The Deputy Chairman of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine held an online meeting with representatives of the Dutch-Ukrainian Project “Fair, Transparent and Accountable Criminal Justice System in Ukraine” of the Center for International Legal Cooperation.
The meeting was attended by Project Director Margreet Goelema, Project Leader, the Deputy Head of the District Court of Amsterdam for International Cooperation and Rule of Law, member of the Dutch Council for the Judiciary Esther De Rooij, Project Manager Hans van den Berg, Project Manager Domenico Foti and Regional Project Manager Anastasia Syzenko.
The Project “Fair, Transparent and Accountable Criminal Justice System in Ukraine” is a part of the larger Dutch project on “Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine: A whole-of-government approach to advancing accountability for international crimes” of the Centre for International Legal Cooperation, implemented in collaboration with the T.M.C. Asser Institute, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC), and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO).
The purpose of the meeting was to introduce the Commission to the Project’s activities and discuss potential cooperation in its implementation.
During the presentation of the Project, the experts noted that cooperation with the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine will focus on promoting judicial reform focused on the integrity and accountability of the judiciary. The following key goals are outlined that are relevant for the Ukrainian justice system: ensuring the functioning of the judiciary, which should be transparent, trustworthy and with a high level of professional ethics; reducing recidivism of crimes and better reintegration of lawbreakers; and developing a judicial integrity policy.
Deputy Chairman Ruslan Sydorovych briefed the foreign colleagues on the processes currently taking place in the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine. He informed about the resumption of the qualification evaluation of judges in November last year, competitions to the courts of first instance and appellate courts, preparations for the competition to the High Anti-Corruption Court, and other procedures carried out by the Commission.
The final part of the meeting was devoted to the planning of joint activities.
