Statement of the United States of America
Aggression Against Ukraine:
Human Rights and Humanitarian Impact in Ukraine and Beyond
Delivered by Ms. Erin Barclay
Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
As President Biden said to President Zelenskyy in Kyiv, “The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.”
Putin’s war is harming people around the world, especially the most vulnerable. Since February 24, 2022, the United States has provided more than $1.9 billion in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region. This is in the context of providing $17 billion in humanitarian assistance globally in the last year. We ask all countries to increase and accelerate your support to the people of Ukraine and others in dire need.
Days after February 24, 2022 the Human Rights Council took action to create the Commission of Inquiry. In the months that followed, the Commission compiled a broad dossier of credible information on terrible abuses and atrocities—information that is vital to ensure accountability the people of Ukraine demand and deserve. This year, the HRC must act to renew the Commission of Inquiry’s mandate.
Based on mounting evidence of horrific execution-style killings, torture, rape, and deportations of civilians to Russia, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that members of Russia’s forces and other Russian officials have committed crimes against humanity. These acts are not random or spontaneous; they are part of the Kremlin’s widespread and systematic attack against Ukraine’s civilian population. Unconscionably, the victims of these crimes include children.
We continue to call on Russia to abide by its obligations under international law.
The international community must continue to promote respect for the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And we must continue to stand with Ukraine—and with people suffering from this war around the globe.
Thank you.
###