Kiev (ICRC) – Today, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) held a round-table discussion with representatives of Ukrainian government institutions on the recovery, examination and identification of mortal remains.
"Managing mortal remains during conflicts is particularly difficult. It requires very specific procedures and expertise, and civilian and military institutions need to work together," said Alain Aeschlimann, head of the ICRC's delegation in Ukraine. "We're here today to talk about how the Ukrainian authorities can coordinate their efforts."
The event brought together experts from the Medical Legal Bureau of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, the State Scientific Forensic Research Centre, the Investigations Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Scientific and Research Institute of the Security Service and the Civic-Military Cooperation Directorate of the Armed Forces, as well as ICRC representatives. Volunteers from a national non-governmental organization also took part in the discussions.
"I hope that today's round-table will help us find the shortcomings in our current recovery and identification process, and identify areas where the ICRC can provide additional support," said Vadym Chernysh, head of Ukraine's agency for rebuilding the Donbas region.
The round-table was also an opportunity to talk about people who had gone missing during the conflict in eastern Ukraine and how support could be given to their families.
"International best practices need to be followed when investigating cases of missing people and identifying remains. I urge you to look into how we can fill any gaps in the current legal framework," said Dr Rostyslav Pavlenko, deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine.
Well over 1,000 people are still missing as a result of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The ICRC is helping the families trace their missing relatives and is assisting the authorities in identifying remains. It is also providing training and technical assistance on both sides of the front lines to forensic institutions and NGOs involved in searching for, recovering and identifying mortal remains.
For further information, please contact:
Ashot Astabatsyan, ICRC Kiev, tel: +380 67 509 42 06
