Ambassador Dorhout commended Ukraine for the progress it has demonstrated in improving human rights and veteran policies, which is also an important step forward in its European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

Full text of the Ambassador’s speech is available below.

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Dear representatives of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, representatives of the Government, members of civil society, ladies and gentlemen,

It is an honour to stand before you today and to address you on the important topic of the people within the army.

The Netherlands has pledged over EUR 20 billion in military and non-military assistance since 2022 because we believe your cause is a just cause, because your freedom is our freedom and because your security is our security.

I pay my respect to all the people who have taken up arms to fight against the Russian aggressor. Not only to the professional soldiers, but also to the hundreds of thousands of civilians who joined the army and territorial defence units to defend Ukraine. 
Men and women from all backgrounds, from all over the country. 

Building up an army so rapidly is unprecedented in recent European history. This, of course, comes with its own challenges. Challenges related, for example, to human resources policy or medical policy for servicemen. 
And perhaps not all servicemen are fully familiar with the mechanisms available to protect their fundamental rights under the difficult circumstances they work in. 

An army does not consist of numbers, but of people. People with rights and people with needs. A good human resources policy should provide for a comprehensive support system, including a good medical policy, for both for the soldiers, the veterans and their families. It should also include guarantees regarding soldiers’ fundamental rights. This contributes to the well-being of the soldiers and, therefore, to the quality and the military performance of the army as a whole.

For these reasons, it is essential to have meaningful discussions on these topics with all stakeholders involved, and we are glad that Human Rights Centre Pryncyp organised this conference today. 

This conference will be successful if it succeeds in formulating concrete, actionable recommendations to strengthen Ukraine’s Armed Forces, enhance care for soldiers’ physical and mental well-being, and promote new approaches to their recovery and rehabilitation. 

Solid human rights and veteran policies will not only strengthen Ukraine’s military – they will also support Ukraine on its path towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

I welcome the progress the Armed Forces have already made, in particular by establishing the Military Ombudsperson’s Office. It will help to coordinate Ukraine’s response to human right violations in the army quicker and more effectively.

I hope that this conference will provide a platform for a fruitful exchange among soldiers, veterans, their family members, officials, experts and civil society. I am very much looking forward to the outcomes of this dialogue and their implementation in the future.

Thank you very much,
Slava Ukraini!