Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel and Their Families Olha Reshetylova (Kobylynska) took part in the International Conference of Ombuds Institutions for the Armed Forces (ICOAF), which this year was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Olha Reshetylova represented the newly established Office of the Military Ombudsman – the youngest institution at the conference. The event was also attended by Yurii Kovbasa and Olga Strepochenko, representatives of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.
“Any armed forces exist and are maintained by the state to defend it, to be ready for war in a critical moment. The military ombudsman institutions are not created to weaken the army with restrictions or strict rules, but to strengthen it – through the protection of human rights and the promotion of the values in which democratic societies believe,” said Olha Reshetylova.
The Presidential Commissioner emphasized, in particular, that every military ombudsman institution must have a plan for peacetime, for the transition period, and for wartime. The only communication strategy that truly works during war, she noted, is trust.
“For a military ombudsman, it is critically important to communicate in a way that makes people perceive them as one of their own. And for that, presence is key – constant presence ‘in the field,’ numerous personal visits, and sincere, human conversations. Trust is not built through slogans or campaigns. It grows through actions, results, and personal contact. When a soldier knows that their problem will be heard, that someone will help, then they are ready to listen to everything else – about responsibility, equality, and respect,” she added.
Olha Reshetylova also took part in discussion panels and had the opportunity to speak with military ombudsmen from more than 40 countries, including representatives from the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Norway. The military ombudsmen noted that Ukraine is the first country in the world to establish a Military Ombudsman’s Office during wartime.
On September 19, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree establishing the Office of the Military Ombudsman and appointed Olha Reshetylova as the first military ombudsman. Earlier, the Parliament had approved the law on the military ombudsman. According to the legislation, the new institution must be established within one year. The Office of the Military Ombudsman is currently in its final stage of formation.