OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine launches new anti-corruption course for judges

An OSCE-supported anti-corruption course was introduced at the National School of Judges of Ukraine on 9 December 2016 as a new tool to increase judicial integrity and accountability. 

The course aims to enhance the knowledge of judges in the area of anti-corruption legislation, including national regulations and relevant international conventions; major aspects of ethics for judges, including the identification and prevention of real and potential conflicts of interest; and the judicial review of corruption-related disputes.

“Equipping judges with effective tools to combat corruption and enhancing their skills to review corruption-related disputes is of utmost importance in light of the current judicial reform in Ukraine,” said OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine Vaidotas Verba.

In line with the Judicial Education Concept adopted by the School, the course methodology is based on interactive techniques and includes discussions, case studies, mini-lectures, various exercises and role plays as well as screenings of short simulation videos.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine piloted the course among more than 700 Ukrainian judges during more than 15 training sessions, held in Kyiv, Chernivtsi, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa and Dnipro between June and December 2016. It received exceptionally positive feedback both from the National School of Judges and from the participants. The course was also included into the Concept of training of newly appointed judges of the Supreme Court.

To ensure the sustainability of OSCE efforts, and taking into account that the course will form part of the School’s mandatory curriculum, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator has also helped to create a pool of experts-lecturers able to deliver the newly developed anti-corruption training course for judges.

The training course was developed as part of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator’s project on enhancing the quality of judicial education and training.