A visitor enjoys a traveling exhibit “Everyone has a right to know his rights.”

USAID Human Rights in Action Program

THE CHALLENGE:

• Low public trust and confidence in the Judiciary
• Lack of judicial independence
• Widespread corruption
• Unresolved legacy of human rights abuses
• Ongoing armed conflict in East and occupation of Crimea has increased human rights abuses

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES:

• Promote the establishment of an effective, transparent and independent judiciary.
• Aid Ukraine’s efforts to reduce and deter corruption.
• Promote and cultivate respect for human rights in Ukraine

OVERVIEW:

USAID’s support for the rule of law and human rights focuses on increasing judicial independence, accountability, and transparency, as well as promoting and cultivating respect for human rights in line with European standards.

OUR PROGRAMS:

Nove Pravosuddya (New Justice) Program

To ensure continued support for judicial reform in Ukraine, in October 2016 USAID launched the Nove Pravosuddya Program.  Building on the success of previous judicial reform activities, the new program will support Ukraine to implement constitutional reform to the Judiciary adopted in June 2016. Specifically, the program will focus on five key objectives: (1) Strengthening judicial independence and self-governance; (2) Increasing accountability and transparency of the Judiciary; (3) Improving the administration of justice; (4) Raising the quality of legal education to meet the professional requirements of the Judiciary; and (5) Expanding access to justice and protection of human rights by the courts.  The program will engage multiple stakeholders from the Judiciary, Government, Parliament, Civil Society, academia, the bar, independent media and other actors to achieve these reforms.

Human Rights in Action

USAID provides support for protecting, empowering and advocating for human rights defenders, organizations, and citizens whose rights were violated, through to the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, an umbrella coalition of 29 human rights organizations.  The Human Rights in Action  program responds to human rights violations and empowers human rights activists through: 1) human rights monitoring and advocacy; 2) strategic litigation on human rights cases; 3) awareness raising and citizen empowerment regarding human rights issues; 4) strengthening the Chernihiv Educational Human Rights House; and 5) providing legal assistance to survivors of conflict and torture.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:

Constitutional Amendments to the Judiciary:

USAID provided technical assistance and support to the Constitutional Commission, the Council on Judicial Reform, the Judiciary and civil society organizations engaged in drafting constitutional amendments that strengthen judicial independence, transparency, accountability and integrity, which resulted in amendments that were passed in June 2016 and signed into law in July 2016.

National Human Rights Strategy:

The Human Rights in Action Program provided expert assistance to the design of Ukraine’s first-ever National Human Rights Strategy, which was approved by President in August 2015. 

Human Rights Monitoring:

With the conflict in eastern Ukraine continuing, the Human Rights in Action Program is training  and support human rights monitors to investigate and document human rights abuses, file legal cases for victims and advocate for respect and accountability for human rights and humanitarian norms.