Pere Joan Pons addresses the High-Level Meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children in Brussels, 11 May 2026BRUSSELS, 11 May 2026 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons (Spain) today urged the international community to intensify efforts to trace, return, and reintegrate thousands of Ukrainian children illegally deported or forcibly transferred by Russia, describing the issue as a profound test of the international rules-based order.
Speaking at the High-Level Meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, co-hosted by the European Union, Ukraine, and Canada, President Pons emphasized that the forcible deportation of children is not only a humanitarian tragedy but also a serious violation of international law and a direct threat to European security.
“Europe’s future must include a secure and sovereign Ukraine. Yet that future cannot be fully realized as long as thousands of Ukrainian children remain illegally deported, forcibly transferred, or stripped of their identity,” President Pons stated.
Pons highlighted the OSCE PA’s strong and consistent support for Ukraine, noting that the Assembly was the first parliamentary institution to join the International Coalition. He recalled the 2024 Bucharest Declaration, in which OSCE parliamentarians condemned the deportations and called for the creation of the Coalition.
The OSCE PA President outlined three key areas where the parliamentary dimension can add value: one, by maintaining relentless political pressure on tracing and verification until every child is accounted for; two, by reinforcing international co-ordination and diplomatic tracks to turn UN condemnations into concrete action; and three, by supporting post-return protection and reintegration, including psychological care, education, and family reunification.
“Every abducted child is an affront to our common humanity and a failure we cannot normalize,” Pons stated. “Every successful return reaffirms that no power and no conflict can justify the theft of children from their families and their identity.”
President Pons reaffirmed the OSCE PA’s full commitment to keeping the issue high on the political agenda and mobilizing parliaments across the OSCE region until every Ukrainian child has a safe path home.
Pere Joan Pons meets with Peter De Roover, President of the Belgian House of Representatives, and Senator Valerie De Bue, Head of the Delegation of Belgium to the OSCE PA. Brussels, 11 May 2026While in Brussels, Pons has held a number of bilateral meetings, including with Peter De Roover, President of the Belgian House of Representatives, and Senator Valerie De Bue, Head of the Delegation of Belgium to the OSCE PA.
Also participating in the Brussels event is OSCE PA Special Envoy on Russian Abductions and Deportations of Ukrainian Children Carina Ödebrink (Sweden).
Attending the High-Level Meeting and High-Level Reception, as well as the film screening of the 2024 documentary “After the Rain: Putin’s Stolen Children Come Home,” Ödebrink is holding bilateral discussions with senior representatives from around 50 countries and organizations to advance efforts to strengthen tracing systems, boost diplomatic efforts, expand post-return support, and enhance accountability.
Special Envoy Ödebrink has emphasized in particular the importance of promoting accountability for contraventions of OSCE commitments, violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, as well as possible war crimes including with respect to the forced relocation of Ukrainian children.
For more information on the OSCE PA’s work on Ukraine, please click here.
