The Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine (“Register of Damage for Ukraine” or “RD4U”) opens for the submission of claims.
The official announcement was made by RD4U Executive Director at the 4th meeting of the Conference of Participants of the Register of Damage for Ukraine, held today in The Hague as part of the Ministerial Conference on “Restoring Justice for Ukraine” attended by ministers and senior officials from more than 60 states.
The Register begins its operations with one critical category – damage or destruction of residential property. War-related damage and destruction of residential property often results in the displacement of civilians, leaving people homeless and vulnerable. Families lose their homes and their belongings, leading to immense suffering, trauma, and often long-term displacement. Damage and destruction of residential property also disrupts the normal functioning of society and exacerbate humanitarian crises. It can also have long-lasting economic impacts on communities, hindering recovery and development efforts. Between 300,000 and 600,000 claims are expected in this category.
Other categories of claims will be launched in the near future, including claims from individuals that have been most affected by the war, as well as claims related to damage or destruction of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.
Claimants will be able to submit claims through “Diia” – a multifunctional mobile application and a web portal developed by the Ukrainian Government to provide various e-governance services to its citizens. Diia streamlines interactions between citizens and government agencies, making public services more accessible, efficient, and transparent.
Diia allows RD4U to create a straightforward, accessible, and secure method for submitting claims. Furthermore, Diia’s integration into Ukraine's extensive framework of digital public services and registries, helps streamline the process of gathering evidence to support the claims. This is the world’s first use of public digital infrastructure on this scale in the claims process.
Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, opening the meeting of the Conference of Participants, emphasised: “All attacks must end. There must instead be peace. A sustainable peace. Which requires justice, and our collective commitment to help deliver it. The Register of Damage for Ukraine is vital to achieving that.”
“The Register of Damage is the first step towards the implementation of the compensation mechanism, and I admire the willingness of our international partners – of the Council of Europe and of all the Participants and Associate Members of the Register – to take such step”, said Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and Ukraine’s representative in the RD4U Conference of Participants, Iryna Mudra.
“On behalf of the Board and the Secretariat, allow me to praise all stakeholders for their continued support as we progress on this landmark journey with the ultimate aim of delivering justice to the Ukrainian people”, said the Chair of the Board, Robert Spano.
The Executive Director of the Register of Damages for Ukraine, Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi, stated: “It is crucial to acknowledge that the path to reparations will not be fast. Its timeline is measured in years, not months. But every journey begins with a single first step. Starting today, by submitting a claim people in Ukraine finally can take their first step.”
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