Experts of the EU Project Pravo-Justice Held Meetings with the Courts Participating in the Model Courts Initiative to Coordinate Cooperation
On May 9, Experts of the Pravo-Justice Project held a coordination meeting with the courts participating in the Model Courts” Initiative, where they discussed the work plan and areas of cooperation. The event took place within the framework of implementation of the third phase of the Initiative.
When opening the meeting, Anna Adamska-Gallant, Key International Expert on Judiciary of the EU Project Pravo-Justice, welcomed the new participants to the Initiative and presented the concept of a new phase of the Initiative.
“We are glad to welcome 13 new courts as participants of the Model Courts Initiative, which expanded our community to 90 model courts. This is another confirmation of how important it is to spread not only international, but also best Ukrainian practices in various areas of court management. At the end of 2023, we will traditionally award the Model Court of the Year and decorate the nominees and winners of a number of awards relating to various aspects of court administration,” said Anna Adamska-Gallant.
According to the Key International Expert on Judiciary of the EU Project Pravo-Justice, the main areas of intervention at the third phase of the Initiative will be client-oriented approach, organization of work in courts, court security, “team-sensitive” management based on the principles of respect, inclusiveness, and stability.
Other important activities will include building a community of courts that would spread out the experience of implementing model solutions and best practices, as well as cooperation on the improvement of bylaws on basic organizational, HR, and logistics principles of court operation.
Svitlana Maistruk, National Expert of the EU Project Pravo-Justice, spoke in more detail about the online platform “Model Courts: Good Practices Platform” and called on the courts to share information about their own best practices, for publication.
“The community of courts, which will spread out the experience of implementing model solutions and best practices, will benefit from the online platform as an informational and educational resource that will combine the achievements of international projects and best practices of Ukrainian courts in various aspects of court management,” said Svitlana Maistruk.
Yevheniia Bondarenko, National Expert of the EU Project Pravo-Justice, presented the plans for the introduction of services for vulnerable of court users and building-up of the Court Volunteer Service, taking into account the needs of courts under martial law.
The strategic goals of within this area will be the dissemination of experience and best practices in the implementation of services for vulnerable court users among as many stakeholders as possible, with proper consideration of the challenges that have arisen due to armed aggression; the expansion of the mentors and trainers community; and the creation of a community of like-minded people.
Natalia Korol, President of the Appellate Court of Vinnytsia region, Head of the NGO “All-Ukrainian Association of Court Employees” shared her experience of implementing model solutions and also spoke about the members of the NGO who are participants to the Initiative and are ready to spread out model solutions and best practices of court management.
Volodymyr Chaban, Key National Expert for Judiciary, spoke about the plans of the Initiative.
“In the coming months, we are planning a series of thematic conferences within the framework of the Initiative; ToT courses on the implementation of services for vulnerable court users, and on court communication. We will also continue updating the Model Court Guidebook; developing instructions (standard operating procedures) and implementing model solutions in courts,” mentioned Volodymyr Chaban.
The meeting was moderated by Iryna Butyrska, National Expert and Coordinator of the Model Courts Initiative.
It should be noted that the following courts have become the new participants to the Model Courts Initiative:
- Moskovskyi District Court of Kharkiv
- Tlumatskyi District Court of Ivano-Frankivsk region
- Kyivskyi District Court of Odessa
- Yuzhnoukrainskyi City Court of Mykolaiv region
- Boryspilskyi District-in-city Court of Kyiv region
- Fifth Administrative Court of Appeal
- Zastavnivskyi District Court of Chernivtsi region
- Odesa Court of Appeal
- Kamianka-Buzkyi District Couskyirt of Lviv region
- Commercial Court of Sumy region
- Dzerzhynskyi District Court of Kharkiv
- Bereznivskyi District Court of Rivne region
- Uzhhorod District-in-city Court of Zakarpattia region.