Kyiv, 26 September 2023 – At the initiative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and the Government of Japan, a series of training events has been launched for intersectoral professional groups.

The training sessions target representatives of the National Police, the Prosecutor's Office, free legal aid centres, social services, and the office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. The overall objective of this initiative is to enhance the capacities of the justice system and service providers to identify war crimes, including cases of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), and to upgrade their knowledge of national and international justice, sensitive communication, and the specifics of investigation and effective coordination. These training events are being designed and delivered by trainers from the "Jurfem: Education" center.

According to trainer Khrystyna Kit, the head of Jurfem, the Association of Women Lawyers of Ukraine, this kind of educational events give participants an opportunity to expand their understanding of the work of their colleagues and establish connections for more effective coordination.

"Every day we face new challenges and needs when we work with victims of conflict-related sexual violence. During these exercises, we seek to establish common procedures for interaction and effective communication both with each other and with survivors. Joint training events help to build networks of specialists who know how to work with survivors," said Khrystyna Kit.

During September and October, 13 training events will be held, engaging almost 300 representatives of the free legal aid system, the National Police, the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, prosecutors, and social service workers from all regions of Ukraine. They will also develop the skills and knowledge necessary for effective communication and support for survivors of war crimes. Specialists from Kyiv and Sumy oblasts were the first to complete the training.

The series of training events was initiated as part of the "Promotion of Human Security in Ukraine Through Responding to the Multidimensional Crisis Caused by the War" project,  implemented by UNDP and financed by the Government of Japan.

For media enquiries, please contact Yuliya Samus, Head of Communications, UNDP Ukraine, via email at yuliia.samus@undp.org.