Russia’s Crimean Occupation Authorities Invited to UN-Backed World Urban Forum in Egypt

The occupational authorities of Crimea are participating in the 12th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF12), held from November 4 to 8 in Cairo, Egypt, with support from the UN-Habitat program. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has issued a protest.

“We emphasize that the participation of representatives of the Russian occupation administration in events organized or held under the auspices of international organizations, particularly those of the UN system, is a blatant violation of international law and several UN General Assembly resolutions, including 68/262 on the ‘Territorial Integrity of Ukraine,’” the statement reads.

The MFA noted that Russia, in an attempt to legitimize its illegal occupation of Ukrainian territories, is using international platforms and the territory of sovereign states—in this case, Egypt—to provoke tensions, including at the level of bilateral relations.

“Despite Ukraine's repeated demands, UN-Habitat has failed to ensure adequate oversight and establish a clear participant registration mechanism for WUF12, thereby allowing criminals to participate and jeopardizing the reputation of this important event,” the MFA said.

In conclusion, the MFA called on the UN Secretary-General and UN-Habitat leadership to take urgent action to prevent WUF12 and UN-Habitat from being used to legitimize the temporary occupation of Ukrainian territories and to halt the dissemination of propaganda and lies by the Russian occupation administration.

Earlier this month, it’s been reported that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has funded Russian state scientific research in occupied Crimea since the peninsula's illegal annexation in 2014, according to documents obtained by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).