Ukrainian civil society must be part of peace monitoring — Alena Lunova spoke at the EU Community of Practice on Peace Mediation 2025

On 27–28 October 2025, Alena Lunova, Advocacy Director of the Human Rights Centre ZMINA, took part in meetings in Brussels dedicated to peacebuilding, protecting Ukrainians in the EU, and preparing for a future ceasefire.

During participation in the EU Community of Practice on Peace Mediation 2025, she spoke at a panel discussion “Contribution of Ukrainian Civil Society in Implementation of the Ceasefire Provisions of the Minsk Agreements: Lessons Learnt and Ideas for the Future”.

In her speech, Alena Lunova presented the experience of Ukrainian civil society organisations in overcoming the consequences of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine since 2014. She emphasised that the work of NGOs — from providing legal assistance and humanitarian support to documenting war crimes and advocating for the rights of victims — should form the basis for a future mechanism to monitor the implementation of ceasefire agreements.

“Civil society in Ukraine is strong and has already played a key role in protecting the rights of those affected by the war. Our experience must be taken into account when creating mechanisms for monitoring peace“, she emphasised.

Among the key areas of work of Ukrainian NGOs that Lunova presented to international partners were:

• monitoring the humanitarian situation and respect for human rights at entry–exit crossing points;
• documenting violations and war crimes;
• providing legal and social support to internally displaced persons;
• assistance to communities along the front line;
• monitoring violations in the temporarily occupied territories, including forced passportisation, abductions, torture, and the deportation of civilians.

Concluding her speech, Lunova emphasised that Ukrainian civil society must be a full-fledged partner in the processes of future peace, as it is precisely civil society that can promptly identify and respond to issues that the state cannot always effectively monitor on its own.