As part of the ongoing educational programme of the Rule of Law Research Centre, this follow-up meeting brought together participants of the two-day training held in September in Truskavets. The aim of the event was to consolidate the knowledge acquired and to discuss opportunities for further cooperation.

During the mini-lecture, experts of the Centre provided a brief overview of the key principles of an anti-discrimination approach to law-making, presented in light of the recent European Commission Report on Ukraine.

The next part of the meeting focused on the practical application of the tools introduced during the training. Participants shared their experience in integrating equality-based approaches into their work, highlighted existing challenges, and expressed requests for further methodological support.

The Rule of Law Research Centre will continue to provide expert assistance and educational activities aimed at strengthening the capacity of state and local authorities to implement equality and non-discrimination standards in law-making.

This event was held with the financial support of the European Union and the Council of Europe. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the authors. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of either the European Union or the Council of Europe”

Запис Follow-up Meeting on the Training “Fundamentals of Rule-Making with the use of Anti-Discrimination Policy” спершу з'явиться на Rule of Law Research Centre.

Against this backdrop, on 13–14 September in Truskavets, the Rule of Law Research Center, with the financial support of the European Union and the Council of Europe, conducted a two-day training titled “Fundamentals of Law-Making with the Application of Anti-Discrimination Policy.” More than 30 representatives of the parliament, government, local councils, and civil society organizations took part in the event.

One of Ukraine’s key challenges is the “shift” of law-making to the sub-legislative level. When parliament leaves broad discretionary space for the executive branch, it not only weakens the democratic balance but also undermines public trust in institutions. Therefore, the practical component of the training in Truskavets aimed to demonstrate that high-quality law-making is impossible without sensitivity to equality and non-discrimination at the legislative level.

Participants worked together to develop skills for conducting anti-discrimination assessments. Does the text of an act conceal direct or indirect discrimination? If certain groups are placed at a disadvantage, can this be justified by a legitimate aim, and are the measures proportionate? Does the law provide effective safeguards against biased application of its norms? And when it comes to positive discrimination, does the act clearly define whom it applies to, for what period it is introduced, and which specific inequality it is intended to address?

We emphasized that not every difference in legal status amounts to discrimination. Social benefits, age restrictions, or special requirements for military service are legitimate exceptions. Formal equality is an important aspect of the rule of law—provided that it permits differential treatment only to the extent necessary to achieve substantive equality.

In the Ukrainian context, particular attention must be paid to the socialization of military experience. The atomization of individuals and social isolation create risks of authoritarianism; therefore, together with the participants, we discussed the concept of co-integration of society with people who have combat experience.

The return of veterans to civilian life must go hand in hand with society’s gradual transition toward a stable post-war democracy. This refers to transitional justice—a concept that encompasses not only the establishment of special courts but also a broader set of measures, including truth-seeking about mass violations, proportionate punishment of perpetrators, defining conditions for amnesty, and restoring trust in institutions.

Through the training, representatives of parliament, government, local councils, and civil society organizations gained additional knowledge and practical tools for implementing anti-discrimination processes in Ukraine. This is especially important in light of the EU integration “roadmap,” which sets clear tasks for the coming years: adopting by 2027 a law criminalizing hate speech, harmonizing national anti-discrimination legislation with EU law, and amending the Law “On the Principles of Preventing and Combating Discrimination in Ukraine” to account for multiple discrimination and discrimination by association. Strengthening participants’ capacity in these areas will contribute to building a more just, inclusive, and democratic legal order in Ukraine.

This event was conducted with the financial support of the European Union and the Council of Europe. The content of this material is the sole responsibility of the authors. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union or the Council of Europe.

Запис “Fundamentals of Law-Making with the Application of Anti-Discrimination Policy”: Training спершу з'явиться на Rule of Law Research Centre.

Запис New Training Program Implemented спершу з'явиться на Rule of Law Research Centre.

• Western cluster (Dolyna, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Sambir, Truskavets);
• Eastern cluster (Myrhorod, Pyriatyn, Kharkiv, Chuhuyiv)
• Central cluster (Vilniansk, Melitopol, Ternivka)
• Southern cluster (Voznesensk, Mykolayiv, Yuzhne)

Additional participants represented Mariupol, Severodonetsk and Kherson.

Generally, the following training programs were developed within this Project:

• “Rule of Law in Self-Government Bodies’ Activities in Ukraine” aimed at general improvement of participants’ rule of law professional comprehension.
• “Following Rule of Law Principles in Administrative Services Provision” covers the specifics of rule of law application in six practical spheres of local self-government bodies’ activities.
• “Rule of Law and Legal Drafting in Local Self-Government” aimed at improving participants’ knowledge and professional understanding of local legal drafting through the prism of the rule of law principles and development of skills of its effective application for the protection of human rights and democracy on the institutional level of local self-government.
• “Rule of Law as Conflict Prevention Mechanism” aimed at supporting local self-government officials understand the specifics of normative regulation of local self-government bodies’ activities in military conflict conditions based on international standards.
• “Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration (DDR) for Public Bodies in Ukraine” covering major international standards and instruments of overcoming the results of military conflicts through the mechanisms of disarmament, demobilization, reintegration.

Запис Local Self-Government and the Rule of Law: A Serie of Trainings спершу з'явиться на Rule of Law Research Centre.

This handbook was the result of special research conducted by the Rule of Law Research Centre. Experts of the Center have made the relevant applied research regarding the instruments of practical implementation of the rule of law and its elements in Ukrainian political and legal reality. The research was supported by the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) and Council of Europe Office in Ukraine.

The participants of the event included representatives of Ukrainian law schools, Supreme Court justices, other courts’ judges, representatives of prosecution bodies, experts and practicing lawyers. The results of the research of the Center will stimulate further development of instruments aimed at comprehending the essence and content of the rule of law as well as of its components in process of making decisions in legal drafting and norms application.

Handbook text: in Ukrainian, in English. 

Запис “Rule of Law Checklist at National Level: The Case of Ukraine” Handbook Presentation спершу з'явиться на Rule of Law Research Centre.

Four two-day trainings were held for municipalities from partnering cities: Western cluster (Dolyna, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Sambir, Truskavets) on September 9-10, 2021; Eastern cluster (Myrhorod, Severodonetsk, Pyriatyn, Kharkiv, Chuhuyiv) on September 20-21, 2021; Central cluster (Vilniansk, Melitopol, Ternivka, Kherson) on September 29-30, 2021; Southern cluster (Voznesensk, Mariupol, Mykolayiv, Yuzhne) on October 8-9, 2021.

Запис Another Set of Trainings Just Over спершу з'явиться на Rule of Law Research Centre.