Legal and judicial advisors of the USAID Justice for All Activity presented the results of the current Program and previous programs in the field of judicial reform to the new membership of the High Council of Justice to support the institutional development of the body, and also outlined areas for further cooperation.
The event was attended by the HCJ members, , Chief of Party, USAID Justice for All Activity, David Vaughn, Deputy Chief of Party, USAID Justice for All Activity Nataliya Petrova and legal and judicial advisors of the Program.
The HCJ members expressed their gratitude for the strong long-term support and assistance in ensuring the independence and increasing the authority of the judiciary, implementing the stages of judicial reform. Special thanks were given for the help in developing criteria and working-out a draft methodology for selecting members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, which the HCJ should begging in the near future.
Legal advisors briefed the members of the HCJ on the results of the Program’s work in the areas of ensuring the independence of the judiciary, preventing corruption risks, analyzing the HCJ discretion when providing recommendations on the appointment of candidates for the position of a judge and disciplinary responsibility of judges, judicial ethics, and the effectiveness of the courts according to CEPEJ indicators and monitoring level of public trust. As well as on the implementation of IT solutions and enhancement of operational processes of judicial governance bodies, improvement of communication policy.
The experts assured that the Program would continue to contribute to the activities of the judiciary and outlined priority directions. In particular, it is required to complete the work on improving the register of reports about interference with the judge's activity in the administration of justice, introducing a system for electronic document management between courts, and optimizing the network of courts. Cooperation in the field of building an effective communication policy of the judiciary will continue.
Reference: The USAID Justice for All Activity is implemented to promote the idea of justice for all through strengthening the justice system, justice services, and community involving to ensure an adequate response to legal problems and the needs of Ukrainians for justice. Program implementation term: October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2026.