ODIHR reaches important milestone with training on human rights monitoring in Ukraine

Following the OSCE Office on  Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’ (ODIHR) competitive call for proposals to Ukrainian civil society organizations (CSOs) for human rights monitoring projects, ODIHR invited over 40 representatives from 12 Ukrainian CSOs to a capacity-building  training event on human rights monitoring, held in Kyiv between 2 and 6 November 2015.

The training equipped participants with skills and knowledge that enable them to produce quality human rights monitoring reports. ODIHR trainers worked with participants through the stages of monitoring, emphasising the need for achievable and relevant objectives, complementing activities, sound methodologies, team building and efficient human and financial resource management.

“This was the most substantial, comprehensive and informative training I have ever had. Thanks to ODIHR, I understand better the essence of human rights monitoring and its impact. This knowledge inspires optimism for the future of our country,” said Oksana Korsun, representative of "The Centre for Family Support and Development Kalynove Grono" from Sumy.

The training course is a part of ODIHR’s “Strengthening Dialogue among Civil Society and with Key Government Stakeholders in Ukraine on human dimension issues” project. To date, more than 100 representatives of Ukrainian CSOs have completed ODIHR training on human rights monitoring, safety and security.

“The innovative ideas and enthusiasm seen during ODIHR’s work in Ukraine on human rights education is a testimony to the commitment of Ukrainian civil society to human rights,” said Kateryna Ryabiko, the Ukraine Project Co-ordinator at ODIHR.

Following the workshop, selected CSOs, with the support of ODIHR, will implement a broad range of human rights monitoring projects in various regions throughout Ukraine. The final reports will be publicized and will serve as a starting point for dialogue with government stakeholders on further human rights related policies in Ukraine.