UN commission insists on creating registry of victims of Russia's war in Ukraine, reparations programs

This is reported in the statement at the end of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine’s visit to Kyiv on December 2, 2022:

According to Pablo de Greiff, a member of the Commission, reparations for Ukraine go far beyond reconstruction, despite the fact that “there is no doubt that Ukraine still has a lot to rebuild.” According to him, victims of the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine have needs that require immediate attention.

“The establishment of a comprehensive reparations programs is a long-term process, which calls for consultations with those most affected. While its final design and implementation will take time, there are some immediate steps that can be taken by the Ukrainian government without exempting the Russian Federation from its responsibility, ” he noted.

Pablo de Greif emphasized that in order to quickly help the victims of war, it is necessary to create their registry or a corresponding functional equivalent. This should facilitate access to support services such as mental health and psychosocial support for those who have experienced violence, including displaced persons.

In his view, attacks on infrastructure affect access to rights that are fundamental to large numbers of the population. According to him, this is a very serious issue for the UN Independent International Commission.

Therefore, it plans to study the destruction of Ukraine's civil infrastructure in detail and will return to it in a report on human rights in March 2023. That's when the commission will make recommendations on various possible accountability mechanisms.

• On December 1, UN emergency aid coordinator Martin Griffiths said that 13.6 million war-affected Ukrainians had already received humanitarian aid, and a total of USD 5.7 billion had been requested for Ukraine and the region next year. According to him, the war in Ukraine has “turned part of Europe into a battlefield”, and “as winter approaches, the situation is not getting any easier.”