On September 09, 2024, the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine hosted a meeting with representatives of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – Head of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Team at the USAID Office of Democracy and Governance in Ukraine Amanda Fagerblom, Democracy Project Management Specialist Office of Democracy and Governance Oleksandr Piskun, Project Management Specialist (Rule of Law) in USAID Ukraine Kyrylo Anisimov, Chief of Party of the USAID “Justice for All” Program David Vaughn, the Program’s legal advisers Oleksandr Sydelnikov and Oleh Mykhailiuk.
The HQCJU was represented by its Chairman Andrii Pasichnyk, Deputy Chairman Oleksii Omelian, members Roman Sabodash, Nadiia Kobetska, Oleh Koliush, Yaroslav Dukh and Volodymyr Luhanskyi, and Head of the Secretariat of the Commission Olena Ponomarenko.
The event was attended by the Public Integrity Council’s co-coordinator Veronika Kreidenkova and member of the Council Olha Veretilnyk.
Addressing the American partners, Andrii Pasichnyk emphasized that their assistance to the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine is not only support for the body, but also for the entire judicial system.
The main vector of the discussion was the digitalization of work processes in the Commission and the prompt implementation of the electronic dossier of a judge. The Chairman of the Commission has repeatedly underlined that digitalization is a basic and one of the most important tasks of the HQCJ.
Roman Sabodash informed about the technical procedures for implementing the electronic dossier. He noted that the product should be finalized, with the appropriate material and technical base, as it is a tool that will allow all interested parties to access information about judges within the powers established by law.
The Chairman of the Commission also drew the partners’ attention to the need to digitalize internal processes, which will require certain skills of the Commission’s staff. He emphasized that the development of staff knowledge in IT, management, risk assessment and other areas would have a positive impact on the Commission’s overall performance.
David Vaughn praised the Commission’s commitment to digitalization and automation of work processes. “The USAID “Justice for All” Program already has experience in providing the necessary tools and expert support to other judicial governance agencies and is ready to coordinate its efforts to implement them in the Commission”, said the Chief of Party.
Oleksii Omelian expressed his gratitude to the Programme for the technical products provided to help the HQCJ prepare for the exams. He also raised the issue of the Commission’s external communication, training for the Secretariat staff and members of the Commission.
Amanda Fagerblom, on behalf of USAID, confirmed its intention to support the body in implementing digitalization measures.
According to Andrii Pasichnyk, the meeting with American partners was productive, as a common vision of improving the Commission’s activities was formulated.
