The Deputy Minister explained how cooperation with the UNBA strengthens legal protections for veterans

The Ministry of Veterans Affairs is developing systematic cooperation with the National Bar Association of Ukraine to strengthen legal protection for veterans. The parties have already prepared joint guidance materials, and the Ministry’s proposal to simplify the search for advocates who specialize in veterans’ issues will be considered by the Bar Council of Ukraine.

Farhad Farkhadov, Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, described the Ministry’s collaboration with the UNBA in his article «Practice suggests solutions: how to strengthen legal protection for veterans», which is published by Ukrinform.

In August, the UNBA published Guidelines, prepared jointly with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, on ethical and barrier-free communication between advocates and clients who are war veterans and their family members. «Their practical value lies, first and foremost, in rejecting stereotypical perceptions of a person based on their veteran status. The status itself does not provide grounds for drawing conclusions about a person’s health, psychological state, communication style, or ability to make decisions independently», - notes F. Farkhadov.

The document can serve as a guide for veterans and their family members on professional and respectful interaction when seeking legal assistance. «It is not always easy for a veteran or a family member to determine which advocates systematically work with legislation in the field of veteran policy and the relevant administrative procedures», - explains the Deputy Minister.

In July, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs approached the UNBA with a proposal to consider refining the Unified Register of Advocates of Ukraine and introducing a voluntary designation or search filter for «specialization in the field of veterans’ policy». F. Farkhadov emphasized that this is exclusively an additional navigational tool and that the proposed model does not involve certification of advocates by the Ministry, evaluation of their professional activities, or restrictions on the right of other advocates to provide legal assistance to veterans. In response, the UNBA reported that this issue is scheduled to be included on the agenda of the next meeting of the Bar Council of Ukraine. «If the proposal receives support, a fairly clear path will be established. Veteran PRO helps people navigate their rights and available mechanisms, methodological recommendations promote high-quality professional interaction, and the search functionality in URAU can simplify the selection of an advocate who specializes in the relevant field», - says the Deputy Minister.

«The next step is to ensure that these tools do not operate in isolation. If a particular issue recurs in veterans’ inquiries, is recognized by the professional legal community, and manifests in judicial practice, this provides grounds for analyzing the causes, - he noted. - Practice should not merely identify the problem; it should also suggest where to look for solutions».