Young Ukrainian lawyers enhance their understanding of human rights protection tools at a series of OSCE-supported summer schools

More than 90 young legal professionals, students of law and post-graduates, including 53 women and 40 men, had a chance to upgrade their professional knowledge during a series of four summer schools, organized in August by the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (the SPU). Selected on a competitive basis participants benefited from lectures and presentations delivered by prominent Ukrainian (such as Olena Kharytonova, Olena Boryslavska, Yurii Barabash, Mykhaylo Savchyn) and international experts (such as Mykola Gnatovskyy, judge of the European Court of Human Rights), enjoyed debates and informal communication with scholars and even top-officials from judicial system (such as Mr. Dmytro Lukianov, deputy chair of the High Council of Justice, Mr. Vitalii Gatseliuk, member of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, judges of Ukraine’s Supreme Court Dmytro Gudyma, Albert Iezerov). In-depth lectures were combined with moot court competitions, cinema clubs, interactive legal excursions, podcasts production by students and other activities.

The war and its impact on rule of law were at the  top of the agenda of all events. The Constitutional Summer School organised in Zakarpattia focused on how basic law and the Constitutional Court can serve as a safeguard for maintaining the balance of power even during martial law. Among many things, the mechanics of constitutional justice tools were reviewed in details, notably the implications for gender equality and the ways to protect distinct needs of men and women were in focus. The partner of the event, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, was represented by three justices Oksana Hryshchuk, Vasyl Lemak, Oleksandr Petryshyn, who actively engaged in discussions with youth.

With the Ukrainian Catholic University, the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine co-organised two opportunities for the youth. The Lviv International Law Summer School focused on international justice and accountability mechanisms, dispute settlements, responsibility of states, strategic international and human rights litigation and transitional justice mechanisms. The “Real Court: the role of the judiciary in the protection of human rights during war and danger" Summer School in addition to detailed review of war-related challenges to the justice system, provided insights on impact of new digital technologies on rule of law, including the effects of artificial intelligence tools such as Chat GPT on understanding of key legal concepts. These events were part of a project requested by the Supreme Court and the National School of Judges.

The series was concluded by the Summer Academy of International Law held in partnership with the Supreme Court in Zakarpattia. It covered intensively international humanitarian law, but also provided a focus on the process of Ukraine’s integration to the EU, its impact on the justice system and the needed reforms to approximate the legal system to the European acquis. Selected lectures of the event are available at the SPU’s YouTube Channel.  

Ambassador Marcel Pesko, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairmanship – Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine contributed to two of the schools, by discussing with the participants the role of the OSCE in the international system and presenting the work of the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine to assist the country in the times of war.