Ukraine
10 Dec 2024
MATRA-Ukraine project “Strengthening Ukraine’s Capacity to Investigate and Prosecute International Crimes”
The MATRA-Ukraine project, a joint initiative of Global Rights Compliance (GRC) and the T.M.C. Asser Instituut, was designed to strengthen the capacity of investigators, the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG), regional prosecutors’ offices (RPOs), judges, civil society organisations (CSOs), journalists and defence lawyers in Ukraine to investigate, prosecute, adjudicate and document international crimes. The project also supported mechanisms to improve cooperation between different criminal justice actors in governmental agencies and with civil society. The project was operational between 1 July 2020 and 30 November 2024.
Our Services and Activities
- Strengthening local efforts to build cases against those most responsible for international crimes, especially at the political and military leadership level, by providing tailored legal advice and analysis.
- Developing and promoting legal tools to institutionalise comprehensive and standardised approaches for the investigation, prosecution, adjudication and documentation of international crimes in Ukraine, including a Basic Investigative Standards (BIS) Manual for the OPG and CSOs, the BIS-KIT app (a mobile version of the BIS for practitioners in Ukraine), a Benchbook on the Adjudication of International Crimes for Ukrainian judges, a Trainers’ Guide on Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and Other International Crimes in Ukraine for Ukrainian practitioners and Principles of Cooperation between Ukrainian Prosecuting Authorities and CSOs for the Investigation and Prosecution of Conflict-Related Crimes.
- Holding capacity building events to assist Ukrainian actors in their pursuit of accountability for international crimes, including study visits, exchange meetings and conferences for Ukrainian investigators, prosecutors and judges in The Hague, Netherlands.
- Providing professional training programmes for investigators, prosecutors, judges and legal professionals on international legal frameworks, standards and best practices.
- Providing professional training programmes tailored to Ukraine’s legal context, including reports on Ukraine’s domestic implementation of International Humanitarian Law and Ukraine’s relationship with the International Criminal Court as well as a dedicated MATRA-Ukraine website comprised of background information and useful resources.
Partners
The MATRA project was funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the MATRA (MAatschappelijke TRAnsformatie: social transformation) Programme and supported by the Netherlands Ministry of Justice and Security. It was a joint initiative of GRC and the T.M.C. Asser Instituut. An essential component of the project was the involvement of practitioners from the OPG, RPOs, Dutch governmental and non-governmental institutions, the Ukrainian and Dutch Ministries of Justice, the Ukrainian Council of Judges, the National School of Judges in Ukraine, Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice and several Ukrainian CSOs (Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, Centre for Civil Liberties).
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