On 16 December, the Forum “Law and Justice: Strengthening Cooperation in Times of War” was held in Kyiv. The event brought together about 200 representatives of the Government, the Parliament of Ukraine, international and civil society organisations.

The Forum focused on strengthening cooperation between public authorities, civil society and international partners in the field of justice, ensuring access to legal aid for vulnerable groups of people, reforming the free legal aid system, integrating international standards into the Ukrainian legal system and enhancing local cooperation.

At the opening of the event, Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine, stressed the importance of protecting citizens’ rights and ensuring access to justice in times of war.

“We are putting a lot of effort into institutional reform and building the integrity system. But today we are going to talk about the part of the state policy that remains under-noticed – the services and opportunities that allow citizens to feel fairness and equality in their relations with the state even in times of war. We want the state to serve its citizens. As the Minister of Justice, I am making every effort to make the Ministry a structure associated with justice, access to citizens’ rights, and russia’s accountability for its crimes. Such forums and discussions should become regular platforms for dialogue,” said Olha Stefanishyna.

For his part, Jaco Cilliers, UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine, stressed that restoring justice based on human rights values was an urgent demand of the society. According to him, access to justice and legal aid is crucial during times of war to prevent violations and ensure justice. UNDP, along with its partners, is working to strengthen the human rights agenda in Ukraine to ensure that no one is left behind.

The participants of the forum discussed a wide range of issues in the context of Ukraine’s European integration during the war, protection of children’s rights, and comprehensive assistance to war-affected people.

Michael McGrath, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, delivered a special address to the participants.

Oleksandr Baranov, Director of the Coordination Centre for Legal Aid Provision, spoke about the transformation of the free legal aid system, simplifying access to legal aid and strengthening digital capacity:

“We are transforming and changing approaches to legal aid provision, focusing on people’s needs and ensuring the quality of services. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, we have strengthened our contact centre and developed online services to make legal services accessible. We continue to work, in particular, on simplifying access to our services,” he said.

The speakers reviewed the impact of the implementation of European standards on the reform of Ukraine’s legal system, as well as discussed the challenges and achievements in the process of approximation to EU membership.

The participants also focused on mechanisms of cross-sectoral cooperation and the importance of legal aid and international cooperation in supporting victims, including internally displaced persons and people with disabilities.

The final discussion focused on the practical aspects of providing assistance on the ground, particularly in the frontline and de-occupied regions. Participants shared successful practices of hotlines, support platforms and innovative approaches to working with vulnerable groups.

The forum was initiated by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Coordination Centre for Legal Aid Provision and with the support of the United Nations Development Programme within the framework of the UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict and the UNDP-EU flagship partnership EU4Recovery – Empowering Communities in Ukraine.

The event was also attended by: Gaël Veyssière, Ambassador of France to Ukraine; Charlotte Surun, Chargé d’affaires of the British Embassy in Ukraine; Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada; Denys Maslov, Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy; Maciej Janczak, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine; Nataliia Kalmykova, Minister for Veterans Affairs; Daryna Marchak, First Deputy Minister of Social Policy; Andrii Ovsiienko, Representative of the Ombudsman in the Judiciary on the Right to Fair Trial and Representation in the Constitutional Court of Ukraine; Halyna Tretiakova, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans Rights; Maryna Bardina, Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation; Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine; Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy in Ukraine; Aliona Shkrum, First Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development, and others.

Background

For more than 10 years, the free legal aid system has been working to bring services closer to the most vulnerable categories of the population.

During the full-scale war, more than 7,300 people from the temporarily occupied territories or territories where active hostilities are taking place received free legal aid. In 2023-2024, more than 1.7 million consultations were provided, including 100,000 online and 600,000 through the hotline.