On Wednesday, 5 February, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset announced that Icelander Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir had been appointed special envoy on the situation of [the] children of Ukraine.
Experienced in international law, this individual has held several ministerial posts in her country.
She was notably minister for foreign affairs during the Icelandic presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in 2023. During that presidency, Reykjavík hosted the Summit of Heads of State and Government (May 2023), where the “Register of Damage” caused by the war in Ukraine was created accompanied by a “Declaration on the Situation of the Children of Ukraine”.
The new special envoy’s mission will be based on this declaration, which mainly centres on the deportations of Ukrainian children to Belarus, the Russian Federation, and the occupied territories in Ukraine as well as their forced adoption by Russian citizens but which also mentions the millions of children who were forced to flee Ukraine and are mostly being hosted by Council of Europe member states.
A ‘Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine’ (CGU) was created within the organisation in November 2023 to serve as a platform for [Council of Europe] member states, the EU, other international organisations, and civil society to discuss legal and political issues.
The new special envoy will be expected to raise awareness about the difficulties faced by children in Ukraine and outside Ukraine, to facilitate cooperation and coordination with the CGU and the “Register of Damage”, and to help liaise with international partners such as the ‘Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children’.
She will also be expected to be proactive.
“The plight of the children of Ukraine remains a priority for the Council of Europe—and for me personally,” declared the secretary general, stressing the importance of this appointment. “What I witnessed in Ukraine last December, and all I have heard since taking office [September 2024 – Ed.], has only strengthened my resolve to ensure the strongest possible protection of Ukrainian children – both in Ukraine and across Council of Europe member states”.
See the special envoy’s mandate: https://aeur.eu/f/fe1 (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)