Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Iryna Borovets took part in the high-level UN event "Immersed in Change" dedicated to ocean conservation, as part of a working visit to the Republic of Costa Rica.

Iryna Borovets headed the Ukrainian delegation, which included the Ambassador of Ukraine accredited in Costa Rica Oksana Dramaretska, Director of the National Antarctic Scientific Center Yevhen Dykiy, Director of the Ukrainian Scientific Center for Marine Ecology Viktor Komoryn and Secretary of the Interagency Commission on Cooperation with the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Olena Marushevska.

During the ministerial meeting, Iryna Borovets made a speech in which she drew attention to the scale of the ecological disaster in Ukraine caused by the protracted Russian war. She reminded that exactly one year ago, the Russian occupying forces destroyed the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, causing irreparable damage to the ecosystem. The deputy minister also noted that Ukraine has already recorded about 4,700 cases of environmental damage as a result of Russian aggression, and the Prosecutor General's Office is investigating 15 cases of ecocide. A total of 280 cases of environmental war crimes have already been recorded.

Iryna Borovets called for joint actions to resist the spread of ecological danger, because ecological problems have no borders. And the consequences of the military actions of the Russians have long been felt far beyond the borders of Ukraine. She also emphasized the need to develop measures for the post-war ecological restoration of Ukraine.

As part of the event, the Deputy Minister held bilateral meetings with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Cooperation of Costa Rica, Alejandro Solano Ortiz, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Surinam, Albert Ramdin, the European Union delegation, the Chairman of the Global Environment Facility, Carlos Rodriguez, and other forum participants.