PILPG Circle of Former Ambassadors to the UN Human Rights Council Statement in Response to the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine

March 22, 2023

The Public International Law & Policy Group, an ECOSOC-accredited NGO, convened a Circle of Former Ambassadors to the United Nations Human Rights Council, a group of several former Ambassadors to the Human Rights Council, including two former Presidents of the Council - Ambassador Joachim Rucker (2015) and Ambassador Vojislav Suc (2019).

On March 22, PILPG's Circle of Former Ambassadors to the United Nations Human Rights Council released a statement reiterating its support for the UN Human Rights Council Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, which has submitted its second report to the 52nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council. 

The Circle urges the Human Rights Council members to renew the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine and calls on the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to strengthen the resources and capacities of the Commission of Inquiry, providing all support required by the Commission of Inquiry as it carries out its responsibilities. 

The Circle notes that the Commission's findings and recommendations are significant in light of the recent news that the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova. The Circle reiterates that by launching and continuing its unprovoked, unjustified, and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, with the complicity of Belarus, Russia has challenged the core norms, principles, and commitments on which European and international security is built. 

The Circle reaffirms its support for the Ukrainian peoples in their pursuits for justice and  accountability for Russian atrocities in Ukraine. 

Click here to read their statement.