According to the official website of the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, on December 15, 2021, a presentation of the new state enterprise “Ukrainian National Center for Peacebuilding” will take place. Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, spoke about the Center’s tasks and strategy for its future activities.
Iryna Andriivna, what is the purpose of creating the Ukrainian National Center for Peacebuilding?
Ukraine , Ukraingate , 8 , December , 2021 | Ukraine News
The Center was established in pursuance of the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of June 2, 2021 “On some issues of intensifying the process of peaceful settlement of the situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.” It is a state-owned enterprise subordinated to the Ministry of Reintegration. The center was registered on November 23, 2021.
Basically, the Center has two main tasks: documentation and dialogue. First, we need to document violations of rights as a result of Russian aggression. Documenting and monitoring is a way to restore justice. Russia, as an aggressor, must bear responsibility, including financial. Secondly, the Center should become a platform for dialogue and mediation within the country. Dialogue is a way to restore trust.
So documentation is justice, dialogue is trust. Documentation is for the aggressor. Dialogue is for our people.
But your Center will not be the first to document violations and losses from Russian aggression …
You are right, several government agencies and NGOs are already involved in documentation. But the task of our Center is to centralize and streamline the documentation process, to make it complete, systematic and high quality. This is exactly the idea laid down in the relevant decision of the National Security and Defense Council. On December 2, 2021, the Government approved the procedure for the use of funds for the establishment of registers and a system for monitoring human rights violations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which allows the Center to start work immediately.
What will be the peculiarity of the Center as a dialogue platform? Given the fact that many NGOs claim the role of such sites.
This is the first time the state has opened such a platform for dialogue, including on very sensitive topics. We will bet on professionalism. We will train and use specialists in conflict resolution and mediation. After all, rebuilding trust through dialogue and finding a compromise also requires special knowledge and skills. Only through dialogue can we come to trust, and from trust to peace.
In addition to a professional approach, we will rely on international resources and experience. That is, the Center will actively involve international partners and donors in peacebuilding.
What are the long-term goals of the Center?
Peacebuilding in Ukraine. But building peace is not just about ending the war and returning our territories. This is overcoming the consequences of the war and preventing its recurrence. Building peace is a complex and long process. Now the war continues. But we can start building peace now.
When will there be peace in Ukraine?
We cannot say when the war will end. But we can prepare the conditions for peace. Here and now. And then, perhaps, peace will come sooner.
Source: Ukrgate
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