On 15 April, an international conference was convened in Kyiv by the Council of Europe Project "HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) for Ukraine, including during wartime" and the Supreme Court to present a new course of the Council of Europe HELP Programme “International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights”.

The new HELP course presents a legal framework that is applied in situations of armed conflict and is aimed at limiting the consequences of armed conflicts and preventing human rights violations. The peculiarity of the course is the interplay  between two branches of law, namely international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL).

Among the main objectives of the course are: to help legal professionals better understand the legal framework of international humanitarian law applicable to situations of armed conflict and occupation; learn about related standards of international human rights law, in particular the European Convention on Human Rights, the application of which does not cease in the event of armed conflict; understand how the two branches of law interact and apply.

The course was developed by the Council of Europe Project "HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) for Ukraine, including wartime" with the involvement of leading European experts on international law and human rights Stéphanie Bourgeois, Patrycja Grzebyk, Nobuo Hayashi, Nataliia Handel with the participation of ECHR Judge Mykola Gnatovskyy as the coordinator of the group.

Since February 2022, Ukraine has faced the Russian Federation's brutal and unprovoked military aggression. As gross violations of IHL and IHRL are committed by the Russian military forces and other armed groups controlled by the said state on Ukrainian soil, there is a strong need for training of European legal practitioners (prosecutors, investigators, lawyers, academics and students) on (i) IHL - the legal framework applicable to situations of armed conflict and occupation and which aims, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of the said conflict and (ii) related standards of the IHRL, and in particular the ECHR, as the protection afforded does not cease in the case of armed conflict, as confirmed by the ICJ and ECtHR. Aligned with the Committee of Ministers' decision CM/Del/Dec(2022)1442/2.3, it emphasises the prevention of impunity and further violations.

Stanislav Kravchenko, President of the Supreme Court, expressed his gratitude to the Council of Europe HELP Programme for the development of this course and noted that Ukrainian judges eagerly participate in the trainings on issues related to of the application of international law, and at the same time not only deepen their knowledge, but also share their knowledge with others.

Christos Giakoumopoulos, Director General, Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe, noted that the HELP Programme is aimed at supporting all Council of Europe member states in the implementation of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the implementation of the Council of Europe standards at the national level. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the number of Ukrainians who have attended these courses has increased by almost 270%. Thus, Ukraine is among the top three countries that are the most active users of the courses.

Maciej Janczak, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, informed the participants about the launch of the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation Against Ukraine. He also noted the high relevance of the course, as it provides a deep understanding and practical application of International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, enhancing compliance and empowering legal professionals to hold aggressors accountable.

During the conference, representatives of the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor's Office  delivered the speeches on the topic  and Oleksandra Matviychuk, Head of Centre of Civil Liberties, made a video message to the conference participants.  In a separate session, representatives of the main partner institutions of the Project expressed their proposals for the implementation of the course in Ukraine, in particular, Olesya Otradnova, Director of the Prosecutor's Training Center of Ukraine; Tamara Zakrevska, Deputy Head of the Department of Trainers (Teachers) of the National School of Judges of Ukraine; Oleksandr Baranov, Head of the Coordination Center for Legal Aid Provision;  Iryna Hloviuk, member of the Scientific Advisory Council at the Supreme Court, member of the Board of the UNBA Committee on Criminal Law and Procedure, and Ksenia Smirnova, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work (International Cooperation) of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

The HELP course "International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights" will help Ukrainian lawyers effectively apply the provisions of international humanitarian law and human rights law to investigate and punish crimes committed during the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The HELP online course is available, in English, in self-learning format (free, self-paced, certified) on the Council of Europe  HELP e-learning platform and is currently being translated into Ukrainian. To access all courses, one should  create an account on the HELP Platform.

 The video broadcast of the event is available at the link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKJcHv1ro3A