Ukrainian human rights defenders receive advocacy training in Odesa

Twenty-six human rights defenders from across Ukraine worked on effective human rights advocacy strategies and improved their skills in holding dialogue with state authorities and working with the media during a training event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) from 24 to 27 April 2017 in Odesa.

“Human rights advocacy is a crucial element in the promotion and protection of human rights, as it empowers civil society organizations to achieve positive change through effective communication with state authorities,” said Marc van Gool, ODIHR human rights adviser, who facilitated the training.

Participants in the group, which included ten men and 16 women who were competitively selected, devised action plans, indicating how they will use their newly acquired skills and insights in their daily work. They were encouraged to take into account the different needs of women and men at all stages of advocacy initiatives.

Olena Senitsyna, a representative of the Charitable Fund “Tabletochki”, which provides support to children with cancer, said: “The advocacy training fully corresponds to my personal training needs in planning, preparing a strategy, and working with government stakeholders. With this systematized knowledge, we will be able to bring real changes while advocating for the rights of children with cancer and of their parents.”  

The event was held as part of ODIHR’s project on strengthening dialogue among civil society and with key governmental stakeholders in Ukraine to address key human rights issues in the country. The project also included capacity-building workshops on human rights monitoring for nearly 100 representatives from civil society organizations and supported 12 human rights monitoring and dialogue projects. The advocacy training curriculum was developed in response to a request from participants in these initiatives.