Ratified by Ukraine in 1969, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) prohibits discrimination based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin. Under ICERD, all states parties are obliged to submit regular reports to the CERD on their compliance with the Convention and how the rights are being implemented. Being rather behind the schedule, Ukraine submitted its latest report - a formal review of Ukraine's progress in implementing its obligations under the ICERD treaty - to the Committee in April 2015.

The meeting was aimed at presenting and discussing the National Report, prepared by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, while coordinating the efforts of civil society organizations (CSOs) dealing with discrimination and the Office of the Parliament Commissioner on further activities related to the preparation of an alternative report and participation of Ukraine in reporting to the CERD.

 

In her opening speech, Aksana Filipishyna, Representative of the Commissioner for observance of the rights of the child, non-discrimination, and gender equality, emphasized the areas of concern regarding the country report under ICERD, highlighting the issues government and civil society should focus on and make improvements.

 

 

Mykhailo Podyuk, Deputy Director of the Department for Religions and Nationalities of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, presented Ukraine's report on its compliance with ICERD, focusing on an overview of anti-discrimination legislation and analysis of the progress in abidance of human rights in the country pertinent to the Convention.

Following the discussion, Iryna Fedorovych, Co-coordinator of the "Without Borders" project at the "Social Action" Center and Expert of the Coalition to Combat Discrimination in Ukraine, shared expert analysis of Ukraine's participation in the CERD review process. She criticised government for the lack of feedback and cooperation with civil society and absence of direct answers to specific questions provided by CSOs towards the country report.

 

On top of that, Yuliya Shcherbinina, UNDP Senior Programme Manager in Ukraine, delivered a presentation on the specificities of alternative reports preparation, including requirements, timeframe, and lessons learned. She underlined the importance of everyday dialogue between government, civil society and the Ombudsperson in preparing reports and tackling the racial discrimination.

 

CERD alternative report preparation from Maksym Klyuchar

Drawing on these insights, participants outlined key trends and themes that should be reflected in the alternative report and discussed the coordination mechanism of human rights organizations on the preparation and submission of alternative reports to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The event was organized in the framework of the Democratization, Human Rights and Civil Society Development project, implemented by UNDP in Ukraine and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.