The call for the UN Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine at its 61st session and sufficiently support it with resources and staffing.
Russia’s war against Ukraine, which began in 2014 before escalating into a full-scale invasion in 2022, has been marked by widespread and systematic violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. On the frontlines and across occupied territories, places of detention, and areas affected by hostilities, these violations have fallen on civilians and members of the armed forces alike and include unlawful detention, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual violence, attacks on civilian infrastructure, and other grave abuses. Their scale, gravity, and devastating impact demand a sustained international response grounded in truth, justice, and accountability.
It is in this context that the UN Human Rights Council must renew the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine at its 61st session and sufficiently support it with resources and staffing. The Commission has become one of the most important international mechanisms for establishing the record of violations committed in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Its work has helped document patterns of abuse, preserve evidence, and lay the groundwork for future justice. At a time when facts are constantly questioned, this role is indispensable.
The Commission’s value lies in the evidence it gathers, verifies, analyzes, and preserves; in the patterns it identifies over time; and in the expertise it has built through years of work on Ukraine. This body of knowledge cannot be easily recreated if lost. Any interruption, weakening, or downsizing of the mandate would risk undermining future accountability efforts and damaging important records of violations committed during Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The Commission’s mandate remains as urgent as ever. Violations, many of which the Commission concluded to be war crimes and crimes against humanity, have not ended, and in many areas have escalated. In 2025, Ukraine experienced the deadliest year for civilians since 2022. The previous year also saw an almost 50 percent increase in attacks on health compared to 2024. Incidents in which first responders were affected, or which led to the suspension of emergency response operations due to repeat attacks, more than doubled compared to 2024. Ukraine’s energy infrastructure was hit by 1,225 attacks, more than the total of the first three years of the war, depriving many Ukrainians of access to electricity, heating, and the ability to prepare hot meals amidst the coldest winter in over a decade. A 80 percent of the children deported or transferred in the cases investigated by the Commission have not returned.
More than 2,047 Ukrainian civilians remain in Russian detention, where they, together with POWs, are subjected to torture and inhuman treatment. Civilian detainees and prisoners of war are now being criminally prosecuted by the Russian Federation based on fabricated cases depriving them of the fundamental guarantees of a fair trial.
At the same time, ongoing discussions and peace negotiations have been accompanied by dangerous rhetoric proposing that justice be postponed, diluted, or even traded away. States must be clear: there can be neither amnesty nor impunity for war crimes and other serious violations of international law. Truth-telling, justice, and recognition of harm are essential to any peace that is just and sustainable. For survivors, victims’ families, and future generations, preserving the record is a necessary foundation for justice, acknowledgment, reparation, and recovery.
For that reason, mandate renewal alone is not enough. The UN investigative mandates, including the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, must be renewed with sufficient support, funding, and staffing to continue their investigations, preserve the documentation already collected, and safeguard the expertise accumulated over the years. Despite current financial strains on the UN human rights system, states must not allow mechanisms of such importance to be affected by the lack of resources. The cost of supporting these mechanisms now is small compared to the cost of a future without justice, whereas any retreat from this commitment sends a dangerous message that the international community’s commitment to international law and accountability is negotiable.
The Human Rights Council should therefore renew the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. All UN investigative mandates, including the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, should be adequately funded and have the resources and staffing to continue the work in full. Doing so is essential not only for justice and sustainable peace today, but for protecting human rights for the future.
Signed by:
Physicians for Human Rights
Truth Hounds
Media Initiative for Human Rights
Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group
Human Rights Centre ZMINA
NGO Crimean Process
24.03.2026
