Brussels, 30 November 2023 – The High-Level Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of the War, during a public hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels, emphasized that the environment is at the center of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and not just a by-product of the conflict. The Working Group asserts that Russia is deliberately conducting military actions with a direct environmental effect.
This public hearing, held at the European Parliament, brought together a diverse assembly of participants, including representatives from the Ukrainian government, leading international experts, civil society representatives, and European decision-makers. Their aim was to discuss the devastating environmental impacts of the war, accountability for environmental crimes, and strategies for Ukraine’s green recovery. The distinguished panel of speakers included Yuliia Svyrydenko, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine; Andriy Kostin, Prosecutor General of Ukraine; Margot Wallstrom, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden and co-chair of the High-Level Working Group; and Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans, and Fisheries, among others.
The High-Level Working Group on the Environmental Consequences of the War, co-chaired by Margot Wallstrom and Andriy Yermak, head of office of Ukraine’s President Zelensky, brings together leading Ukrainian and international actors. They focus on three main areas: assessing environmental damage caused by the war, ensuring accountability for crimes against the environment, and aiding Ukraine in its green recovery.
One of the key messages of the hearing was that Ukraine is at a pivotal moment in the history, and that the policy choices made in the country today will affect the environmental sustainability of Ukraine for generations to come but will also have global ramifications.
“What happens in Ukraine matters to the rest of the world. Perhaps this is obvious, because we need food and everything that Ukraine exports to the rest of the world. However, it is also about the fact that nature and peace, and I would say development, are interlinked. Damage one, you damage the other. Protect one, and you enhance the other. We must come to a common response to the environmental threats of war,” stated Margot Wallstrom, Co-Chair of the High-Level Working Group.
The Working Group has highlighted the absence of international standards for measuring ecological damage stemming from conflict. Ukrainian authorities are pioneering efforts to establish international mechanisms to address environmental crimes in the future.
“We are pioneers in the world in developing a unique methodology for calculating environmental damage. This is for us a necessity, and we are working to improve these methods,” Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
Accountability for the crimes against the environment in Ukraine was highlighted as a ley priority. “We must support all efforts towards accountability for these crimes. As you know the term ecocide is used increasingly around the world, and the support for making ecocide a 5th crime under the Rome Statute is going on. This is something that we are actively discussing in our group,” emphasized Margot Wallstrom. “History shows that when there is impunity for international violations, especially around aggression, it repeats. The only choice for justice and long-term peace is accountability,“ added Carl Bruch, an international environmental lawyer.
The Working Group commended Ukraine’s unprecedented efforts as the first country in history to actively investigate environmental destruction, collect evidence, and create mechanisms and standards for bringing individuals responsible for environmental crimes to justice, whether at the national or international level.
“Lacking state practice and case law even on an international scale, it is the first time in the history of the world that a state is attempting to prosecute attacks on the natural environment as an international crime,” Andriy Kostin, Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans, and Fisheries, emphasized the importance of accurate assessment of environmental damage for future accountability efforts: “Tracking damage creates the conditions for legal accountability, a key dimension of Ukraine’s recovery.”
The public hearing highlighted that the work undertaken by the High-Level Working Group has immediate and vital policy implications. Ukraine urgently needs resources and political support, even while the conflict is ongoing, as reconstruction planning and implementation are already underway. “To address the environmental consequences of the war, it is about how we factor it into the process of reconstruction of an entire country,” Michael Gahler, Member of the European Parliament concluded.
The public hearing provided valuable input to the Working Group in drafting its recommendations to the international community and the Government of Ukraine, which are expected to be released in early 2024.
For the full video of the Public Hearing, click on this link: Link to the video of the Public Hearing
For interview requests and more information on the work of the High-Level Working Group, please contact Refik.Hodzic@eip.org