On 16 September 2019, the delegation of Ukraine headed by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Sergiy Kyslytsya started its work at the OSCE annual review conference on the implementation by participating States of their OSCE commitments in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms, rule of law, democracy, tolerance and non-discrimination.

In his opening statement, Head of Delegation of Ukraine Sergiy Kyslytsya stressed that ensuring human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international standards is a priority of foreign policy and internal reforms in Ukraine.

Deputy Minister Sergiy Kyslytsa reminded the participants that there are still people in our continent, for whom fighting for their fundamental human rights and fundamental freedoms is a daily struggle for survival.

In this context, he urged the participants to focus their efforts on the meticulous implementation of undertaken international legal obligations and emphasized that human rights should not become victims of political considerations.

The Head of Delegation expressed regret over the fact that during the HDIM participating States often have to spend time fighting with GONGOs, instead of finding concrete solutions to real problems together with representatives of genuine civil society and human rights defenders.

The interagency composition of the Ukrainian delegation at the event allows covering a wide range of issues, which belong to daily work of many Ukraine’s ministries and agencies, to inform participants on plans for the implementation of democratic reforms in Ukraine and to demonstrate Ukraine's adherence to the OSCE human rights commitments.

Placing international community’s priority attention on the ongoing human rights violations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, further consolidation of OSCE participating States’ support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as political pressure on aggressor-state regarding the need to implement its international commitments are among main expectations from this year’s HDIM.