On 18 March, the sixth online session of the educational marathon “Public Administration without Barriers” gathered over 700 participants to discuss the rights of persons with disabilities and relevant international standards. The marathon is organised by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service jointly with the Higher School of Public Administration to enhance civil servants’ awareness of the principles and tools of barrier-free public policy, as well as to strengthen their practical skills in applying these approaches to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities.
Opening the event, Yuliia Lykhach, Director of the Higher School of Public Administration, emphasised that accessibility and barrier-free policies represent an integral component of quality public governance rather than merely a matter of social policy. She underlined that ensuring equality of rights constitutes an international legal obligation of states, while the main challenge remains the effective implementation of already adopted decisions.
During the session, participants discussed how international standards shape modern policies in the field of protecting the rights of persons with disabilities. In particular, attention was paid to the provisions of the European Social Charter, Ukraine’s implementation of its international commitments, and the role of the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights in ensuring equal access to rights and services.
Alla Fedorova, member of the European Committee of Social Rights and expert of the Council of Europe project “Strenghtening the Social Dimension in Ukraine”, presented Council of Europe standards on the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, including guarantees of equality, non-discrimination, access to education, employment, social protection and participation in community life. She also highlighted the importance of the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Committee of Social Rights, as well as the need for Ukraine to effectively implement its obligations under the European Social Charter and to further align national legislation with European standards.
During the webinar, Galyna Smirnova, Senior Project Officer of the HELP project, introduced the Council of Europe HELP Programme (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals), as well as the online courses “Mental Health and Human Rights” and “Introduction to the European Social Charter”, aimed at strengthening professional capacity in the field of human rights.
Yana Shevtsova, Deputy Director of the Kharkiv Regional Branch of the National School of Judges of Ukraine, presented national legislation on the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities and introduced the HELP course “Rights of Persons with Disabilities”, which focuses on international and European standards on non-discrimination, accessibility, social inclusion and effective access to justice.
The educational marathon “Public Administration without Barriers” continues until 7th April and brings together representatives of public authorities, the expert community and international partners to promote barrier-free policies and a culture of accessibility in the public sector.
Recording of Session 6 is available at
https://www.youtube.com/live/1hccdvWaAqU?si=TyOL6RHy4SLlwtMc
The online session was organised with the support of the Council of Europe projects “HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) for Ukraine, including during wartime”, Phase II, and “Enhancing the Social Dimension in Ukraine”, implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023–2026.
