Laputina meets with head of UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine

Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine Yuliia Laputina held a working meeting with Matilda Bogner, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), according to the Ministry for Veterans Affairs’ press service.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs on European Integration Oleksiy Illiashenko and Head of the HRMMU Department for the Right to Physical Immunity and Human Rights in Armed Conflict Uladzimir Shcherbau.

Laputina informed about the main priorities and strategic directions of the ministry's work, in particular, the provision of housing for defenders and IDPs in Ukraine.

"Today, there are about 3,000 people in Ukraine who are both participants in combat actions and internally displaced persons. Their homes remained in the occupied territories due to Russian aggression, and these people made a conscious choice - at the most difficult time, at the beginning of the war, they went to defend the country. Currently, the Ministry for Veterans Affairs is working to ensure that next year all defenders and IDPs receive housing - this is a large budget. We have support for this issue from the level of the top leadership of the state," she said.

The minister also informed the representatives of UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission on changing approaches in the system of medical and psychological rehabilitation of veterans, as well as proper information on such rehabilitation, medical and psychological support of families of killed soldiers, professional training programs for veterans and assistance to families, etc.

Bogner thanked Laputina and Illiashenko for the meeting and provided information.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine began its work in March 2014. The mission monitors, reports and advocates on the human rights situation in Ukraine. Activities aim to improve access to justice and bring perpetrators to justice.

The mission has seven offices in Ukraine: in Kyiv, Donetsk, Kramatorsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Odesa and Kharkiv. Regarding the human rights situation in Crimea, the mission provides remote monitoring from offices in Kyiv and Odesa.

In September, the UN Monitoring Mission for Human Rights in Ukraine plans to publish a regular semi-annual report, which will cover the period from February 1 to July 31, 2021.

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