More than 80 international representatives have gathered in Toronto for the start of the Pathways to Peace: Second International Conference on Returning Ukrainian Children, Detained Civilians and Prisoners of War.
The two-day conference, which began on Monday, is being co-hosted by Canada, Norway and Ukraine and is focused on strengthening international efforts to trace, return and reintegrate Ukrainians held or transferred during the war.
The conference is expected to build on the Montreal Pledge, a roadmap adopted in October 2024 to support the return of deported Ukrainian children, prisoners of war and unlawfully detained civilians. Canada says the Toronto meeting will focus on practical measures to bring people home, protect those who remain under Russian control and support rehabilitation and reintegration after their return.
Delegates are expected to discuss mechanisms for tracing and repatriating children who Ukraine says were unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred, as well as strengthening international cooperation around the protection of detained civilians and prisoners of war.
Participants include representatives from Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
The meeting also provides an opportunity for participating states to review progress since the 2024 Montreal conference and identify further steps to improve coordination, return procedures and reintegration support.
Ukrainian authorities have verified 20,651 cases involving the deportation or forced transfer of Ukrainian children. The figure represents cases that Ukraine has been able to confirm and does not necessarily reflect the total number of children removed from Ukraine.
As of September 2026, 2,644 children had been returned to Ukraine under the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Bring Kids Back UA is an initiative launched by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in May 2023 to coordinate efforts by government institutions, civil society organisations and international partners to secure the return of Ukrainian children who have been deported or forcibly transferred.
The Toronto conference runs from September 28 to 29, 2026, with participating countries expected to consider further practical measures to support the return and reintegration of affected Ukrainians.
