Project objective: improving access to justice for the rural population through:

1. educating rural citizens from four selected districts concerning opportunities of resolving public-legal and civil disputes in legal form ;
2. creating appropriate organizational and legal conditions to introduce the courts of justice and arbitration courts for rural population.

Project tasks:

1. To review the acting Ukrainian legislation that ensures access of citizens to legal mechanisms to address public-legal and civil disputes, to identify the most pressing issues in implementation of this legislation by conducting public discussions in the regions; to develop proposals to improve the legislation taking into consideration the results of the public discussions and to present them to the Parliament.
2. To select four rural districts to take part in the project. To conduct studies in these regions concerning the implementation of legal procedures in addressing local civil and public legal disputes by the rural population. To develop the plan of training, consulting and technical assistance to be delivered to the rural communities.
3. To increase the awareness and preparedness level of citizens from the selected districts concerning the implementation of judicial and other legal mechanisms in addressing public and civil disputes concerning the judicial procedures in resolving administrative legal disputes by courts and other authorized state bodies in the course of trainings and seminars.
4. To provide technical and consulting assistance to the rural communities from four selected districts in establishing courts of arbitration and justice courts through producing specialized handbooks, providing consultations to local state authorities and non-governmental organizations.
5. To ensure transparent reporting and information sharing about the results of the projects and lessons learned among all interested parties in Ukraine.

Project components:

The main project activities include:

• Developing of a draft law to make changes to the existing legislation ensuring access to the legal mechanisms to address public legal and civil disputes for people based on the results of the round-table discussions and the study of the acting legislation.
• Conducting training courses for representatives of local NGOs, active members of the communities, senior pupils of high schools aimed at increasing the awareness level of citizens concerning the implementation of judicial and other legal mechanisms in addressing public and civil disputes; conducting seminars for local authorities, NGOs and official bodies dedicated to development of courts of justice and courts of arbitration.
• Conducting competitions for the best information campaign on increasing the awareness level of citizens about legal mechanisms of their human rights protection in the four selected districts; rendering assistance in their implementation and evaluation.
• Establishment and maintenance of four information-consulting offices to provide assistance to local districts in establishing courts of arbitration, justice courts and other kinds of non-state agencies to address civil disputes.
• Publication of informational and methodological handbooks for citizens and official bodies.

Expected results:

• The mechanisms of addressing civil and administrative legal disputes will become more accessible and closer to inhabitants of rural districts;
• The number of public activists capable to provide support and assistance in the implementation of mechanisms to solve conflicts of the civil and administrative law nature will be increased;
• Citizens will be capable to apply the mechanisms of protection of their rights and will master essential skills to implement these mechanisms in their everyday life;
• The local state authorities and local NGOs will be able to develop the system of the courts of arbitration and justice courts at the level of rural districts as well as support it in the future.