On 13 April 2023, the Steering Committee Meeting was held to launch a new Council of Europe Project “Strengthening judicial and non-judicial remedies for the human rights protection of the war-affected people in Ukraine” (hereinafter – the Project). This Project is implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine: Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction 2023-2026.
The Project aims at improving access to justice, human rights protection, and information for war-affected people within civil and administrative proceedings and constitutional jurisdiction as well as strengthening non-judicial human rights restoration mechanisms for IDPs and other war-affected population in Ukraine in line with Council of Europe standards. The Project encompasses the following three major components:
- Improving the national legal framework and data collection on effective remedies for war-affected people in line with Council of Europe human rights and rule of law standards.
- Strengthening judicial remedies and facilitating access to legal aid for war-affected people in conformity with European human rights standards and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights.
- Strengthening access to non-judicial human rights restoration mechanisms for war-affected people.
The Project duration is 2023-2024.
The Project Steering Committee Meeting brought together the leadership of key national partners of the Project including the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, parliamentarians and the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Coordination Center for Legal Aid Provision, the National School of Judges of Ukraine. Civil society activists as well as the representatives of the countries – supporters of the Action Plan for Ukraine: Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction 2023-2026 joined the event.
Ms Lilja Gretarsdottir, the Head of Co-operation Programmes Division of the Department for the Implementation of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Cooperation Standards of the Council of Europe, addressed the participants of the Project Steering Committee Meeting with a welcoming speech.
Ms Gretarsdottir recalled that the Committee of Minister in its Decision on consequences of the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine as of 24 February 2023 affirmed the key role the Council of Europe can play in ensuring comprehensive system of accountability for serious violations of international law arising out of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and the establishment of a compensation mechanism including a creation of the international register for damage, loss or injury. However, it’s first and foremost for national courts to ensure effective timely protection and restoration of the human rights for the war-affected people in line with Council of Europe standards. In that context the Council of Europe is launching a very needed Project on judicial and nonjudicial remedies for the war-effected people developed in close consultations with the national partners.
Under moderation of the Ms Olena Lytvynenko, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine a.i., the representatives of the national partners` institutions addressed the participants with the opening remarks and welcoming words wishing a successful implementation of the Project. Among them were: Mr Mykhailo Smokovych, Head of the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court; Mr Borys Hulko, Head of the Civil Cassation Court within the Supreme Court; Mr Oleg Pervomaiskyi, Judge of the Constitution Court of Ukraine; Mr Valeriia Kolomiets, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine for European Integration; Ms Nelli Yakovleva, Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Human Rights, De-Occupation and Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, National Minorities, and International Relations; Mr Mykola Onishchuk, Rector of the National School of Judges of Ukraine.
Ms Ganna Khrystova, who is responsible for the Project implementation at the national level, presented key objectives, pillars, expected results and activities of the Project laid out in the Project Work Plan for 2023-2024. The participants provided their comments and suggestions to the Project Work Plan 2023-2024. The SCM ended up with a discussion on the priority arears for successful cooperation with the Project aimed to achieve better human rights protection for the war-affected people in Ukraine.
Agenda of the Steering Committee Meeting
A recoding of the Meeting
A picture story
