On September 13-18, 2019, the Kyiv Legal Empowerment Practical Program will take place. The Program offers unique innovative approach to training and further support, a platform for sharing experience and networking in the area of access to justice for national and international teams selected on a competitive basis. This year, five national teams – from Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Argentina – will take part in the program. The Practical Program is implemented by the Ukrainian School of Practical Knowledge in Access to Justice.
KLEPP participants will learn about practical tools and innovative solutions in the field of human rights protection and access to justice for vulnerable groups of population, and will share their own experiences.
“The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has worked for years with partners to ensure access to justice for the most vulnerable groups of population. Today, as a state institution, we participate in the Kyiv Legal Empowerment Practical Program. The idea of the program is to provide a platform for the teams to share their national and cultural experiences, with the idea how to make the life of an ordinary person better and what we have to do for that”, said Valeria Kolomiyets, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine.
In particular, Ukraine will share its experience in providing quality legal assistance, and best practices in defending the client’s interests. Program participants will present the implemented projects and training programs, in particular, advocacy initiatives, early access to legal aid, an online legal consultation platform, and methodology for monitoring community legal needs, gender mainstreaming, and so on. Participants will learn about design thinking method and experience of using new technologies in the field of law that make it easier for citizens to access justice.
“A human being stands at the core of the mission, vision and values of Ukraine’s free legal aid system. We work with people, in the interests of people and for people. And we are convinced that each of your ideas and decisions will be modern, innovative and useful for people”, – said Serhiy Yushchishyn, Deputy Director of the Coordination Center for Legal Aid.
Selection of the national teams to participate in the Kyiv Legal Empowerment Practical Program took place in July. Each team consists of representatives from different sectors in the area of access to justice. The national teams consisted of paralegals, representatives of vulnerable communities, leaders of local communities, lawyers, civil servants, as well as representatives of other institutions and communities working in the area of access to justice. It is expected that the Kyiv Legal Empowerment Practical Program will be conducted annually.
The comprehensive KLEPP program is implemented by the Ukrainian Access to Justice School of Practice (Ukrainian A2J School of Practice). The school was established in accordance with the Memorandum signed on May 21, 2019, and its founders were the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Coordination Center for Legal Aid, the Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation, the Legal Development Network, and the Association of Legal Clinics of Ukraine. The school is managed by the Founders’ Council and the School’s Steering Committee.
The aim of the Ukrainian Access to Justice School of Practice is to combine efforts to find, research, systematize and disseminate best practices to ensure effective and inclusive access to justice, to foster the broad engagement of relevant national and foreign governmental and non-governmental institutions. The school will operate using the legal and professional capacity of PRAVOKATOR Law Clubs.
The School’s partners are international and national institutions that support the development of access to justice in Ukraine on a long-term basis. The School is supported by the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, the US Embassy in Ukraine, the US Agency for International Development, the Canadian Bureau of International Education and the International Renaissance Foundation.
This innovative platform will facilitate dialogue, preparation and implementation of changes in the field of human rights protection based on the best Ukrainian and international practices.
