Ukraine Begins Drafting a Transitional Justice Framework: A National Roadmap

Meeting with Swiss Officials

According to Міністерство інфраструктури: Deputy Minister of Ukraine, Oleksii Riabykin, has held discussions with Swiss representatives to explore cooperation in developing a transitional justice policy. The meeting, which included Felix Baumann, the Swiss Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ukraine and Moldova, and Sibylle Obrist, Deputy Head of the Peace and Human Rights Division at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, resulted in an agreement to pursue training, expert consultations, and further steps in this critical area.

Developing a National Transitional Justice Policy

The talks focused on establishing a national transitional justice policy and the potential for institutional and expert support from Switzerland. Ukraine views transitional justice as a comprehensive approach based on international standards and UN principles. This framework is designed to address several key objectives:

• Holding perpetrators accountable;
• Establishing the truth;
• Preserving memory;
• Providing reparations to victims;
• Ensuring violations are not repeated.

While Ukraine has previously developed some approaches to this issue, the Government's Priority Action Plan for 2026 tasks the Ministry of Development with creating a formal Transitional Justice Concept. This concept is intended to serve as a strategic framework document, establishing a unified state vision for this policy. The goal is to move from isolated measures to a systematic and coordinated national policy for addressing the consequences of armed aggression. Transitional justice is a process used by societies emerging from conflict to confront past abuses and build a foundation for lasting peace.

Following the meeting, both sides agreed to organize specialized training, continue expert consultations, and define specific next steps for collaboration. The core components of transitional justice identified include:

• Accountability for those responsible for human rights and international humanitarian law violations;
• Truth-seeking;
• Memorialization;
• Reparations for victims;
• Guarantees of non-recurrence.

The Concept's task is to formulate a unified state vision for the policy, define its main components and their interrelation, and allocate roles and responsibilities among government bodies. This will form the basis for subsequent legislative and programmatic decisions.

Ukraine's cooperation with Switzerland in the field of transitional justice represents a significant step toward forming an effective national policy aligned with international standards. Given the ongoing impact of armed aggression, implementing a transitional justice framework will help Ukraine not only hold perpetrators accountable but also secure justice for victims. This work is crucial for establishing the foundations for long-term stability and societal reconciliation in the future.