During the seminar, over 40 activists, human rights defenders and representatives of local authorities from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and Kyiv received essential tips and advice on methodological issues of building dialogue in post-conflict areas, as well as on specific problems of documenting human rights violations in these areas. Participants shared best practices in the field of documenting human rights violations, dialogue and revitalization of liberated areas and discussed the idea of developing common approaches and initiatives to respond to the challenges and solutions to urgent problems in the region and post-conflict areas.

 

Ukrainian human rights defenders especially appreciated the experience, which the experts from the Balkan countries and Russia shared during the workshop. Specialists in documenting human rights violations, dialogue, peace-building and recovery of life from Montenegro, Serbia and Croatia shared the experience of their countries in the dialogue and the establishment of justice in post-conflict areas with the participants. Presentations of experts featured real-life examples of building dialogue and documenting human rights violations. The speakers often shared their personal experience as examples of such activities. Approaches and practices of the Balkan countries and Russia (which in many reports of international observers and Ukrainian authorities are major importers of human rights abusers in eastern Ukraine) proved to be particularly useful for use in Ukraine.

 

During the training it was decided to support the initiatives of local NGOs in Donetsk and Lugansk regions to create a communication platform for dialogue between different groups and create a group of human rights organizations to coordinate the process of tools development, as well as the collection and analysis of information on human rights violations in eastern Ukraine.

 

This August in order to support CSOs initiatives in the areas affected as a result of hostilities, UNDP project "Democratization and Human Rights in Ukraine" together with program initiatives "Human Rights and Justice" of the International Fund "Renaissance" held a grant competition "Restoration of life and protection of human rights in post-conflict areas Luhansk and Donetsk regions." Having reviewed the project proposals of participants, the Award Committee decided to support 14 organizations in implementing their projects on providing free legal aid to internally displaced persons, documenting human rights violations, establishing social dialogue, restoring public environment, providing social services, psychological and legal aid and arranging educational activities.