On April 28, 2021, an online training for the representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on the European Social Charter (ESC) and its application in Ukraine was held.

“This training is the first one for representatives of non-governmental organisations. Today's event aims to provide more information on the European Social Charter as a key document for the protection of social rights, in particular rights of people with disabilities, and to provide a new practical tool for non-governmental organisations to monitor social rights”, said in her welcoming speech Ms Siuzanna Mnatsakanian, Senior Project Officer of the Council of Europe Project “Promoting social human rights as a key factor of sustainable democracy in Ukraine”.

Victoria Nazarenko, Secretary General of the National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine, noted that “Ukraine needs to improve its legislation. And if NGOs apply standards of the European Social Charter more frequently, there will be more chances to implement the Social Constitution of Europe in Ukraine, and thus improve the situation of people with disabilities".

Ms Alla Fedorova, national consultant of the Council of Europe Project "Promoting social human rights as a key factor of sustainable democracy in Ukraine", Associate Professor of Chair of Comparative and European Law, Institute of International Relations, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Candidate of Law, was a lecturer of the training.

“The European Social Charter is the first document in the history of international law and human rights that enshrined not just a broad catalog of social, economic and labuor rights, but the broadest one. And there is no other better document so far to protect social human rights”, said Ms Alla Fedorova.

More than 50 participants got acquainted with the main provisions of the ESC and the characteristics of the rights it enshrines, in particular, the right to health care, medical assistance, and social security. The basic rights of persons with disabilities within the ESC were also discussed as well as the practice of the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR), the implementation of Ukraine's obligations vis-à-vis Article 15 of the ESC, as well as the recommendations of the ECSR regarding Ukraine.

Important documents and research already conducted by the Project were also vividly discussed, namely:

• Needs assessment report with respect to the revision of the policy and legal framework in the area of rights of people with disabilities in Ukraine vis-à-vis Article 15 of the European Social Charter
• Assessment of Ukraine’s policy and legal framework related to the rights of older people to social protection in the light of Article 23 of the Revised European Social Charter
• Assessment of training needs: development of curricula on social rights in Ukraine
• Procedure on non-accepted provisions of the European Social Charter
• Results of a survey on awareness of target groups about the provisions of the European Social Charter
• Analysis of the national legislation of Ukraine providing for social benefits in the context of execution of the European Court of Human Right judgements in Burmych and others v. Ukraine group of cases, other ECtHR judgements on non-enforcement of decisions of the Ukrainian national courts on social issues
• Manual on preparation of national reports on accepted provisions under the reporting procedure of the European Social Charter’ Part 1
• Legal positions on the functioning of social services vis-à-vis Article 14 of the European Social Charter
• Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights on employment, training and equal opportunities regarding Ukraine
• Conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights on accepted provisions of the articles belonging to the thematic group "Children, families and migrants" with regard to 37 European countries.

This event was organised by the Council of Europe Project “Promoting social human rights as a key factor of sustainable democracy in Ukraine” (Project) at the request of the National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine.

The recording of the training is available here.

The presentation of the training is available via the link (First part, Second part).