On 30 May -1 June 2017, International charitable organization “Environment-People-Law” jointly with the National School of Judges of Ukraine held the training for judges “Environmental protection and human rights”. The event was organized in the city of Kremenets and funded by the Embassy of Sweden to Ukraine.
During the three days of the training, the participants discussed not only practical aspects of protection of environmental rights and environmental protection, prevention of environmental harm but also visited facilities that cause harm to the environment. On the first day of the training judges visited the pig-raising farm in the village of Kernytsia in Horodok district and Zhovkva bone recycling enterprise that function in violation of environmental norms and rights of local residents to safe and healthy environment.
In the course of the training, the judges were presented theoretical and practical aspects of the following modules:
- environmental protection, environmental rights and human rights : relations in the international law;
- jurisprudence of the ECHR – interrelation of the environment and human rights;
- the Aarhus Convention and access to justice in environmental matters. The jurisprudence of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee;
- access to environmental information.
Trainers of the course were judges of administrative, economic and general courts of various instances that in September 2015 successfully completed the training for judges based on the developed by EPL experts course “Environmental protection and human rights” as well as by EPL experts.
Larysa Zuyeva, the training judge of Odessa Appellate Administrative Court of Ukraine emphasized: “All participants were impressed by the format of the event as this is the first seminar of non-standard format where besides theoretical part all participants had the possibility to see the contrast of environmental disasters and beauty of Kremenets National Nature Park. Thanks to participation of quite a number of environmental scientists and lawyers, the event covered wide spectrum of environmental issues in courts and facilitated search for joint steps towards solution of these problems. Most importantly, organizers and trainers of the seminar expect that the information and practical skills that the judges gained will help them break the long-existing matrix of judges’ thinking who on their procedural activities almost always are ruled by legislation but very rarely they base their decisions on the principles of the rule of law.
The principle of the rule of law is particularly important for environmental law because contamination of the environment directly impacts protection of the rights, preservation of the environment for future generations.”
Iryna Voytiuk, the founding rector of the Academy of Judges of Ukraine, stated: «This educational event was held in the form of a training for trainers. Similar trainings have been held in Lviv, Kharkiv, Chernivtsi, Odessa regional branches of the National School of Judges of Ukraine. But this one was really a special one for many reasons. First of all, the training was attended by judges of all jurisdictions of the first and appellate instances from all regions of Ukraine. Secondly, theoretical knowledge in particular of the right to safe environment as the basic human right was combined with mastering practical skills in solving environmental problems. The judges had the possibility not only to see real environmental disasters but also fell their smell and taste. I am sure that having returned from such a training to their regions the judges will bring there not only knowledge and skills but also the spirit of the Aarhus Convention, which is the most humane international regulatory acts that since 1998 has been part of the Ukrainian internal legislation. Any action started by a positive person with a positive idea is doomed to yield success. By this I mean progressive ideas born by the professor Svitlana Kravchenko who was one of the permanent members of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee and who in 1994 started the non-governmental organization “Environment-People-Law” (EPL). I am personally very glad that EPL established very good contact with judges and continue the work started by the Academy of Judges of Ukraine and now performed by the legal successor of the Academy of Judges – the National School of Judges. The lively discussion of searching for the balance between environmental and economic interests makes us think that judges who participated in the training will make balanced decisions».
Having the task to summarize results of the training with one word, the judges selected the following words: justice, future, hope, fanaticism, humanism, inspiration, attitude, love, team, honesty, respect, importance, devotion, fair balance, courage, loyalty, accent, care, gratitude.
The judges realized the importance of environmental protection and we hope will pass this knowledge to their colleagues.
For further information please contact:
Iryna Voytiuk, member of EPL Executive Board
Email: irynavot@ukr.net; office@epl.org.ua
tel.: (032) 225 – 76 – 82
Olena Kravchenko, EPL director
Email: okravchenko@epl.org.ua; office@epl.org.ua
tel.: (032) 225 – 76 – 82
