Estonia to support modernisation of Human Rights Centre in Ukraine

ESTDEV will renovate the centre's facilities and organise a training programme for staff. The cooperation is part of the Human Rights Commissioner's overall strategy to strengthen regional offices and transform them from public reception points into modern human rights centres. The Ukrainian company Alexander & I won the construction tender for nearly €211,000; the company has previous experience working on Estonian projects, such as building Estonian-designed family-style small group homes in Zhytomyr. The company has 90 days to complete construction.

Although the Human Rights Centre is currently operating in Zhytomyr, they have only one room in the regional government building. This means the centre cannot comfortably accommodate many people. Estonia’s funding of new spacious facilities will allow the Office of the Secretariat of the Human Rights Commissioner of the Ukrainian Parliament to ensure the functioning of the human rights centre in the Zhytomyr. The new offices will be neutral, safe and child-friendly to reduce anxiety and avoid (re)traumatising the people they serve.

Photo: What the office space looks like before renovations.

Estonias Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna said that the protection and promotion of human rights is one of the important goals of Estonia's foreign policy. "The human rights centre to be established in the town of Zhytomyr will allow Estonia to contribute directly to the promotion of human rights and to help those who have suffered as a result of Russia's aggression," Tsahkna said. "Alongside military and political assistance to Ukraine, reconstruction of Ukraine is key. By supporting the establishment of the Centre for Human Rights, Estonia is taking another step on the road to a better future for Ukraine."

ESTDEV’s head of Cooperation and Development for Ukraine, Margus Gering, said that establishing the human rights centre is an important step towards strengthening Ukraine's democratic institutions. 

“The Human Rights Centre, representing cooperation between our two countries, will be a much-needed point for offering support and advice. Estonia will not only help upgrade the office spaces, but we will also train the centre staff with Estonia’s best knowledge and experience,” said Gering.

According to Gering, the project resulted from close cooperation with Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's commissioner for Human Rights, whose team defends the rights and interests of citizens affected by Russian aggression. “Among other things, the commissioner focuses on the return of deported children, the exchange of prisoners of war, and the documentation of human rights violations,” Gering said.

Photo: What the office space looks like before renovations.

In addition to the office space, the project also aims to train staff members from Zhytomyr and other regions of Ukraine. The training programme will consist of study visits to Estonia and various training sessions to help build the centre’s capacity.

The opening of the Human Rights Centre in Zhytomyr will also contribute to raising awareness of human rights issues among the region’s residents and increasing the effectiveness of the commissioner's work. The new facilities will be renovated in cooperation with the Zhytomyr Unemployment Fund. This will be the first human rights centre of its kind in Ukraine to be opened in Zhytomyr, moving Ukraine one step closer to the long-term goal of opening a human rights centre in every region.

The staff’s first study visits to Estonia took place in early July. The first study visit aimed to give an overview of the policies regulating the organisation of prisons and detention centres in Estonia and the cooperation between different institutions to ensure detainees’ rights. During the visit, the delegation from the Human Rights Centre visited the Ministry of Justice, Estonian detention centres and prisons, a children's detention centre and a detention centre for foreigners.

During the second study visit, the centre’s staff were given an overview of the organisation of child protection and safeguarding children's rights in both governmental and non-governmental organisations. The visit focused on ensuring children's rights when providing services and coordinating cooperation between agencies. During the visit, the delegation from the Human Rights Centre got acquainted with Estonia’s policies concerning the organisation of child welfare services and visited Estonia's Human Rights Centre and the Estonian Union for Child Welfare, the police, the prosecutor's office and the courthouse, prisons and private institutions for children.