Project “HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) for Ukraine including during wartime” aims at enhancing the capacities of current/future legal professionals in Ukraine (judges, prosecutors, lawyers, other court staff and law students,) in order to apply the European human rights standards efficiently including during wartime. This will be done through the development of a new Council of Europe HELP course on International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, the national adaptation of relevant HELP training courses and modules and their related implementation (on-line, in presence and/or hybrid formats) according to the HELP methodology.

The Project will support relevant justice training institutions and the Ukrainian National Bar association, as well as Law faculties/universities to strengthen their institutional capacities to improve the qualification of current and future legal professionals on the standards and practices of the Council of Europe. In the challenging situation of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, legal professionals (primarily judges, prosecutors, investigators and lawyers) should have the necessary knowledge and skills to apply the European and international human rights standards to protect human rights and access the information needed for informed decision-making. Moreover, law students need constant improvement in their knowledge of European human rights standards (including in times of war), as this category will soon become practicing legal professionals. 

The Council of Europe Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) supports the 46 member States of the Council of Europe in implementing the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and other human rights standards at the domestic level. This is done in accordance with the Committee of Ministers Recommendation (2019)5 on the system of the ECHR in university education and professional training, which builds on and replaces Recommendation (2004)4. HELP provides training on European human rights standards (covering both the CoE and EU legal systems) by supporting Justice Training Institutions and Bar Associations.

The total budget of the Project amounts to EUR 711 000.

The Project is implemented by 31 December 2024.

• development of a new HELP course on International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights;
• organising at least two HELP Training-of-trainers sessions to support Ukrainian justice training institutions (JTIs), Bar associations (BAs) and other actors to deliver high-quality training to legal professionals;
• organising at least one seminar for legal professionals and managers of the HELP e-desk from Ukraine and other selected jurisdictions on legislation on migration and legislation on asylum and refugees;
• further support to operation of Asylum/Migration HELP e-Desks information platform created in March 2022 for dissemination of pertinent information and best practices for Ukrainian and European lawyers, which provide support to Ukrainian refugees in Europe.
• legal contextualisation of at least six HELP courses selected by Ukrainian partners; cooperation with Ukrainian justice training institutions, Bar Associations, law faculties at Ukrainian Universities, and other actors to promote the use of Council of Europe/HELP self-learning and tutored courses;
• HELP course launches for specialised legal professionals groups (prosecutors, investigators, judges, lawyers, law faculties) with HELP trainers will assist the participants in in learning – at least two offline /hybrid events and four online launches.
• creation of at least three video promotional materials on HELP courses in Ukrainian language.

1. Admissibility Criteria
2. Anti-discrimination
3. Asylum and Human Rights
4. Bioethics
5. Child-friendly Justice
6. Children’s Rights – Key Challenges
7. Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings
8. CPT Standards
9. Cybercrime and Electronic Evidence
10. Ethics for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers
11. Family Law and Human Rights
12. Hate Crime
13. Hate Speech
14. Human Rights in the Armed Forces
15. Internal Displacement
16. International cooperation in criminal matters
17. Introduction to the ECHR and the ECtHR
18. Labour Rights as Human Rights
19. Pre-trial Investigation and the ECHR
20. Procedural Guarantees in Criminal Proceedings and Victims Rights
21. Prohibition of Ill-treatment
22. Violence against Women and Domestic Violence for Law Enforcement
23. Property Rights
24. Refugee and Migrant Children
25. Right to Liberty and Security
26. Transitional Justice and Human Rights
27. Violence against Women and Domestic Violence
28. Access to Justice for Women
29. Judicial Reasoning and Human Rights
30. Fight Against Racism, Xenophobia, Homophobia and Transphobia
31. Managing Foreign National Prisoners
32. Introduction to the European Social Charter
    Radicalisation Prevention
33. Temporary protection in the European Union

National School of Judges of Ukraine

Coordination Center for Legal Aid Provision at the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine

Law Faculties in Ukraine

The Ukrainian School of Governance of Ukraine

Training Centre for Ukrainian Prosecutors

The Ukrainian National Bar Association

Project Manager
Olga Kostenko

Senior Project Officer:
Galyna Smirnova

Project Assistant
Anastasiya Trynko