From 29 April to 1 May 2024 an expert meeting was held in Truskavets, Ukraine, to develop a National (Operational) Action Plan for the implementation of the Penitentiary Reform Strategy for the period until 2026.
The meeting was chaired by Olena Vysotska, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, and gathered officials from various departments of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.
On the first day of the event, the expert group met an international consultant of the Council of Europe who presented recommendations on the compliance of the operational action plan with international standards, in particular the European Convention on Human Rights, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and other Council of Europe standards, including the tools of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT).
During the three-day meeting, a draft operational action plan was developed, which will be finalised considering feedback from the Council of Europe and other stakeholders and approved by the Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine as a National Plan for the implementation of the Penitentiary Reform Strategy until 2026.
The event was supported by the Council of Europe project "Towards more humane detention conditions and reduced reoffending in Ukraine (DECOPRIS)" implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026).