On November 26, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa took part in the International Conference dedicated to the completion of Ukraine’s chairmanship of the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict (PSVI) and to strengthening the collective response to conflict-related sexual violence.

The event was attended by the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk, other representatives of the Government, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the diplomatic corps, UN structures, international and national human rights organizations, as well as leading experts in the field of combating sexual violence and supporting victims.

In her remarks, Mariana Betsa emphasized that cooperation with international partners in preventing conflict-related sexual violence and protecting victims remains a steadfast priority for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine amid the ongoing armed aggression of the Russian Federation. A separate focus is the efforts consolidation by the international community to ensure accountability of the Russian Federation as the aggressor state and of its war criminals for the committed crimes.

In this context, the Deputy Minister drew attention to a significant achievement resulting from joint efforts with Ukrainian non-governmental organizations and partners: “For the first time, the Russian Federation received an official warning from the UN Secretary-General regarding its potential inclusion on the list of persistent perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence – a mechanism that provides for specific negative consequences for the participation of the violator state in UN peacekeeping missions.”

The Deputy Minister noted that as of 2025, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have officially documented more than 381 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, however, the true scale of these crimes significantly exceeds the official figures. The diplomat drew attention to the need to ensure access for all categories of victims to the procedures of the International Register of Damage Caused by the Russian Federation’s Aggression against Ukraine.

Conference participants reaffirmed the need to enhance international coordination, strengthen accountability mechanisms, and ensure a survivor-centred approach in all processes related to supporting victims and documenting crimes.

Ukraine officially handed over the chairmanship of the Alliance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.