On 6 November, the UN Headquarters hosted an event on ‘Environmental Security in War and Armed Conflict’

On the occasion of the International Day for the Prevention of Environmental Exploitation in Times of War and Armed Conflict, the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations, together with Finland, Bulgaria and Germany, and with the support of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, held an event at the UN Headquarters entitled ‘Environmental Security in Times of War and Armed Conflict’.

‘Ukraine has already recorded 6,500 cases of environmental damage to Ukraine worth over $71 billion. Russian aggression has caused pollution of the Black Sea, the undermining of the Kakhovka Dam, and shelling of energy infrastructure, industrial facilities and residential buildings. More than 10,000 missiles have been launched, and the aggressor is not going to stop,’ Minister Svitlana Grynchuk said in her video address to the event.

The event became a platform for discussing the extent of damage to Ukraine’s environment caused by Russian aggression and ways to overcome it. Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, noted that the war has led to severe environmental disasters.

‘Bomb explosions, military operations at industrial facilities, damming of dams and pollution of water, air and soil have led to catastrophic consequences for nature and the health of our citizens. The consequences of this war for the environment have gone far beyond our national borders,’ he stressed.

The diplomat also noted that the occupation of Zaporizhzhia NPP and attacks on energy infrastructure pose risks not only for Ukraine but also for the entire region. Since the beginning of the war, almost a third of Ukraine’s forests have been destroyed, and CO2 emissions amount to 180 million tonnes, equivalent to the emissions of 90 million cars per year.

‘Together with international partners, we are working to restore environmental safety. An international working group has developed an agreement with 50 recommendations that include common approaches to compensating for environmental damage and plans for environmental restoration. The Ukraine Peace Formula is the only initiative based on the UN Charter and the international legal order. Its implementation is the key to sustainable peace and security for our country and the world,’ said Minister Svitlana Grynchuk.

The event participants also drew attention to the necessity of international support in restoring Ukraine’s environment, creating mechanisms for compensation for damage, and implementing paragraph 8 of the Ukraine Peace Formula, which provides for the prevention of ecocide and the restoration of environmental safety.