With the latest round of trilateral peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States having concluded in Abu Dhabi, without a breakthrough on the key issues, the question of how to secure long-term accountability and justice for the people of Ukraine remain as pressing as ever.
In this content, strengthening the skills and expertise of those who play a vital role in upholding the rule of law and ensuring accountability is essential. Recognising this need, the International Bar Association (IBA) and the CEELI Institute partnered to deliver a training programme for Ukrainian professionals titled 'Good Governance, Transparency and Integrity Skills'.
Thirty Ukrainian professionals, including lawyers, government officials, civil society professionals, investigative journalists and law and PhD students, were selected to take part in the week-long programme from more than 100 applications. Former IBA President Martin Šolc gave opening remarks, in which he emphasised the IBA's commitment to supporting Ukraine and stressed that 'all lawyers on the planet should be interested in the rule of law.'
Over the course of the week, the Ukrainian professionals heard from experts in the fields of anti-corruption, governance, law and investigative journalism and participated in interactive workshops to gain practical skills, including: identifying integrity risks and conflicts of interest; investigating corruption; working with open-source intelligence and financial evidence; collaborating with whistleblowers; and applying governance tools to realistic scenarios.
Claudio Visco, IBA President, stated: 'The IBA's latest partnership with the CEELI Institute reflects our long-standing commitment to Ukraine amidst the ongoing conflict with Russia. It is my sincere hope that the benefits of this training reach beyond those attending the programme and into the communities they serve. Integrity, transparency and good governance must remain at the heart of Ukraine's future, with justice and accountability for its people as enduring priorities.'
The first half of the programme was focused on theory. On day one, Taras Khavunka, Senior Good Governance Consultant at the European Union Anti-Corruption Initiative and Lecturer at the UCU School of Public Administration, spoke to the Ukrainian professionals on integrity tools for good governance.
On day two, Dr Daniel Zapf and Joline Kuhn from the Global White Collar/Investigations Practice at White & Case LLP spoke to the programme's participants on anti-corruption criminal offences and case building.
Day three was focused on practical skills for investigating and prosecuting integrity crimes, featuring speakers including Yanina Korniienko, investigative journalist at Slidstvo.Info, and Viktoriia Maksymova, political analyst and data journalist at the CHESNO Movement.
