On November 3, 2022, an online meeting of representatives of international assistance projects working in the field of strengthening the Rule of Law took place, organized with the support of the USAID Justice for All Program.
The event was attended by international experts and representatives of the Ukrainian legal community. The High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine was represented by the Director of Judicial Career Department of the Commission’s Secretariat Taras Neshyk.
The parties discussed a number of important issues. In particular, the People’s Deputy of Ukraine, Chairman of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Legal Policy Denys Maslov reported on the plans and priorities of the Committee during the war. The expert repeatedly emphasized the importance of judicial reform within the framework of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. The first step for its implementation will be the formation of a new composition of the High Council of Justice and the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine. He also noted that there is a need for the selection of judges to solve the problem of personnel shortage in the courts, as well as for the development of optimized mechanisms for the selection of judges, according to which the Commission will work in the future.
Special attention was paid to the issue of the full functioning of e-justice in Ukraine. Thus, Denys Maslov presented the UJITS modules prioritized for development: judicial dossier, case management system, data access and security management, register of executive/enforcement documents, centralized module for automatic case assignment, and electronic archive.
The participants of the meeting also heard a report by USAID Justice for All Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor Tomas Verteletskyy, regarding the results of the All-Ukrainian Survey of Legal Needs of the Population and Businesses During the War in Ukraine Conducted from August to September 2022 with USAID Support. The dynamics of legal needs compared to the pre-war period were clarified, an assessment of the real possibilities of their satisfaction was provided, and an idea of the most effective and affordable methods for this was formed through a survey of legal aid providers.
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The USAID Justice for All Program has been launched in Ukraine on October 1, 2021, and is implemented to promote the idea of justice for all by strengthening the justice system, justice services and community involvement to ensure an adequate response to the legal problems and needs of Ukrainian people in Judiciary.
The USAID Justice for All Program will be built on the achievements of the USAID New Justice Program and will use its achievements to coordinate close cooperation with domestic partners, USAID and US government projects, and other projects of international donor organizations in Ukraine.