UNPO Conference on Minority Rights in Ukraine: Political Crisis Gives New Meaning to Minority Protection and Concept of Self-Determination

UNPO Conference on Minority Rights in Ukraine: Political Crisis Gives New Meaning to Minority Protection and Concept of Self-Determination
UNPO, 10 Apr 2014

With the aim of addressing the sensitive, yet critical issue of minority protection in Ukraine in the burning context of the Crimean crisis, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), in collaboration with Members of the European Parliament Mrs. Inese Vaidere and Mr. László Tőkés, convened a conference entitled ‘Minority Rights in Ukraine: What is at Stake?’. The conference took place at the European Parliament in Brussels on April 9th 2014 and gathered a diverse audience of diplomats, experts, human rights defenders and high-ranking European politicians.
(…) Intervening in the second panel of the Conference, Mr. Niccolò A. Figà-Talamanca, Secretary General of No Peace Without Justice, stated that Ukraine should be proud to be a multi-ethnic country, and thus rid Russia of its current pretext, i.e. protection of Ukraine’s Russian minority, for invasive action.
An important conclusion to be drawn from this conference is that the political crisis in Ukraine has seriously challenged previous negotiations about accommodating minority rights and the very concept of self-determination. Furthermore, a consensus emerged throughout the conference on the necessity and urgency to take swift action in order to guarantee minority protection and cultural preservation in Ukraine. As the country is moving forward towards finalizing its association agreement with the EU, all stakeholders must step up their efforts to find concrete solutions to the escalating tensions in Ukraine. UNPO believes that this conference was a positive step in giving more attention to the dire situation facing Ukraine’s different minorities, but further action is urgently needed.

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