Check against delivery - Speech by Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Chair of the Conference, Ambassador Moss, dear Sandy,

Chair of the Board, dear Robert,

Executive Director of the Register, dear Markiyan,

And dear friends,

Thank you for being here this afternoon, for this important meeting of the Participants in the Register of Damage.

And a warm welcome in particular to Australia, which recently joined the Register as an Associate Member.

We talk of damage — but the short word “damage” is not strong enough word to describe what is going on in Ukraine.

Yesterday Russia launched hundreds of drones, missiles and glide bombs targeting several cities, striking civilian targets and Ukraine’s energy network.

The damage to the energy infrastructure is obviously appalling.

But just imagine the flow-on effects to the citizens relying on that power.

The hospitals, where precious equipment doesn’t operate.

The vulnerable, including children and elderly people, who have no electricity and no heating.

The daily — or nightly — attacks, keeping people constantly awake and afraid — a continuous lack of sleep.

Then there’s the cyber-attacks that attempt to cripple the healthcare system, energy distribution, financial institutions — and the list goes on.

And the children who have been forcibly removed from Ukraine — kidnapped and abducted — their families desperately missing them — deeply worried, wanting them home.

That’s not to mention the civilians killed outright — another four reported earlier this week — more almost every day.

Civilian casualties now exceed 50,000, while military deaths and injuries just on the Ukraine side are probably 10 times that, or more.

These people are real people — not statistics.

Europeans who had homes and families and a future to look forward to.

The many killed or wounded.

Daily lives, unable to be lived.

Yes — the damage.

And there’s nothing we can do to undo it.

But we all stand by the Ukrainian people in their fight for a just and lasting peace.

It means accountability for the Russian aggressor.

It means compensation for the millions affected.

It means assistance to ordinary people to help rebuild their lives.

And this is exactly which the Register of Damage is so essential.

The documentation of these crimes is both a moral obligation and one that is crucial if there is to be just and lasting peace.

Dear friends,

More than 60,000 claims have been submitted to date.

There are 13 categories of claims, and we envisage there will be 43 in total.

And people continue to submit claims at an average of more than 200 per day.

And last month we added two categories on the abduction of children and adults.

No claims have yet been rejected and more than 12,000 have been recorded on the Register.

We know, of course, that these numbers will grow to the hundreds of thousands — perhaps millions.

At the same time, we are on track to open the Convention Establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine for signature by the end of this year.

And I sincerely hope that all our member states will quickly sign and ratify the Convention.

Speed is of course of the essence — and ultimately that speed depends on all of us.

Because although the Russia’s war of aggression continues — and attempts to bring about a ceasefire have so far failed — we must be prepared for the aftermath of the fighting — prepared for the reconstruction that will be required.

The question of funds continues to be a thorny one.

Here we need to be both bold and creative.

And in its latest estimate, from December last year, the World Bank has estimated the total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine to be more than 500 billion euros, over the next decade.

I am sure we will find a way to make it happen, because we must.

And we will continue to stand with Ukraine — until every crime is recorded, every victim is heard, and peace — a just and lasting peace — is secured.

Thank you.