The human rights department’s coordinator of the CF “East SOS” took part in a briefing for foreign embassies and missions

On September 30, a briefing for representatives of diplomatic agencies was held in Kyiv. The participants spoke on the topic of “Ukraine’s international obligations regarding the armed conflict in the Kursk region.”

Yulia Matviychuk, human rights coordinator of the East SOS BF, took part in the event organized by the Center for Civil Liberties. A specialist from our foundation spoke about the principles of civilian evacuation.

Thus, Yuliya Matviychuk emphasized the main principles of evacuation of civilians who are in the territory under the control of the Government of Ukraine, according to the rules of International Humanitarian Law:

• forced evacuation is prohibited, except when it is necessary to protect the civilian population;
• evacuation should take place in safe areas, preferably within the country;
• during the evacuation, the needs of vulnerable groups should be taken into account: children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

“Ukraine, acting within the limits of International Humanitarian Law, must ensure maximum protection of the civilian population, avoiding unjustified damage and destruction of civilian objects,” Yuliya Matviychuk, coordinator of the human rights direction of the East SOS Foundation, emphasized.

Advocacy activities are carried out within the framework of the program “Support for War-Affected Vulnerable Populations and Residents of Remote Areas of Ukraine” and are implemented by the “East SOS” Charity Foundation with the financial support of the European Union.