59th session of the Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue on the oral update of the High Commissioner and the report of the SG on the situation of human rights in in the[...]

Mr President,

New Zealand thanks the High Commissioner his update today, and we thank the Secretary-General for his report. Ongoing reporting on the human rights situation in Ukraine, including in the temporary occupied territories, is essential to ensure accountability for human rights violations.

High Commissioner, your update today and the Secretary-General's report detail that the human rights situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine continues to deteriorate, and that this is largely due to the Russian Federation's disregard for its responsibilities under international humanitarian law as an "occupying power".

New Zealand remains gravely concerned by the documented cases of executions, deaths in custody, arbitrary detention, torture, including sexual violence, ill-treatment and enforced disappearance in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

New Zealand calls for the Russian Federation to fully uphold its obligations under international law, including international human rights law.

Let us not forget that Russia's presence in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine is the result of multiple violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity since 2014, which have been consistently condemned by the UN membership.

High Commissioner, what more can be done to ensure accountability for the human rights violations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine?

Thank you Mr President

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