Zelensky enacts National Human Rights Strategy

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed Decree No. 119/2021 to enact the National Human Rights Strategy.

"The strategy is aimed at uniting society by the values ​​of human rights and freedoms, which are ensured and protected on the basis of the principles of equality and non-discrimination. The document focuses on solving the main systemic problems in ensuring, implementing and protecting human rights and freedoms amid new challenges facing society," the press service of the Head of State informs.

It is currently envisaged that the document will be implemented in 27 strategic areas, including, in particular: preventing torture and ill-treatment; ensuring the right to a fair trial; ensuring freedom of peaceful assembly and association; preventing and counteracting discrimination; ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men; combating domestic violence; ensuring the rights of indigenous peoples and national minorities; ensuring the rights of children, environmental rights, the rights of war veterans, in particular those who took part in measures to repel and deter armed aggression of the Russian Federation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions; ensuring the rights of internally displaced persons and persons residing in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.

The implementation of this strategy will be carried out in such areas as restoring the rights of persons who were detained as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the temporary occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine; ensuring the rights of persons gone missing under special circumstances and members of their families; overcoming the negative consequences of the conflict caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, etc.

According to the President's press service, the implementation of this strategy should result in the introduction of a systematic approach to ensuring human rights and freedoms, coordinating actions of state and local governments, civil society and business and creating an effective mechanism for implementing and protecting human rights and freedoms.

The implementation of this strategy should also ensure progress in the implementation of Ukraine's international human rights treaties, in particular, the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

In addition, as noted, this strategy will contribute to the implementation of Ukraine’s Sustainable Development Goals until 2030 and improve position of Ukraine in international human rights rankings.

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