As our Ukraine-week progresses, we delve deeper into the country's human rights landscape. In collaboration with Christian Ranheim (Responsible solutions), expert in international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights (IHR), the UK and Norwegian police, the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) organized a rigorous training session.
One of the key focal points of this training is to discuss the nature of the conflict in Ukraine. Legal experts are examining at what time it and in which areas it qualified as an international armed conflict or a non-international armed conflict. Additionally, they are addressing the critical issue of when and how international humanitarian law and international human rights law apply.
A major responsibility of Ukraine's ombudsman's office is to handle the repatriation of prisoners of war and children from Russia. The tailor-made training programme focused on gathering information from repatriated individuals, without re-traumatizing them, or compromising the integrity of their statements. As individuals may be interviewed by various agencies, a challenge that may arise is to ensure consistency among multiple accounts. This issue becomes particularly pertinent when dealing with cases that require analysis of both international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
By addressing these complex issues, the training for the Ukrainian Ombudsman’s Office aimed at equipping the participants with necessary knowledge and skills to navigate the intricate web of Ukraine's current human rights situation. Both the Ukrainian and international professionals involved in this collaborative effort are dedicated to promoting a just and equitable society.
As the training progresses, NCHR remain committed to advancing human rights in Ukraine and around the world.
NCHR’s cooperation with Ukrainian authorities is funded by the Norwegian Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine.