On 27 September, HELP courses on gender related issues were presented to civil servants during the seminar "Gender-Responsible and Inclusive Public Service" held as a part of the annual Richelieu Public Service Forum.

The aim of the seminar is to help public servants better understand why the tools of gender  mainstreaming and inclusion are so important, and how they should  be implemented in the process of the  reconstruction of Ukraine and its accession to the European Union.

The event should help to create and develop a professional network of civil servants to exchange experiences in gender mainstreaming.

Olga Kostenko, International Manager of the Project “HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) for Ukraine, including during wartime”, presented a number of HELP online courses on gender equality and anti-discrimination:

• The course "Gender Equality and Gender Mainstreaming" covers the main principles and standards of the Council of Europe on gender equality. It covers issues such as gender stereotypes, gender-based violence, and ensuring equal opportunities in all spheres of public life.
• The course "Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence" focuses on the provisions of the Istanbul Convention and its implementation in different countries. It provides practical guidance on how to protect victims, prevent violence, and bring perpetrators to justice.
• The course "Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence for Law Enforcement Officers" reveals theoretical and practical concepts related to violence against women, its forms and impact on victims in society. Participants will receive practical recommendations on how to respond to cases of violence against women, techniques for interviewing victims and perpetrators, as well as practical steps for professionals who help victims of violence.
• The course "Anti-Discrimination" covers the principles of the prohibition of discrimination in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights and other international instruments. Different types of discrimination are addressed, including on the basis of gender, race, age, disability, and sexual orientation.
• Course "Combating Racism, Xenophobia, Homophobia and Transphobia" reveals the key concepts contained in the standards and legal instruments of the Council of Europe and the EU in the field of anti-discrimination, as well as the relevant court decisions of the ECtHR and the Court of Justice of the EU, as well as decisions of the European Committee of Social Rights.

These courses are available online on the HELP Platform and can be useful not only for professionals, but also for anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge in the field of human rights and gender equality. They help to understand international standards, practices and approaches to protecting the rights of every person, regardless of their gender or social status.

The international seminar "Gender-Responsible and Inclusive Public Service" within the framework of the Richelieu Public Service Forum 2024 was organised by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service  together with the Higher School of Public Governance and the Center for Adaptation of Civil Service to EU Standards with the support of the USAID Public Sector Integrity Promotion Project, the United Nations Population Fund, UN Women in Ukraine, the EU4Gender Equality Reform Helpdesk Project, the Regional Foundation "Public Administration Reform in Eastern Europe" partnership" GIZ, UNDP Project “Human Rights for Ukraine”, the Council of Europe, the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Ukraine.