Protocol on the results of consultations of the Trilateral Contact Group with respect to the joint steps aimed at the implementation of the Peace Plan of the President of Ukraine, P. Poroshenko,and the initiatives of the President of Russia, V. Putin (Minsk Protocol, or Minsk I Agreement)

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Country/entity: Ukraine
Region: Europe and Eurasia
Agreement name: Protocol on the results of consultations of the Trilateral Contact Group with respect to the joint steps aimed at the implementation of the Peace Plan of the President of Ukraine, P. Poroshenko,and the initiatives of the President of Russia, V. Putin (Minsk Protocol, or Minsk I Agreement)
Date: 5 Sep 2014
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Ukrainian Revolution and War in Donbass (2014 - )
In November 2013, protestors in Ukraine took to Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kiev to protest to protest against the government of Viktor Yanukovych in favour of European integration. Protests eventually led to the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution or the 'Revolution of Dignity', where Yanukovych was ousted. Pro-Russian protests were also held across several regions of the Ukraine, and following the removal of Yanukovych, Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in February 2014. International outcry led to Russia's suspension from the G8 and other international sanctions including condemnation from the United Nations. Spurred on by Russia's annexation of the Crimea and the subsequent referendum, pro-Russian militants began agitating for a similar outcome in March. However, by April, militants launched a separatist insurgency in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts spurring a Ukrainian counter-attack and the resulting War in Donbass. Since then, Russian troops have remained active in the warzone, although their presence is denied by the Russian government. In September 2014 “Minsk Protocol” was signed under the auspices of OSCE and “Minsk II” in February 2015, both failing to halt fighting completely in the region. Recently, in October 2019 Ukraine, Russia, the DPR and LPR, and the OSCE signed an agreement based on “the Steinmeier formula” originally proposed in 2016 by Germany’s then foreign minister – simplified version of the Minsk agreements to help parties agree on the sequence of events outlined in the agreements i.e. free fair elections in the east and grant of special status to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This deal was Russia’s key pre-condition for a summit of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany – the Normandy format. At the end of the month Ukrainian troops and Russian backed separatists have begun withdrawing from key front-line areas in eastern Ukraine under OSCE supervision.
Stage: Framework/substantive - partial
Conflict nature: Government/territory
Peace process: Ukraine peace process
Parties: Second President of Ukraine, L.D. Kuchma; Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, M.Y. Zurabov; A.V. Zakharchenko; I.V. Plotnitskiy
Third parties: Heidi Tagliavini OSCE Ambassador
Description: This protocol contains twelve steps for implementation, resulting from the Trilateral Contact Group consultations in Minsk, and the separate initiatives proposed by the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, and the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. The steps include: an immediate ceasefire; decentralization of power; monitoring by the OSCE; prisoner release; an amnesty law and early local elections in Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Agreement document: UA_RU_150901_Protocol on the results of the Trilateral Contact Group.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: Page 1, ... 4. Ensure permanent monitoring on the Ukrainian-Russian state border and verification by the OSCE, together with the creation of a security area in the border regions of Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: Page 1, ... 9. Ensure the holding of early local elections in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “With respect to the temporary status of local self-government in certain areas of the Donetsk and the Lugansk regions” (Law on Special Status).
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: Power sharing→Territorial power sharing→Autonomous regions
Page 1, ... 3. Implement decentralization of power, including by means of enacting the Law of Ukraine "With respect to the temporary status of local self-government in certain areas of the Donetsk and the Lugansk regions” (Law on Special Status).
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: No specific mention.
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: Socio-economic reconstruction→Development or socio-economic reconstruction→Socio-economic development
Page 1, ... 8. Adopt measures aimed at improving the humanitarian situation in Donbass.

Page 1, ... 11. Adopt a program for the economic revival of Donbass and the recovery of economic activity in the region.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: Page 1, ... 12. Provide personal security guarantees for the participants of the consultations.
Ceasefire: Security sector→Ceasefire→General commitments
Page 1, Upon consideration and discussion of the proposals put forward by the participants of the consultations in Minsk on September 1, 2014, the Trilateral Contact Group, consisting of the representatives of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe [OSCE], reached an understanding with respect to the need to implement the following steps:
1. Ensure the immediate bilateral cessation of the use of weapons.
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: No specific mention.
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: Page 1, ... 10. Remove unlawful military formations, military hardware, as well as militants and mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine.

~

Page 1, ... 10. Remove unlawful military formations, military hardware, as well as militants and mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine.
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: Transitional justice→Amnesty/pardon→Amnesty/pardon proper
Page 1, 6. Enact a law prohibiting the prosecution and punishment of persons in connection with the events that took place in certain areas of the Donetsk and the Lugansk regions of Ukraine.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: Page 1, ... 5. Immediately release all hostages and unlawfully detained persons.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: Page 1, ... 7. Conduct an inclusive national dialogue.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: Ambassador Heidi Talyavini, representative of the OSCE
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: Page 1, ... 2. Ensure monitoring and verification by the OSCE of the regime of non-use of weapons.

Page 1, ... 4. Ensure permanent monitoring on the Ukrainian-Russian state border and verification by the OSCE, together with the creation of a security area in the border regions of Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Enforcement mechanism: No specific mention.
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: Hard copy on archive with C. Bell.
Currently also available on UN Peacemaker: https://peacemaker.un.org/ua-ceasefire-2014

PROTOCOL on the results of consultations of the Trilateral Contact Group with respect to the joint steps aimed at the implementation of the Peace Plan of the President of Ukraine, P. Poroshenko, and the initiatives of the President of Russia, V. Putin

Upon consideration and discussion of the proposals put forward by the participants of the consultations in Minsk on September 1, 2014, the Trilateral Contact Group, consisting of the representatives of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe [OSCE], reached an understanding with respect to the need to implement the following steps:

1. Ensure the immediate bilateral cessation of the use of weapons.

2. Ensure monitoring and verification by the OSCE of the regime of non-use of weapons.

3. Implement decentralization of power, including by means of enacting the Law of Ukraine “With respect to the temporary status of local self-government in certain areas of the Donetsk and the Lugansk regions” (Law on Special Status).

4. Ensure permanent monitoring on the Ukrainian-Russian state border and verification by the OSCE, together with the creation of a security area in the border regions of Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

5. Immediately release all hostages and unlawfully detained persons.

6. Enact a law prohibiting the prosecution and punishment of persons in connection with the events that took place in certain areas of the Donetsk and the Lugansk regions of Ukraine.

7. Conduct an inclusive national dialogue.

8. Adopt measures aimed at improving the humanitarian situation in Donbass.

9. Ensure the holding of early local elections in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “With respect to the temporary status of local self-government in certain areas of the Donetsk and the Lugansk regions” (Law on Special Status).

10. Remove unlawful military formations, military hardware, as well as militants and mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine.

11. Adopt a program for the economic revival of Donbass and the recovery of economic activity in the region.

12. Provide personal security guarantees for the participants of the consultations.

Participants of the Trilateral Contact Group:

• Ambassador Heidi Talyavini (signed)

• Second President of Ukraine, L.D. Kuchma (signed)

• Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, M.Y. Zurabov (signed)

• A.V. Zakharchenko (signed)

• I.V. Plotnitskiy (signed)