Representatives of Ukrainian Council of Churches meet with G7 diplomats

The meeting was held at the invitation of British Ambassador Melinda Simmons in Kyiv on July 9. Among the participants were ambassadors and representatives of embassies of Italy, Norway, USA, Japan, Canada and some other countries.

"Religious figures shared with foreign diplomats the experience of church representatives in the Trilateral Contact Group for a peaceful settlement of the situation in Eastern Ukraine. In particular, they discussed the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the issue of internally displaced persons, the need for more active involvement of the international community in restoring religious freedom and other human rights in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” reads the report.

The participants of the meeting also exchanged views on combating domestic violence. Diplomats stressed the importance of ratification of the Istanbul Convention. In turn, religious leaders voiced some remarks to the convention, stressing the need for practical measures to combat domestic violence.

The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) was established in December 1996 as an interfaith institution, aiming to unite the efforts of various denominations to focus on the spiritual revival of Ukraine, coordination of interfaith dialogue in Ukraine and abroad, participation in a legislative process on church-state issues, and the implementation of comprehensive charitable actions.

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