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R2P Presents an Alternative Report at the 115th Session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
April 24, 2025
On Wednesday, 23 April, Sofiia Kordonets, Head of the Assistance to Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Stateless Persons programme direction of R2P, presented the Fund's alternative report on the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons during the 115th session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva. She focused on the problems faced by these categories of people in Ukraine.
The report, presented at the meeting, was prepared by R2P’s experts and sent to the UN Committee in March of this year. It focuses on critical aspects of protecting the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons in Ukraine. The report summarises R2P's observations on the progress and shortcomings of state policy in the context of implementing several articles (1, 5 and 6) of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. It also contains specific recommendations on how the UN Committee can urge the Government of Ukraine to respond more effectively to the identified problems.
Sofiia Kordonets, Head of the Assistance to Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Stateless Persons programme direction of R2P:
“Participation in the UN Committee session is a great opportunity to talk about refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons. These people often remain ‘in the shadows’ of society, without documents, protection, and access to basic rights. It is vital for us to make their voices heard at the international level. I had the opportunity to share with the Committee members the specific challenges that these people face daily. We hope that this will contribute to positive changes in their situation in Ukraine.”
Representatives of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, representatives of the Government of Ukraine, including the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, representatives of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN in Geneva, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Coordination Centre for Legal Aid, the State Committee on Television and Radio Broadcasting, Ukrainian NGOs, human rights defenders and experts on non-discrimination and human rights attended the session.
Alternative reports submitted to the Committee provide an independent analysis of the human rights situation. They are of great importance for developing objective recommendations to the States Parties to the Convention.
R2P’s report to the UN Committee offered the following key recommendations to the Government of Ukraine:
- allow refugees and persons with complementary protection to apply for citizenship regardless of their nationality;
- reduce fines for refugees and asylum seekers for violations of residence registration to the level established for Ukrainian citizens;
- to seek wider international recognition of travel documents for refugees and persons with complementary protection, to guarantee them consular assistance abroad, including the possibility of obtaining or extending documents;
- allow stateless persons to obtain temporary residence permits and travel documents by reducing administrative fees;
- grant the right to acquire Ukrainian citizenship to a child who would otherwise be stateless, regardless of the status of their parents;
- allow stateless persons to take citizenship exams at a later date, or exempt them from paying for such exams;
- not to consider voluntary acquisition of citizenship in the temporarily occupied territories;
- ensure access to affordable housing for refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons, on the same basis as for Ukrainian citizens;
- equalise the rights to employment of asylum seekers with refugees, without the need for additional permits;
- include stateless persons and asylum seekers in the programme of medical guarantees;
- provide free meals and social adaptation programmes for refugee children in schools and recreational facilities;
- repeal Law No. 2952-IX, which allows for forced returns without judicial review, and introduce a new law that guarantees individualised consideration of cases, the right to defence and the possibility of effective appeal, in line with European and international law, etc.