War against Ukraine caused large-scale environmental damage resulted in unprecedented pollution, disruption of ecosystems and physical destruction of biological species both on the territory of Ukraine and on the scale of the entire region and the world. Destruction of the environment is prohibited in the international law.

The side-event also serve as a follow-up discussion to the thematic conference on Environmental Safety, hosted by Finland, co-organized by Germany, Bulgaria and Ukraine in Helsinki on 19 October 2024.