Dialogue, Diplomacy and Peace: Ukraine in Focus in Pretoria

On 13 October, the Embassy of Ukraine in South Africa, together with the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Delegation of the European Union to South Africa and the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, hosted an event dedicated to the role of diplomacy and international mediation in achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

Building on the outcomes of the Pathways to Peace Conference held in Toronto in September, the event brought together representatives from Ukraine, South Africa, Norway, the European Union and Canada for a discussion on peace diplomacy, humanitarian issues and international cooperation.

Opening the event, Norwegian Ambassador Anne Beathe Kristiansen highlighted the importance of upholding international law as the foundation for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. She stressed the need to protect civilians, secure the return of abducted Ukrainian children, and ensure the release of prisoners of war and unlawfully detained civilians. Kristiansen also drew inspiration from South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navi Pillay's lifelong commitment to human rights, justice and the rule of law, noting the relevance of these principles to ongoing efforts to secure the release of Ukrainian political detainees and civilian prisoners. Speaking after Ambassador Kristiansen, EU Ambassador Kristian Schmidt underlined that any lasting peace must be based on the UN Charter, international law, and respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also called for the immediate return of all Ukrainian children unlawfully deported or transferred from occupied territories.

The panel discussion, moderated by Prof. Erin McCandless, featured Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksandr Scherba, Jonathan Passmoor from South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), and Matthew Loken, Deputy Head of Mission at the High Commission of Canada.

During his remarks, Ambassador Scherba stressed that mediation in the case of Ukrainian children is not an abstract diplomatic exercise but an urgent humanitarian necessity arising from Russia's deliberate and grave crimes against Ukrainian civilians. He underlined that international mediation can make a direct and tangible difference: every child returned to Ukraine means a family reunited and a life rescued from forced separation and unlawful detention. The discussion highlighted the important role that mediators can play in facilitating humanitarian negotiations, securing the return of children, obtaining the release of prisoners, and creating conditions for a broader political solution and a just peace.

The evening concluded with an appeal of Daria Herasymchuk, Advisor and Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights and Child Rehabilitation, spoke about the fate of many thousands of Ukrainian children who remain under Russian occupation, have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred, and called for stronger international action to bring them home and screening of Ashes and Crayons, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky. Through the testimonies of Ukrainian children and their families, the documentary sheds light on the devastating human consequences of Russia's aggression and the ongoing efforts to bring unlawfully deported children home.

The event served as a powerful reminder that peace diplomacy is ultimately about people: protecting children, reuniting families, securing freedom for detainees, and upholding human dignity and international law.