

News
Ukraine: Legal Advocacy Saves Family Homes
In May 2005, Vasyl Stefanyshyn and his daughter, Iryna, were summoned to the Drohobych Rayon Court. The distraught family was joined by equally confused neighbors, who had received similar summons. They quickly learned that their landlord wanted to evict the families from their dormitory-style apartments. Read more »»
Chamber of Commerce Members Join Anti-Corruption Discussion
In cooperation with the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) hosted a discussion on combating business and corporate sector corruption. The April 28 discussion, which was attended by chamber members, was held during ABA ROLI’s monthly anti-corruption coordination initiative (ACCI) meeting. Read more »»
Public Defenders Offices Help Women Empower Each Other
Oleksandra Kyrychenko is the head of the Union of Veterans at the Lyutens’ki Budyshcha Village Council, Poltava region, Ukraine. A highly respected and popular elderly woman, men and women in her village look up to Oleksandra for her leadership. Her life, though, was quite a challenging journey. For many years, Oleksandra returned home not knowing how she would be greeted by her husband or even where she would be spending the night. Read more »
Ukrainian Roundtable Addresses Legal Education Reform
Mykola Siryy, senior researcher at the Korets’ky Institute of State and Law, believes that the whole legal system of a country is in danger if legal education, legal practice or legal thought does not function properly. During a recent roundtable, many experts stated that the legal education system in Ukraine does not adequately prepare students for the challenges and demands of a modern and competitive society governed by the rule of law. Read more »»
Programs
- Anti-Corruption and
Public Integrity
- Criminal Law
Reform and
Anti-Human Trafficking - Legal Education
Reform and
Civic Education - Legal Profession
Reform
Anti-Corruption Coordination Initiative (ACCI)
Combating corruption is a key priority for many major donors and implementing partners working in Ukraine. With a significant number of international donors, government agencies, national and international organizations working in the area of anti-corruption, it is often difficult to know what is being done, by whom, and where, to avoid duplication of efforts. The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) in Ukraine has established a monthly forum for representatives of the donor community, governmental agencies and civil society organizations who work in the area of anti-corruption to discuss programming, identify needs, form partnerships and coordinate their respective work. Read more »»
Anti-Corruption Legislative Analysis and Popularization of Conventions
In an effort to assist the government of Ukraine in drafting and enacting unified legislation that will effectively combat corruption, ABA ROLI works in partnership with the Parliamentary Committee on Combating Organized Crime and Corruption (PCCO CC) to provide legal research, comparable regional models, policy recommendations and legislative gap analysis of Ukraine’s current anti-corruption statutes, draft laws and accompanying legislation. Read more »»
ABA ROLI’s criminal law reform program has operated in Ukraine since 1997. The program assists the Ukrainian legal community in the criminal justice reform process by strengthening the capacities of Ukrainian legal institutions. Our efforts include providing technical expertise, comparative analysis, coordination and related support to the government, judiciary, law enforcement agencies and defense bar.
Pre-Trial Detention Project
Ukraine is perceived by many international observers as having unduly high rates of pretrial detention, which are often characterized as human rights violations and torture of criminal suspects while being detained in sub-standard detention facilities. As such, reform of the pre-trial detention system and modernization of the criminal procedure code are essential reform components. In 2006, the pilot pre-trial detention project was endorsed by the Supreme Court of Ukraine and implemented by ABA ROLI. Read more »»
Law Enforcement Reform Program
This program supports the country’s law enforcement reform to comply with international and European standards and assists Ukraine in meeting its international commitments. These efforts will enhance the competence and effectiveness of the law enforcement agencies, including the Ministry of Interior, National Security Defense Counsel, Prosecutor General's Office and Customs, Tax, and Border Control. Read more »»
Anti-Human Trafficking Program
In February 2007, ABA ROLI started the initial phase of a program to develop a confiscation fund to benefit victims of human trafficking. Funded by the International Organization of Migration (IOM) and the Royal Foreign Ministry of Denmark, this program provided research and analysis of the institutional and legislative framework necessary to support such a fund by identifying comparable criminal forfeiture models in other countries and by adapting them to the Ukrainian context. Read more »»
Professional Bar Development
The existence of a competent and qualified cadre of defense advocates is vital to any developing legal system and, therefore, an important area of focus for ABA ROLI’s work in Ukraine. The Defense Advocacy Program contributes to the establishment of a continuing legal education system for defense attorneys, with primary emphasis on criminal law and procedure. Read more »»
Legal Clinics
ABA ROLI has been committed to supporting clinical legal education initiatives throughout Ukraine. Through operational sub-grants and trainings, ABA ROLI currently supports an expanded network of legal clinics, operated in association with their respective universities. Each year, ABA ROLI provides funding support through sub-grants for the creation of additional legal clinics to foster pro bono legal consultations and practical skills education opportunities for law students. Read more »»
Ukrainian Client Counseling Competition
Since 2006, ABA ROLI, in cooperation with the Legal Clinic of Ostroh Academy, has administered annual client counseling competitions. The goal is to teach law students vital lawyering skills, such as client interviewing and counseling, decision-making, fee negotiation, professional ethics and teamwork. The competition also provides law students with a unique opportunity to hold client interviews in front of experienced attorneys and to receive constructive critiques on how to improve their skills. Read more »»
Law Student Internship Programs
ABA ROLI also supports innovative internships for law students. Throughout summer 2006, ten law students were selected to complete an intensive two-week internship program. They received first-hand experience in first instance and appellate court proceedings, human rights work, law enforcement institutions and advocacy projects. Furthermore, ABA ROLI sponsored the publication of guidelines on running a successful internship program by the Ukrainian Bar Association. The guidelines will be distributed to law schools, legal non-governmental organizations and law firms to promote the importance of these clinical internship programs throughout Ukraine. Read more »»
Improvement of Law Professors’ Competence
ABA ROLI is committed to assisting Ukrainian law schools in enhancing professors’ teaching methodology and substantive knowledge. To this end, in 2007, ABA ROLI organized two multi-day trainings for law professors on methodology, human rights and professional ethics. ABA ROLI also provided financial assistance to the Ukrainian European Student Association to administer a two-day international workshop dedicated to teaching European Union law in Ukrainian law schools. Read more »»
Supporting Broader Legal Education Reforms
Beginning in March 2007, ABA ROLI began developing a draft concept on legal education reform. It was drafted by a working group comprised of prominent Ukrainian legal experts in the field, including representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Justice, leading law universities and scientific academies. Read more »»
Legal Profession and Public Advocacy Program
Through tenders and sub-grant competitions, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) provides operational sub-grants to Ukrainian advocacy non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and university legal clinics, which offer pro bono legal services to the disadvantaged and underserved populations. Currently, ABA ROLI supports and maintains an expanding network of 32 legal consultation centers. The centers serve vulnerable groups, such as the disabled, homeless, elderly, incarcerated, HIV-positive and rural poor. Read more »»
Institution Building Program
An important component of ABA ROLI’s efforts is providing technical assistance for institutional capacity-building to promote long-term stability and sustainability of its legal aid clinics and NGO advocacy partner organizations. Read more »»
Publications
- Analysis of the Draft Laws of Ukraine On the Bar (September 2007) | also available in Ukrainian
- Judicial Reform Index for Ukraine - Volume II (December 2005) . Also available in Ukrainian
- Analysis of the Draft Law on Legal Aid (April 2004).
- Analysis of the Draft Law on Anti-Corruption (August 2004).
- Rule of Law Booklets – Complaint Mechanisms on Unlawful Activities of the Law Enforcement Bodies, on Housing and Pensions Issues.
- Application of Bail as Preventive Measure During Investigation and Trial: Guidelines (2007). Available in Ukrainian only
- Pilot Pre-Trail Detention Project Brochure – What You Should Know about Bail (October 2006). Also available in Ukrainian
- Corruption and the Ukrainian Economy by Tatyana Khavanska, Ukraine Deputy Country Director, Commerce Magazine. March 2007.
Shelley R. Wieck
Country Director
Kyiv, 04004, Ukraine
Phone: +38 (044) 459-0150
Fax: +38 (044) 459-0157
Email: abaukr@abaceeli.kiev.ua
Background
The ABA Rule of Law Initiative started its program in Ukraine in 1992 with the placement of its first Rule of Law legal specialist in the capital city, Kyiv. Its Criminal Law Reform program began in 1997. The Kyiv office has also been home to the NIS Regional Institution Building Advisor program (RIBA) (1999-2005) and Regional Anti-Corruption Advisor program (RACA) (1999-2006).

The current work in Ukraine involves a broad-range of legal reform, anti-corruption and legal education activities, including support and assistance to legal aid clinics; creating advocacy centers which provide public awareness and legal consultations to disadvantaged populations; training defense attorneys; providing technical assistance in the drafting and revision of various draft legislation; providing coordination and expert technical assistance in the areas of anti-corruption and counter human trafficking; and supporting Ukraine's efforts to reform the law enforcement system.
To learn more about the ABA's long-range plan in Ukraine, please click here to see our Strategic Programmatic Framework.

