The Foundation delivers two workshops in the Eastern Regions of Ukraine
The Max Planck Foundation has delivered two regional workshops in the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, which took place from 8-11 April in Sviatohirsk and Severodonetsk, respectively. Legal professionals working at the regional and local legal aid centres took part. A Senior Research Fellow participated on behalf of the Foundation. He opened the events and introduced the workshop agenda to the participants. Two Ukrainian legal experts equally contributed to the workshops.
The experts and the participants discussed a wide range of issues related to legal protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other conflict-affected individuals. They addressed international as well as national legal standards that protect and enhance IDPs’ rights and interests. Topics addressed during the events included pensions and social benefits, civil documentation, compensation and restitution as well as housing issues. Moreover, the concept of durable solutions and how such solutions could be achieved in practice were also discussed from a comparative perspective. The participants equally addressed the issues related to equal and effective access to justice as well as the principle of non-discrimination as applied to the situation of internally displaced persons. In practical exercises, the participants had the opportunity to apply the above-mentioned concepts and principles to real-life situations and seek common solutions.