On July 9-10, the first preparatory meeting on an international instrument to establish a commission to review applications for compensation for damages resulting from Russia's aggression against Ukraine was held in The Hague, the Netherlands. UNN reports this with reference to the Office of the President.
Details
The Ukrainian delegation at the first preparatory meeting in The Hague was headed by Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra.
As noted, the event officially launched the creation of the second element of the international compensation mechanism, which will make Russia pay the victims of its aggression against Ukraine.
The meeting was attended by representatives of 53 countries from all continents, the EU and the Council of Europe. They reportedly agreed on the basic principles of the future commission and set a goal to launch it by the end of next year.
The OP reminded that in March 2022, Ukraine began work and gathered the best Ukrainian and international lawyers, diplomats and politicians to develop an international compensation mechanism. Thanks to these efforts, in November 2022, the UN General Assembly recognized:
- Russia must be held accountable for any violations of international law in or against Ukraine, including its aggression in violation of the United Nations Charter, as well as any violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law;
- the Russian Federation must bear the legal consequences of all its internationally wrongful acts, including reparation for any damage caused by such acts;
- there is a need to establish, in cooperation with Ukraine, an international mechanism for compensation for damage, loss or damage caused by Russia's internationally wrongful acts in Ukraine or against Ukraine.
Addendum
The international compensation mechanism will consist of three elements: A register of losses, a claims commission and a compensation fund.
The Register of Losses was established in May 2023 by the Council of Europe and began accepting applications for the first of 44 categories in April this year. According to the OP, the next 12 categories will be launched in the near future.