In framework of permanent co-operation with UN institutions our Association sent relevant submissions to UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to water and sanitation Professor Pedro Arrojo-Agudo for his thematic reports to the UN General Assembly “Water and food nexus: a human rights approach to water management in food systems” and also to the UN Human Rights Council, “Nexus water-economy: water management for services and productive uses from a human rights approach”
ARC’s submissions, prepared by Professor Borys Babin with other experts and published at UN web-sources now, stressed that new challenges for the issue of sustainable development, including growth of poverty were caused by destruction the dam of Kakhovka HPP by Russian military units on 6 June, 2023
As ARC experts noted againt to UN bodies, the aggressor’s undermining of the Kakhovka HPP became a separate crime of genocide, including the occupiers’ forced deportation of the population of the villages and cities adjacent to the Dnipro in the left-bank Kherson region, the destruction of their houses and the murder of those who cannot escape flooding.
Submission stressed that destruction of Kakhovka HPP by Russian invaders is a war crime with such genocidal implications and also is an ecocidal act and act against right to food, water and sanitation, that it caused collapse of agriculture on areas of Kherson Region, located at Dnipro River left bank, where Ukrainian authorities organized the melioration system for many decades.
ARC experts reminded to UN Special Rapporteur that in 2022 and Russian troops made ongoing provocations with North Crimean Canal and that the main negative consequences of global warming for the Crimea, are the destruction or damage due to climatic changes of natural ecosystems and areas of traditional farming, namely: the desertification of the Western Crimea, the deforestation of the Crimean mountains, soil salinization of the Central and Eastern Crimea.
Submission added that all this negative consequences make negative impact on the social and humanitarian potential of region, including the right to water, and more, it seems to be that negative climate changes are not the side effect of Russian aggression against Ukraine, but it is one of its major goals. Also ARC’s submission reminded to UN that in World Water Day, 2024,
Russian military made missile strike on Dnipro HPP on Dnipro River, Zaporizhzhya city, with attempt to destroy Dniprohes Dam and make new disaster with flood and water resources lost.
Submission added, that the international ecological crimes against water and sanitation present a principally new phenomenon for victims of criminal acts, including issues like damage recovery, special challenge to collective rights of territorial communities and groups most affected by such crimes.
ARC stressed, that the victim-centered approach is especially crucial taking into account the possible and probable correlation between genocide and eventual international ecologic crimes, including ecocide.
