International partnership to improve work with veterans in the criminal justice system
A recent online partnership meeting was held as part of the Dutch-Ukrainian project ‘Fair, Transparent and Accountable Criminal Justice System in Ukraine’.
The working meeting was attended by Oksana Koval, Director of the Education and Research Centre for Communications at WUNU, and Hans van den Berg, Senior Project Manager at the Centre for International Legal Cooperation (CILC) for programme management in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. Laura Henny, CILC Project Manager for Programme Management and Implementation in Eastern Europe, Viktoria Korobii, interpreter at the International Relations Office of WUNU, and Olena Denyshchyk, CILC representative, also joined the discussion.
The project aims to strengthen the professional capacities of Ukraine's criminal justice bodies and introduce modern, evidence-based approaches to working with war veterans. The new phase of implementation (2025–2027) provides for comprehensive research, the development of methodological guidelines and training programmes, as well as the organisation and implementation of specialised training courses for representatives of the justice system.
During the meeting, a new international initiative involving CILC was also discussed, aimed at researching and implementing effective practices for reintegrating veterans into society – particularly in the context of the criminal justice system, psychological support and psychosocial rehabilitation.
The initiative is being implemented with the support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and coordinated by an international consortium comprising the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), the T.M.C. Asser Institute and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC). It is encouraging that, as part of the implementation of the project "Fair, Transparent and Accountable Criminal Justice System in Ukraine – Phase II," Taras Porokhniak, a WUNU student majoring in international law, was selected through a competitive selection process and accepted as a consultant at the Centre for International Legal Cooperation (CILC), which was the next step in the university's active involvement in the project and its initiatives.
The meeting was a logical continuation of previous discussions in The Hague and focused on identifying further steps for cooperation. The parties agreed to collaborate within two working groups, whose activities will be aimed at comprehensively improving approaches to working with veterans in the criminal justice system, consolidating expert capacity and integrating international experience, taking into account Ukrainian realities. In particular, this involves the development of training programmes for psychologists working in the probation service and interacting with veterans, as well as the introduction of modern interdisciplinary approaches to professional training, particularly in the areas of crisis communication, psychological support and social reintegration.
The meeting continued work on developing a roadmap for implementing the project and selecting representatives from WUNU to join working groups in key areas.
For West Ukrainian National University, participation in the project is an important step towards deepening international cooperation, developing expertise in the field of human rights and security, and making a significant contribution to restoring dignity and justice in Ukrainian society in the context of post-war recovery. The partners emphasised the importance of combining expertise and resources to build a fair, effective and people-centred criminal justice system in Ukraine and laid the foundation for further sustainable Ukrainian-Dutch partnership.
