Honorable representatives of the Judiciary and Verhovna Rada of Ukraine,

Distinguished guests, international partners, colleagues and friends:

I am delighted and privileged to join you here at the opening of the 4th Judicial Forum.

Six years ago, in September 2015, all 193 member states of the United Nations, including Ukraine, met at the General Assembly and adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.  Goal 16 commits all countries to promote ‘peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development’ and build ‘effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels’.

The protracted and armed conflict in eastern Ukraine hampers the prospects of attaining not only Global Goal 16 but the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The challenges posed by the conflict make it difficult to adopt and enforce a legislation, which is protecting the interests of conflict-affected populations. The judicial system, as an independent branch of power, is instrumental for overcoming these obstacles and ensuring that everyone has access to justice and legal aid.

The justice system, at its core, is intrinsically related to the concept of human development. That is to say, the fundamental goal is to create an enabling environment for people, individually and collectively, to develop to their full potential, seize the emerging opportunities, and lead productive and valued lives.

Access to justice assures that those facing inequality, deprivation, and exclusion can be enabled, motivated and empowered to participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives.

Ukraine is committed to judicial reform as a way of tackling corruption and creating a more transparent and predictable environment for investors. In June this year, the Verkhovna Rada re-approved a draft law to re-establish a special commission on appointing judges, which is commendable.

The ongoing pandemic, and the quarantine restrictions that were introduced to slow the spread of the coronavirus, created additional challenges for justice and rule of law by limiting access to courts, and hindering the movement of people who try to cross the ‘contact line’ seeking justice and protection.

Dear colleagues,

This is the fourth Judicial Forum organized by UNDP and its partners under the framework of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme. Our ultimate objective is to promote informed and insightful debate around rule of low and access to justice, and to create a network of engaged and proactive representatives of the sector at regional level in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The Forum will also serve as a platform for sharing knowledge, know-how and best practices amongst peers and partners, and exploring homegrown innovative solutions to development challenges. 

Justice and rule of law will prevail across the country only if people have trust in institutions. This trust cannot be taken for granted! It has to be earned. In Ukraine, according to the UNDP-supported Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Index, only 12.4 percent of Ukrainians trust courts and judges, which is rather worrisome and calls for urgent and decisive actions spearheaded by the 3 brunches of power and supported by the civil society and the private sector.

Today’s Forum will give yet another impetus to our collective efforts towards implementing justice sector and decentralization reforms.

I would like to encourage you all to engage in the deliberations and bring in your ideas and aspirations for building a fair, equitable, inclusive, and prosperous society and delivering high quality, accessible and affordable services to conflict affected communities.

Thank you for joining us at this event, and best wishes for a productive discussion.