The participation of representatives from the Russian occupation administration in the 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12), held November 4–8, 2024, in Cairo and organized by UN-Habitat, is unacceptable. This forum was intended to serve as a platform for promoting peace, sustainable development, and human rights. Instead, it has become a venue for legitimizing violators of international law.
Why Is This Important?
Russian representatives Yanina Pavlenko and Konstantin Shymanovsky, acting on behalf of the occupation administration in the temporarily occupied Crimea, are implicated in:
- Systematic human rights violations;
- Persecution of Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians;
- Restrictions on freedom of speech, enforced disappearances, and torture.
International institutions, including the European Court of Human Rights, have repeatedly recognized these actions as violations of international law.
Allowing such individuals to participate in UN-organized events undermines trust in international institutions and their efforts to protect people affected by military aggression.
Our Demands to UN-Habitat and WUF12 Organizers:
- Provide a public explanation regarding the participation of representatives from the Russian occupation administration in the forum.
- Implement mechanisms to prevent similar individuals from participating in future events.
We Call on the International Community to:
- Firmly condemn any attempts to legitimize occupation authorities;
- Join our appeal to uphold the principles of international law.
We urge organizations dedicated to defending the rights of individuals affected by armed aggression against Ukraine to:
- Sign the appeal to the WUF12 organizers (available for comment at the end of the document).
- Disseminate this position among your partners.
You can sign the appeal at the following link.
Only together can we stop human rights violations and defend the values that should underpin global initiatives.
Sincerely,
Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services”