RICHELIEU FORUM
Human rights in Ukraine: the optics of change
The aim of the event is:
to discuss how public service can ensure human rights ‘here and now’ – in the realities of war, transformation, reconstruction and digital change – and become a reliable support for society, ensuring trust, protection and inclusion.
Ukraine is currently undergoing through challenges that are
strengthening our national identity and shaping a new vision for the
functioning of public institutions, where people, their rights and needs
must be at the heart of policy-making processes.
Full-scale war, the need for rapid reconstruction, and the path to
European Union membership set new challenges for the public service
and open up new opportunities. Over four years of full-scale war and
martial law, Ukraine has proven that the functioning of democratic
institutions is possible and natural. After all, sustainable institutions,
effective governance, and respect for human rights are not only
requirements of the times, but also key guidelines defined by the
Sustainable Development Goals (especially Goal 16) and Ukraine's
commitments on the path to the EU. As Senator Margaret Chase Smith
said, “Public service must be more than just the efficient and honest
performance of duties. It must be a complete devotion to the people
and the state.” This is indeed the mission of modern Ukrainian public
service: to serve the people and the country, based on integrity,
transparency and readiness for change.
In the current environment, public service is becoming not only a mechanism for implementing policy, but also a partner and defender of the public and human rights, working to ensure that every Ukrainian feels supported by and trusts the state, even in the most challenging times. As Karel Vasak, the first Secretary General of the International Institute for Human Rights (1969-1980) and author of the concept of human rights development, emphasised: “the value of the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is determined not only by the list of rights, but above all by the mechanism for their implementation and protection. This mechanism ensures that rights do not remain merely declarative, but become effective, as the state is obliged to ensure their observance and individuals have the opportunity to demand such protection.”
Current trends in human rights require public services to be constantly improving, flexible and ready for change. Public services should not only follow the basic principles set out in law, but also be active players in change that protects and promotes human rights in society.