace and security in Ukraine, as anywhere."

ODIHR has a long history of fostering civil society engagement as part of its efforts to assist OSCE participating States in improving democratic institutions and promoting respect for human rights. The current project, with its focus on strengthening co-operation between governmental actors and the non-government sector, is a continuation of those efforts.

“This project by ODIHR has been fundamental in building the capacity of Ukraine’s human rights defenders and fostering dialogue in support of Ukraine’s compliance with its OSCE human dimension commitments,” said Valeriya Lutkovska, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights.