55th session of the UN Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue with Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine

Delivered by New Zealand Permanent Representative.

Mr President,

New Zealand thanks the Commission of Inquiry for its update. We strongly support the mandate of the Commission, and its renewal this session.

We are now more than two years on from the shocking events of 24 February 2022, when the Russian Federation launched a full-scale military offensive to topple the Government of Ukraine and to take control of further Ukrainian territory.

The Commission's latest report confirms that little has changed in Russia's conduct in this illegal war of aggression since the Commission last reported to the Council.

The report highlights Russian armed forces' disregard for the requirement to maintain the distinction between military objectives and civilians, and notes that certain attacks amounted to the war crime of excessive incidental death, injury, or damage.

New evidence strengthens the Commission's previous findings that torture used by Russian authorities in Ukraine and in the Russian Federation has been widespread and systematic and it describes cases of horrific treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war in several detention facilities.

Russia's conduct over the last two years has only further underlined the necessity of close international scrutiny of the human rights situation in Ukraine while that country remains under attack and occupation.

We note that the Commission has underscored the importance of all dimensions of accountability, including truth, reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence. We ask the Commission: what more can be done by the international community to ensure thatthe rights and needs of the victims should be at the centre of these processes?

Thank you, Mr President.

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