Oleksandra Matviychuk participated in a closed meeting with the Council of Europe Commissioner
Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Michael O’Flaherty hosted a two-day closed high-level meeting in Warsaw on the role of human rights as a foundation for a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine. The event was attended by Oleksandra Matviichuk, Chair of the Center for Civil Liberties, and senior experts from governments, international organizations and civil society.
Michael O’Flaherty began his six-year term as the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights in April 2024. He promotes awareness of human rights and their effective observance in 46 member states. The meeting took place within the framework of the Commissioner’s independent mandate and was initiated on the basis of his Memorandum on human rights elements for peace in Ukraine of July 2025. The memorandum sets out ten key human rights elements that, according to the Commissioner, are essential for any peace process that fully respects human dignity.
Michael O’Flaherty emphasised that the meeting was not intended to interact with the Council of Europe’s policy on the Action Plan for Ukraine or with the process of establishing formal accountability mechanisms. It was a working discussion within the framework of O’Flaherty’s independent mandate. The main aim was to develop recommendations and practical approaches to incorporating human rights into the framework of future negotiations and recovery programmes.
“True peace is not simply the absence of war, but a state in which people can live in dignity, enshrined in the international human rights system. Conflict resolution and human rights should be seen as complementary and mutually reinforcing,” the Commissioner noted during the discussions.
The discussions was focused on three main areas of action, with the Commissioner’s preliminary conclusions including:
Protection of vulnerable groups: the need for sustained protection of the rights of those affected – victims, refugees, internally displaced persons, prisoners of war, civilians, illegally displaced children, and people in temporarily occupied territories. This includes the demand to release all prisoners of war and civilians, the search for missing persons, and the unconditional return of illegally displaced children.
Participation and gender perspective: meaningful involvement of women and gender approach at all stages of the peace process; recognition of the role of multilateral organizations, national and grassroots civil society initiatives in peace and reconstruction processes.
Accountability and reparations mechanisms: establishing accountability and reparations mechanisms for all victims of aggression (from 2014) as a central element of any sustainable peace; integrating human rights commitments in Ukraine’s European integration process with reconstruction programs.
The details of the discussion, in which the head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Oleksandra Matviychuk, participated, were not disclosed; the event was closed.
The Commissioner stressed that the ultimate priority must remain a ceasefire, but to ensure a just and lasting peace, it is necessary to lay the foundation of respect for the human rights and dignity of the Ukrainian people.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to prepare a report summarizing the key conclusions and recommendations of the two-day discussion. The Commissioner plans to make the report public for further action and consultation with stakeholders.
