Joint projects with the United Nations are a priority for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as they relate to ensuring peaceful life in our country. This was stated by Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko at a meeting with UN representatives.
The meeting was attended by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Denise Brown, Head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Harsheth Virk, UNODC National Programme Officer Denys Kadenko, and Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kateryna Pavlichenko.
First, the UN representatives handed over to the Ministry 30 sets of IT equipment to facilitate the registration of firearms in Ukraine. The head of the Ministry noted that this equipment would be sent to the regions for the needs of the National Police of Ukraine.
“We are facing many challenges, and the projects we are implementing with the United Nations are also a priority, as they relate to ensuring peaceful life in our country and establishing post-war security measures,” said Ihor Klymenko.
Ihor Klymenko also told the UN representatives that a unified weapons register would soon be launched in Ukraine to regulate the process of arms proliferation.
“We share the concerns of the international community about the proliferation of weapons during and after the war. And our units will be involved in controlling and accounting for weapons on the territory of our state. In June, we will launch a unified weapons register. And we are taking a number of measures to make it impossible for weapons to proliferate in our country during the war,” said the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
The Minister also spoke about the situation with demining in Ukraine, which remains one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. According to Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine will soon face extensive demining, both operational and humanitarian, for which it will need the support of international partners.
Ihor Klymenko also told the United Nations representatives about the safety of Ukrainian children during the war. In particular, in the context of the mine threat. The Minister asked the UN representatives to help Ukraine create and open safety classes to protect Ukrainian children from mine threats.
“480 Ukrainian children have been killed by bullets or missiles fired by russian invaders. According to the latest survey, 59% of children do not feel safe. They cannot go to school normally, they have lost contact with their relatives and friends. Some of the children are also very close to the areas where the fighting is taking place. We are trying to evacuate them, but some families refuse,” said Igor Klymenko.
According to the Minister, the police, together with local authorities, have to enter cellars to evacuate people to safe areas: “One of the most recent cases was in Avdiivka, Donetsk region. The day before the bombing, we tried to evacuate a family with a small child. But they refused to leave. The next day there was a shelling and the young child was killed. After that, a decision was made to forcibly evacuate people from areas where hostilities are taking place.”
In turn, UN Resident Coordinator Denise Brown noted that the organisation and the Ministry of Internal Affairs had established effective cooperation, including on the issue of safety of Ukrainian children suffering from the russian invasion.
“I myself visit the settlements close to the war zone twice a month. The issue of children’s safety is very important to us. We will provide full support to the evacuated children as long as they need it. We also support the initiative of safety classes in Ukraine,” said Denise Brown, UN Resident Coordinator.
Denise Brown, said that the organisation understood that since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the functionality of the Ministry of Internal Affairs had expanded significantly. As a result, the UN will increase its support for greater efficiency.
“I support the idea of creating a joint action plan, as it will help us work together more effectively. We can involve UNICEF, WHO and the UN in this plan. We also support you on the issue of demining in Ukraine,” concluded Denise Brown.