As our nation takes up arms to defend our homes and our families, we, as leaders of over 100 Ukrainian civil society organisations, have come together with six urgent appeals to the international community.
#StandWithUkraine by sharing on social media. As civil society leaders, our lives have been dedicated to fighting for what is right. But today, we must fight for our lives.
This is not just a war against Ukraine, it is a war against the fundamental principles of democracy. A great iron chain is being drawn across Europe, that Putin hopes will sink any society that he believes strays too far into the light.
We are fighting with everything we can, but we cannot win with courage and conviction alone. We need help. And we need it now. We ask the international community to stand with Ukraine by taking the following actions.
An appeal from 100 Ukrainian civil society leaders
The Kyiv Declaration Demands
Establish Safe Zones In Ukraine — To provide sanctuary for civilians from both air and ground attacks and to help prevent a tide of refugees fleeing to Europe.
Provide Immediate Defensive Military Aid - Including Lethal And Non-Lethal Assistance — We urgently need air defence systems and anti-tank weaponry to defend our homes and cities from Russia’s use of advanced military technology, including cruise missiles.
Implement Crippling Sanctions To Undermine Putin’s War Machine — Immediately impose the strongest possible sanctions on Russia’s central bank – with no exclusions. A total ban on all Russian banks using SWIFT with immediate effect. Europe and the US must sanction Russia’s oil and gas sectors to cut off the revenues Putin uses to fund his war machine.
Provide Immediate Humanitarian Aid — We need financial aid to fund local humanitarian organisations. We also require fuel, logistics support and emergency medical equipment, such as field hospitals, mobile clinics and trauma supplies.
Freeze The Assets And Revoke The Visas Of Putin’s Cronies — Deny Putin and his cronies access to their cash and properties stashed in the west, revoke their visas and those of their families, and impose an immediate travel ban. Let them know that it will not be business as usual, and that Putin cannot protect their interests.
Provide Equipment To Track War Crimes Immediately — Supply technology and support to groups recording Putin’s war crimes. Fund the human rights groups and lawyers who will ensure that Putin and his cronies are one day brought to justice.
Ukrainian Civil Society Leaders and International NGOs Call for Humanitarian Corridors to be Established Today to Save Thousands of Lives
Ukrainian Civil Society Leaders and International NGOs Call for Humanitarian Corridors to be Established Today to Save Thousands of Lives
Over 100 civil society leaders in Ukraine have called on the world to help negotiate humanitarian corridors in and out of major cities to allow civilians to be evacuated and life-saving aid to be brought in. They say that humanitarian corridors must be established immediately to avert a major humanitarian catastrophe that would kill thousands of Ukrainian civilians.
The war in Ukraine is entering a new and deadlier phase as Russian forces have started deliberately targeting civilians with deadly banned cluster weapons and are now laying siege to cities, trapping millions of people, and cutting them off from water, essential supplies and electricity.
A statement by Chatham House Ukraine calls for humanitarian corridors to be established now to open routes out of Kharkiv, Mariupol, Kherson, Sumy, Chernihiv and the capital city of Kyiv. The statement, written by the Director of Chatham House Ukraine says:
In Volnovakha, in the East, Russian forces opened fire on a previously agreed civilian evacuation corridor. In Chernihiv, roads out of the city have been mined, so no one can enter or leave. In Shastya, Severodonetsk, some 40,000 people have no access to food, water and electricity or medical care.
The last UN convoy left Kyiv on Wednesday, leaving several million civilians trapped with only one, frequently targeted route out of the city.
In Kharkiv, intense Russian air, missile, and artillery bombardment heavily damaged downtown and residential areas, killing a large number of innocent people.
With the invading force on the doorstep of Kherson and Mariupol in the south, a humanitarian disaster is unfolding with basic utilities being cut off by air strikes and the local population losing access to food and shelter.
An international broker – a non-NATO state – is urgently required to negotiate where humanitarian corridors can be established and to agree for what purposes they can be used.
The 100 Ukrainian CSO leaders came together following Russia’s invasion to issue the Kyiv Declaration, which sets out sets out six humanitarian, military and economic demands to the international community, including:
- establishing safe zones to provide sanctuary for civilians
- providing air defence systems and anti-tank weaponry
- sanctions on Russia’s Central Bank
- sanctions on Russia’s oil and gas sectors
Oleksandr Pavlichenko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group for Human Rights, said:
“We need humanitarian corridors established today to prevent thousands of innocent people being killed.
“War crimes are being documented. For example, in Chernihiv access to the city has been mined, so no one can enter or leave the city. A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Shastya, Severodonetsk, Volnovakha, where 40,000 people need basic supplies. Ukraine has several nuclear power plants, which urgently need international protection. In Zaporizhzhya, Energodar is encircled by Russian Forces and there is a fear that their goal is to cease all strategic infrastructure, chemical plants, damps, artificial water reservoirs. If they succeed, it will lead to a widespread ecological catastrophe and Ukrainians will be massively cut off from the energy and water supplies. This is a genocidal attempt to cease all critical infrastructure.”
Teyana Pechonchyk, ZMINA Centre for Human Rights, said:
“A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Mariupol, Kherson and many other places across Ukraine. People cannot leave their buildings, they have no access to food or drugs or basic hygienic goods.”
Lyubov Maksymovych, Women’s Perspectives, said:
“Civilians are held hostages with little access to basic needs, such as food, medicine, water and electricity. There is no humanitarian assistance available in the east of the country to help those in urgent need, like in the northern region of Kyiv. We need blood for the injured, water, technical medical equipment for the medics. For example, in Vyshgorod, Ukrainians urgently need medical supplies and insulin, pregnant women are short of medical assistance during labour. Food remains an urgent need in many places, as well as medical assistance is needed for the intubations.”
Spokespeople are available on request – all remain in Ukraine, taking shelter but also taking action.
Kyiv Declaration
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