The Danish Refugee Council will engage the UNBA to provide legal aid - a memorandum was signed
Within the framework of its own projects to assist refugees and internally displaced persons, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) will engage the specialists of the Ukrainian National Bar Association to provide legal aid to Ukrainian citizens.
The relevant memorandum of understanding was signed today, April 24, by Alix Françoise Marie Journou, the Representative of the Danish Refugee Council in Ukraine, and Lidiya Izovitova, the President of the UNBA, BCU.
According to the document, the cooperation will be carried out through the involvement of specialists, including UNBA representatives abroad, on the digital legal aid platform PravoVsim, to provide free legal aid to Ukrainian citizens who were forced to temporarily move as a result of armed aggression, became refugees or persons under special protection, and therefore need qualified legal assistance.
DRC is committed to the welfare and protection of the recipients of assistance. After all, the mandate of the international organization obliges it to provide assistance to the affected population. UNBA, in turn, undertakes to accept and share the humanitarian policy of the DRC.
The contact person for coordination of joint activities on the Ukrainian side is Oleksandr Chernykh, the UNBA representative in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The Danish Refugee Council was founded in 1956. It assists refugees and internally displaced persons around the world by providing emergency assistance, defending their rights and expanding their prospects for a better future.
The activities of the DRC are based on the principles of humanity, respect, independence, neutrality, involvement, as well as honesty and transparency.
The organization has been working in Ukraine since 1998. From 2007 to 2013, DRC implemented a national program to protect the rights of IDPs and build the capacity of civil society and state authorities responsible for providing asylum. In 2014, the Board resumed its activities to support the humanitarian response in eastern Ukraine through emergency response and durable solutions aimed at protecting and empowering internally displaced persons and host communities, humanitarian demining and capacity development of state authorities.
Since February 2022, DRC has been contributing to the overall emergency response in Ukraine, developing and implementing strategies to respond to needs across Ukraine in the longer term, working in sectors such as social and legal protection, economic recovery, humanitarian disarmament and peacebuilding, capacity development and shelter.
Popular news
Legislation
The path to ratification of the Convention must not end in yet another delay — L. Izovitova
Ukraine’s preparations for the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Professions of Lawyer have already passed key stages. Now, government institutions must submit the matter to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration. In doing so, Ukraine may complete the ratification process faster than EU member states.
Guarantees of the practice of law
Ukraine could be the first to implement a European mechanism for the protection of advocates. What’s holding it back?
Ukraine has a chance to be the first country to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Professions of Lawyer. Political support for this exists, but the government’s legislative package has not yet been submitted to parliament. Meanwhile, the number of violations of advocates’ rights is on the rise.
Educational events
How can an advocate verify that work has been completed if the client refuses to sign the report?
When billing by the hour, the primary document for determining the fee may be a detailed report on the time spent by the advocate and the work performed. To prevent the client from withholding payment, the contract should specify in advance the procedure for submitting and approving such a report.
Self-government
The BCU took note of the public appeal from the HCJ
The Bar Council of Ukraine has determined that, given the current security situation, it is objectively impossible to hold, in accordance with the procedure established by the Law «On the advocacy and the practice of law», meetings of advocates, regional conferences of advocates and the Congress of Ukrainian Advocates, including for the purpose of electing two members of the High Council of Justice under the quota allocated to the Congress of Ukrainian Advocates.
War
The BCU has launched a digital project «Wall of Remembrance and Honor»
The Bar Council of Ukraine has adopted a resolution to launch the digital project «Wall of Remembrance and Honor». To this end, the UNBA is beginning to collect information on advocates and paralegals who lost their lives as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine.
Appointment
The UNBA has established a Committee on cybersecurity and virtual assets
A permanent collegial advisory body — the Committee on cybersecurity and virtual assets has been established under the UNBA.
Legal defence of military personnel
Medical care, veterans' benefits and legal assistance: what changes are needed to protect service members
The consequences of torture and illnesses suffered by Ukrainian servicemembers while in captivity are not always properly documented or taken into account when providing social benefits. Therefore, a medical examination is crucial during the reintegration phase; it is also necessary for documenting war crimes.
Interaction
Energy law: the UNBA and the ADMGE have agreed to cooperate
Advocates will deepen their professional expertise in the field of energy law, and participants in the distributed and flexible generation market will have greater opportunities to obtain professional legal assistance.
Publications
Volodymyr Matsko Extradition during wartime: when the risks outweigh the request
Volodymyr Matsko Extradition as a systemic form of rights violations
Victoria Yakusha, Law and Business The anti-corruption vertical cannot «take care» of the Bar as an institution, - acting head of the HQDCB
Censor.net Protecting advocates – protecting justice: addressing concerns about the new law
Ihor Kolesnykov A BRIEF SUMMARY REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF THE ORDER ON EXTENDED CONFISCATION IN LATVIA REGARDING FINANCIAL ASSETS OF…
Valentyn Gvozdiy WORKING IN A WAR ZONE
Lydia Izovitova Formula of perfection
Sergiy Vylkov Our judicial system is so built that courts do not trust advocates
