This Project action is initiated as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026 (chapter “Rights of veterans, personnel of armed forces”), which aims to meet Ukraine’s specific needs during war as the situation unfolds. It is part of the continuous endeavour of the Council of Europe to support Ukrainian authorities in promoting and protecting human rights through the efficient functioning of human rights institutions and mechanisms during the war and/or post-war period. 

To this end, the Project will contribute to enhanced protection of human rights in the armed forces in Ukraine, in particular the rights of military personnel, veterans, law enforcement officers, and their families. 
 
In line with the Action Plan, the main objective of the Project is to contribute to the implementation of measures aimed at protecting the human rights of military personnel, veterans, and their family members, including their social rights.
 

• Respective state authorities have harmonised legal and operational frameworks in place to identify, prevent, investigate and remedy human rights violations of military personnel, veterans, law enforcement officers and their families, in line with European and international human rights standards and good practices.
• Respective state authorities and their staff have the capacity to implement improved human rights policies in relation to military personnel, veterans and their family members.
• National human rights institutions and civil society have the capacity to effectively identify violations of and protect human rights standards in the context of military, including during war and post-war periods.

• Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
• Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine
• Ministry of Interior of Ukraine
• Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine
• Ministry of Justice of Ukraine
• Office of the Ombudsperson of Ukraine
• Security Service of Ukraine
• All other relevant ministries dealing with veterans’ issues
• Government Commissioner for Gender Policy
• International organisations and civil society

• Military personnel
• Veterans
• Veterans’ and military personnel family members

• The Project follows the Council of Europe’s working methods, based on standard setting, monitoring and cooperation.
• The main aim of the project is to ensure the implementation of measures aimed at protecting the human rights of military personnel, veterans, and their family members, including their social rights. In particular, the Project activities will focus on:
  • supporting the relevant authorities through policy advice, capacity building and training, and other tools to promote and protect human rights, including social rights, of military personnel, veterans, law enforcement officers and their families;
  • delivering expert advice and methodological support to national authorities on the policy, legal and regulatory framework, promoting best practices, experience-sharing, awareness raising; 
  • supporting human rights institutions, including the Ombudsperson’s office, its staff and civil society organisations, to address the human rights of military personnel, veterans, and their family members;
  • providing support to the relevant institutions of in-service training, professional pre-university and higher education in order to develop special educational programmes for military personnel and veterans for the purpose of professional adaptation to return to civilian life;
  • promoting and disseminating relevant HELP courses (notably, Human Rights in the Armed Forces course (already available in Ukrainian), Introduction to the European Social Charter, labour rights and human rights, right of persons with disabilities, prohibition of ill-treatment, transitional justice and human rights, etc.) among all relevant actors, as well as supporting integration of human rights training into military training and education programmes.

• European Convention on Human Rights
• Case law of the European Court of Human Rights
• Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)4 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on human rights  of members of the armed forces
• PACE Recommendation 1742 (2006) “Human rights of members of the armed forces”
• Council of Europe HELP course on Human Rights in the Armed Forces
• Council of Europe HELP course on International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights