A representative from Ukraine has joined the UN governing body on children's rights
Svitlana Ilchuk, Ukraine’s representative, was elected to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. During the vote, 111 countries supported her candidacy. Ukrainian diplomatic officials described this result as an important sign of trust in Ukraine and its work in the field of child protection.
Ukraine has secured representation on one of the United Nations’ key bodies dedicated to child protection. Following a vote by the states parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Ukrainian expert Svitlana Ilchuk was elected to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, announced the election results.
According to him, 111 countries supported the Ukrainian candidate’s nomination. This result allowed her to join the international body that monitors the observance of children’s rights in various countries around the world. “Seventeen candidates from different regions of the world—all recognized experts in the field of child rights protection—competed for nine seats on the committee,” Andriy Melnyk said.
The Ukrainian diplomatic mission emphasizes that this victory was achieved amid fierce competition. Candidates from various parts of the world, all with significant experience in the field of child rights protection, vied for seats on the committee. Melnik described the voting results not only as a personal success for the candidate but also as an important achievement for Ukraine. “This is evidence of Ukraine’s strengthened position at the UN and a sign of the international community’s trust in our country,” the diplomat noted.
This decision takes on particular significance against the backdrop of the war and Ukraine’s struggle to bring back children whom Russia has taken from the occupied territories. According to the Permanent Representative, the presence of a Ukrainian representative on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child could serve as an additional tool to draw the international community’s attention to the issue of the deportation of Ukrainian children and the protection of their rights. “This is a struggle to bring back thousands of Ukrainian children whom Russia has abducted and forcibly deported,” Melnik emphasized.
Ukraine’s participation in the committee’s work also provides more opportunities to advance issues related to the protection of children who have suffered as a result of Russian aggression, lost their homes, or were forced to leave their communities due to the war. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is an independent expert body that monitors states’ compliance with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This document is considered one of the main international instruments in the field of child rights protection and has been in force since 1989.
Svitlana Ilchuk’s election to the committee means that Ukraine will participate directly in the work of the body that shapes international approaches to the protection of children’s rights and assesses how various countries fulfill their obligations in this area. Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, informed Ukrinform’s correspondent in New York of this.
Ukraine is ready for direct negotiations with Russia to achieve a just and lasting peace, but further compromises on Kyiv’s part have their limits, stated Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN.
