On 15 November, the Council of Europe HELP course on Internal Displacement was launched in the Kozyn Centre organised by the Council of Europe Project “HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) for Ukraine, including during wartime” in cooperation with the Council of Europe Project "Strengthening judicial and non-judicial remedies for the human rights protection of the war-affected people in Ukraine", the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service and the High School of Public Governance.
42 civil servants participate in the training representing regional military administrations who work directly with internally displaced persons, as well as representatives of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, ministries and central executive authorities.
The HELP course on internal displacement covers the key concepts of IDP protection in an interactive manner, providing insight into the international and European legal framework and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.
Opening the event, Nataliia Aliushyna, Head of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service said: "I am confident that this course will be in demand, as the list of issues it covers is extremely relevant. Internally displaced persons belong to vulnerable groups and need support. Our state is taking all possible measures to ensure their rights and freedoms, social protection, etc. I am confident that this programme will be a valuable practical experience for the participants".
The course will be used to develop a curriculum for civil servants of categories A, B and C, said Yulia Lykhach, Director of the Higher School of Public Administration.
In her welcome remarks, Iryna Vereshchuk, Vice Prime Minister - Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, expressed her gratitude to the initiators of launch of the HELP course on internal displacement. "It is necessary to increase institutional capacity so that every IDP knows about their rights and responsibilities, understands what local regional and national programmes are available to help them adapt and integrate, as well as reintegrate, because many IDPs want to return to their territories and communities, are waiting for de-occupation and are uniting," said Ms Vereshchuk.
Maciej Janczak, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine welcomed the participants and noted that the HELP course on internal displacement is one of the most relevant courses for Ukrainian partners, given the challenges Ukraine has faced since the beginning of the armed conflict in 2014. The situation has deteriorated significantly since the start of Russia's large-scale invasion in February 2022. To date, more than 4.9 million people are registered in the unified IDP database, while UN agencies estimate the number of IDPs at around 6 million people during the war. Thousands of people have been displaced two or more times since 2014.
Eva Pastrana, Head of Justice and Human Rights Training Division, Department for the implementation of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation Standards, Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe spoke about the Council of Europe HELP Platform, the relevance of HELP courses for Ukraine and stressed the priority of supporting Ukraine in this difficult period.
The national tutors adapted the course to Ukrainian legislation and national practice, taking into account the complex challenges posed by the largest displacement in Europe since the Second World War.
The course tutors, who will accompany the group for 2.5 months, are Alla Fedorova, Associate Professor at the Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, member of the European Committee of Social Rights, Valentyna Lisovska, Head of the Centre for Professional Development on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of the Higher School of Public Administration, PhD in Law, and Olena Lunyova, Advocacy Director of the ZMINA Human Rights Centre.
During the event, the participants got familiarised with the latest legislative innovations in the field of IDPs' rights during an interactive session conducted by Olena Luniova and Maria Krasnenko, lawyer of the NGO "Public Holding "Group of Influence".
The HELP course on Internal Displacement was developed by the HELP Programme as part of the project "Strengthening the Human Rights Protection of Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine" and has been successfully implemented in Ukraine since 2017.
The free online course provides an overview of international and European standards on internal displacement and the protection of IDPs' rights, as well as an analysis of Ukrainian legislation and practice, taking into account changes after 24 February 2022. The course pays particular attention to the protection of IDPs' social rights (right to housing, education, employment and social protection, healthcare) in the context of the ECHR, the European Social Charter, and the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.
The HELP course for self-learning on internal displacement is available on the HELP Platform. Currently, almost 10,500 Ukrainian lawyers have accounts on the HELP eLearning Platform, putting Ukraine on the third place according to the number of users among the 46 Council of Europe member states.
