International Day of Parliamentarism
in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
# Parliaments for the Planet
30 June 2023
Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine at the invitation of the Secretary General of the MPS Martin Chungong has joined the celebration of the International Day of Parliamentarism and the 134th anniversary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on 30 June 2023.
At the 146th Assembly IPU (11-15.03.2023), has launched campaign "Parliaments for the Planet", which aims to mobilize parliaments and parliamentarians to take action on the climate situation.
This year, the IPU is focusing on climate actions and response to the emergency climate situation, because it is time to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees as stipulated in the Paris.
The Ukrainian Parliament takes measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Ukraine and in the Parliament itself. In particular, in the current 9-th convocation of the Ukrainian Parliament, were held parliamentary hearings on "Priorities of the environmental policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for the next five years" and there were approved the recommendations, in which the issue of preventing anthropogenic climate change occupies a remarkable place.
In accordance with the defined priorities, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted a number of laws of Ukraine that have a direct impact on the prevention of anthropogenic climate change, and in particular, they relate to the regulation of:
economic activities with ozone-depleting substances and fluorinated greenhouse gases, the principles of monitoring;
reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions, the National Register of Emissions and transfer of pollutants;
preservation and strengthening of forest protection, prevention of fires on forest and water fund lands;
peatlands and lands of other categories, waste management, restriction of circulation of plastic bags on the territory of Ukraine;
Ukraine's participation in the EU LIFE Program - Environmental and Climate Action Program;
creating conditions for the introduction of complex thermal modernization of buildings, the development of highly efficient cogeneration, the development of biomethane production, the improvement of conditions for supporting the production of electricity from alternative energy sources;
overcoming fuel dependence and the development of electric charging infrastructure and electric vehicles, stimulating the development of the ecological transport industry in Ukraine, etc.
The Ukrainian Parliament, by its own example, shows the possibilities of reducing its carbon footprint and demonstrates the desire to become ecological and greener. As an example, a charging station for the electric cars of parliamentarians and employees was installed on the territory of the Ukrainian Parliament; lighting devices were replaced with energy-saving ones in all the premises of the Ukrainian Parliament, energy saving heating systems was deployed which uses cogeneration, the general transfer to electronic paperless document flow was carried out, also.
The Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management, with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine hold the debates and concluded the issue of taking measures to prevent anthropogenic climate change. Today, Ukraine demonstrates its commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration and the European agenda. This includes the implementation of the EU Green Deal on the path to decarbonisation of the European continent.
In particular, it is about the activities on Ukraine's Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement and the corresponding plan of measures for its implementation, the elaboration of a draft law on the main principles of climate policy in Ukraine, preparation for the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), implementation targeted environmental (green) investment projects, the development of a national system for trading quotas for greenhouse gas emissions and a Plan of measures to reduce methane emissions, as well as directing the reconstruction of Ukraine in the post-war period, taking into account climate goals and the goals of green transformation.
Due to the Russian military aggression, a grate number of Ukrainian enterprises were destroyed, in the result of military activity, the environment of Ukraine have got irreparable damage, and there is a powerful negative anthropogenic impact on the climate. Full-scale Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is a powerful destabilizing factor in the world, which makes impossible for Ukraine to take measures that are more effective to prevent anthropogenic climate change.
Due to the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a number of appeals to international organizations, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Full restoration of Ukraine's environment, biodiversity, productivity of Ukrainian forests is possible only after the full end of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine and the withdrawal of Russian troops beyond the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine.
On 30 June the Chairman of the Committees on Environmental Policy and Nature Management Oleg Bondarenko and the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Interparliamentary Cooperation Oleksandr Merezhko with the participation of the members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine have joined to the celebration of the International Day of Parliamentarism and held a greening campaign in the territory near to the Parliament – planting Thuja occidentalis saplings of the "Smaragd" ("Emerald") variety, which will remind of Ukraine's desire to implement European approaches in the environmental sphere, in particular, to develop the Emerald network.
