The High-Level Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of the War, co-chaired by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Margot Wallström, presented the results of their work – the Environmental Compact for Ukraine at a meeting in Kyiv.
Vice President of the European Parliament and former Minister for International Development of Finland Heidi Hautala, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius, Member of Parliament of Sweden Rebecka Le Moine, former member of the Åland Parliament and member of the Ecocide Alliance Simon Holmström attended the meeting.
From the Ukrainian side, the meeting was attended by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko, advisors to the Head of the President’s Office Daria Zarivna and Oleksandr Bevz.
Andriy Yermak thanked the representatives of the High-Level Working Group for their effective work on preparing the Environmental Compact for Ukraine.
“Today, we are talking about the results involving many well-known individuals and experts. For the first time in history, Ukraine, together with you, is not just contemplating but developing a specific plan of action on how to compensate for all the damage inflicted on our environment by this war,” said the head of the President’s Office.
In his conviction, this document should serve as the basis for specific decisions at the Global Peace Summit at the level of state leaders.
“Our intention is for the proposed solutions to be incorporated into a joint plan for Ukraine’s recovery and the resolution of environmental problems,” added Andriy Yermak.
The head of the President’s Office emphasized that the work of the High-Level Working Group contains concrete recommendations that can be implemented through joint efforts.
“Most environmental conferences and summits focus on the future – how to prevent a crisis. But above all, our document addresses the current situation in which Ukrainians live today. It will also provide recipes for the future to prevent similar situations in other countries worldwide. I believe this is a historic moment,” Andriy Yermak said.
Margot Wallström, for her part, stated that the Environmental Compact for Ukraine is a concrete result of the High-Level Working Group’s activities.
“We are ready to exert all efforts to continue this work, to work on the implementation of decisions, to see what can be done in Ukraine. We are prepared to cooperate with our international partners, including engaging European Union countries,” she said.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko added that the Environmental Compact will contribute to rebuilding Ukraine as an environmentally friendly and green state.
“We cannot wait for the end of the war. We need to focus our efforts on environmental issues right now. And there is a need for broader promotion of these ideas in society,” she said.
Yulia Svyrydenko also announced that the development of a humanitarian demining strategy is in its final stages, and this year, a conference on demining will be held in Geneva, where the presentation of the Environmental Compact may also take place.
Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko added that today, it is necessary to demine another 55,000 hectares of farmland and informed those present about the ministry’s work in this direction.
European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans, and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius noted that the Environmental Compact aims to assist in the qualitative collection of evidence of environmental damage caused by war and in preparing a case for the Special Tribunal against the aggressor country.
“If Russia pays for all the damage it has caused, our work will not be in vain,” he said.
The EU Commissioner also expressed the opinion that the Environmental Compact will contribute to the further integration of Ukraine into the EU and to the rebuilding of our state.