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Commissioner's Shout Out
Safeguarding Ukrainians displaced across Europe
Over four years ago, at the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression, while leading an EU agency, I deployed a team to Ukraine’s borders. The extraordinary solidarity shown by the people of Europe’s villages and towns was striking. Host countries provided Ukrainians with the right to stay and...
Statement
The suffering of people in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories should not be ignored in peace talks
As the United Nations publishes today a report documenting Russia’s violations of human rights and humanitarian law and discriminatory policies that force Ukrainians to leave the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, I reiterate my position that peace negotiations, notably when addressing...
Statement
Peace talks should bring immediate relief for Ukrainian civilians
Ahead of the announced peace talks to be held in coming days between Ukraine, Russia and the United States, I issue an urgent appeal: bring tangible and immediate relief to Ukrainian civilians who are enduring appalling suffering before our very eyes. A relentless campaign of attacks In recent...
Statement
The Commissioner condemns the attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and appeals for urgent humanitarian support
The following statement was issued by Commissioner O'Flaherty: "In recent weeks and days, the Russian Federation has intensified its attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, particularly energy infrastructure. Following large-scale strikes in Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv and Lviv last week,...
Report
Commissioner calls for a shift from a transactional to a "people-centred" approach to peace-making in Ukraine
Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, has released his report following a high-level, closed-door meeting in Warsaw on 13 –14 November 2025. The report asserts that human rights must underpin all peace-making efforts for Ukraine, shifting the focus from...
Opinion article
Transactional Diplomacy Cannot Bring Peace to Ukraine
Copyright Project Syndicate, 04/12/2025 Although diplomacy to end Russia's war in Ukraine is intensifying, the goal cannot be limited to a cessation of hostilities. Unless a negotiated settlement is firmly anchored in existing international law and human-rights frameworks, it will not settle...
Statement
Peace for Ukraine must be anchored in human rights
"While it is encouraging to see diplomatic efforts intensify around the world to lay foundations for peace in Ukraine, particularly following the recent plan presented by the US President, I reiterate a critical message: a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace can only be achieved if it is...
Statement
Warsaw meeting: Council of Europe Commissioner and experts chart human-rights centred pathways to peace and recovery in Ukraine
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights concluded a two-day high-level meeting in Warsaw today. The closed-door meeting focused on embedding human rights and dignity at the very heart of pathways to a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine. The Commissioner convened senior experts...
Statement
Commissioner O’Flaherty, ahead of Alaska talks about Ukraine, calls for anchoring peace negotiations in human rights
News reports around the planned meeting between the US and Russian presidents in Alaska this week have so far been dominated by discourse about security and territory. While the international community’s continuing commitment to ending the war in Ukraine is encouraging, it is crucial that human...
Statement
Human rights must be at the heart of Ukraine’s recovery
Speaking at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, underscored the urgent need to place human rights at the centre of Ukraine’s reconstruction and the return of displaced people. Opening with a firm condemnation of ongoing...
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* All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
1 On 16 March 2022, the Committee of Ministers adopted a decision by which the Russian Federation ceased to be a member of the Council of Europe, after 26 years of membership.