Restoring Justice for Ukraine Conference
On 2 April 2024, the Netherlands, Ukraine and the European Commission co-hosted the international conference ‘Restoring Justice for Ukraine’ at the World Forum in The Hague. Foreign ministers and justice ministers from countries involved in the fight for justice for Ukraine since the start of the conflict voiced their long-term support. Victims must be compensated for the harm they have suffered, and impunity for the crimes committed must be tackled.
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Download File: https://www.rovid.nl/bz/dco/2024/bz-dco-20240411-idk9lc9si-bron.mp4The conference was chaired by the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hanke Bruins Slot, the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, the Dutch Minister for Justice and Security, Dilan Yeşilgöz, and the EU Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders.
Speakers included Prosecutor Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the President of Eurojust Ladislav Hamran and the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić.
Photos from the conference
View and download photos from the Restoring Justice for Ukraine Conference on the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Flickr page.
Aims of the conference
The conference had two aims. The first was to take stock of the substantial progress made so far in investigating crimes, prosecuting offenders and coordinating international efforts to this end. The second aim was to achieve further progress on the objectives laid out in President Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan, on which – at Ukraine’s request – the Netherlands is playing a leading role. The objectives are:
- support for Ukraine for the investigation and prosecution of international crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity, at national level;
- the investigation and prosecution of international crimes at international level, including the crime of aggression;
- reparation for all types of harm suffered as a result of the Russian invasion;
- international coordination of investigation and prosecution, interstate cooperation, cooperation between states and the ICC and Eurojust, and information-sharing between the countries and organisations working to achieve justice for Ukraine.
Participants
Participants included representatives of the Netherlands, Ukraine, the European Commission and a large number of countries that have committed themselves to the objectives of this conference. In addition, attendees included representatives of the ICC, the Council of Europe, the Register of Damage for Ukraine, Eurojust, the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, the Ukraine Joint Investigation Team and various Ukrainian non-governmental organisations.
Over 60 countries that have worked to achieve justice for Ukraine over the past two years were invited, including the member states of the European Union and the Council of Europe, and member states of the core group on the creation of a Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine
