Category: Webinar

international-conference
Webinar

Conference on Accountability for Crimes Committed in Ukraine and Joint Efforts to Make it Happen 13 November 2024, Warsaw

Foundation Sunflowers together with Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, under an honorary patronage of the Ministry of Justice, is organizing a conference on Accountability for Crimes Committed in Ukraine and Joint Efforts to Make it Happen. The conference will take place on 13 November 2024, in Warsaw, Poland. 

The conference, hosted by Poland, is an opportunity to bring together Polish, Ukrainian and international policymakers, legal experts, academics, and civil society organisations (CSOs) to take stock and discuss the importance of domesticating international criminal law to fight impunity for international crimes committed by the Russian Federation armed forces in Ukraine. The aims are to: 
  • enhance coordination of accountability initiatives in Poland and with other European actors. 
  • reflect on necessary policy change and capacity building in Poland to increase the effectiveness of these initiatives, comparing experiences from other countries where international crimes are prosecuted before domestic courts. 
  • promote a holistic approach to ensuring the rights of the victims and survivors.

Poland, as a country bordering Ukraine and hosting nearly one million refugees, has taken action to fight the impunity of the perpetrators of international crimes committed in Ukraine. In 2022, the Office of the Polish Prosecutor General initiated criminal proceedings concerning Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and war crimes committed in the context of the war. The purpose is to support investigations conducted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Ukrainian justice system, and European countries that exercise universal jurisdiction. Civil society organisations in Poland have also documented violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL) to support access to justice and reparations for the survivors. At the same time, Poland faces challenges that must be addressed to ensure more effective investigation and prosecution of international crimes. The challenges are legal (e.g., related to exercising universal jurisdiction, developing a methodology of investigating international crimes) and practical (e.g., implementing standards to prevent re-victimization in collecting evidence and developing guidelines to ensure victims and survivors can access medical and psycho-social assistance). The conference participants will be asked to share their knowledge and expertise to inform solutions to both challenges. Two panels will focus on the legal aspects, and two panels will examine the needs and rights of the survivors.

The conference’s language is English, and simultaneous translation (Ukrainian, Polish) will be provided. The participants will represent the legal profession from Poland, Ukraine, and other European countries, as well as international institutions, academia, and civil society organisations.

The conference is organized with the support of the EU Project Pravo-Justice, Krajowa Izba Radców Prawnych, Naczelna Rada Adwokacka, the Institute of Legal Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Raphael Lemkin Centre for Documenting Russian Crimes in Ukraine, the Polish Center for Tortured Survivors Foundation, the Opora Foundation in Warsaw, and the Coalition for the International Criminal Court. The media patronage of the conference was provided by Wolters Kluwer.

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Webinar

State immunity and immunities of State officials in times of transformation

Join us, virtually, on the 24th of June 2024, Monday, at 6:00 PM CET, for the zoom webinar entitled: “State immunity and immunities of State officials in times of transformation”.

The topic will be presented by Professor Anna Wyrozumska, who is professor of international law and European Union law, University of Lodz, Poland and the President of the Legal Advisory Committee in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, former member of the Polish delegation at the Rome Conference on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court.

The second speaker will be Professor Magdalena Matusiak-Frącczak, habilitated doctor, attorney, Assistant Professor (University of Lodz, Poland), visiting professor (Chandigarh University, India).

The webinar focuses on various types of exemptions that come from international law from the jurisdiction or enforcement of the state law, i.e. immunities available to states, persons or international organizations. Immunities are available to different entities and have different scope and effects. The institution of immunities, in particular state immunity, finds its justification in the basic principles of the international law system. At the same time, immunities set the framework for mutual relations between states in the exercise of jurisdiction. Contemporary changes, such as strengthening the position of the individual, in particular the protection of his/her fundamental rights, or the increasingly frequent entry of the state into private law relations, make the subject of this study one of the most widely discussed issues in the doctrine of international law. The question therefore arises to what extent immunities must remain inviolable in the interest of maintaining international order and ensuring the efficient functioning of a state in international relations, and to what extent they should be limited, e.g. in the interest of protecting the individual, including the protection of his/her fundamental rights.

The meeting will be moderated by Professor Aleksandra Mężykowska, who is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Legal Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and also a Board Member of the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and legal expert at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The webinar will be conducted in English.

The webinar is a joint event of the Project Sunflowers and the EU Pravo-Justice Project.

Join us here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0OAVgzXoTPq3BkpmD87uTw#/registration

 

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Webinar

In Defence of an Internationalised Tribunal

Join us, virtually, on the 21st of May 2024, Tuesday, at 6:00 PM CET, for the a zoom webinar entitled: In Defence of an Internationalised Tribunal”.

The topic will be presented by Professor Kevin Jon Heller, who is Professor of International Law and Security at the University of Copenhagen’s Centre for Military Studies and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires, currently serving as Special Advisor to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on War Crimes.

The webinar focuses on the challenges and opportunities of prosecuting core crimes by an internationalized tribunal and the speaker will be considering various problems (pro and contra such a tribunal) arising from accepting the statement that the international society should grant jurisdiction arising under national criminal codes and general international law to a dedicated international criminal tribunal that should be established to investigate and prosecute individuals who have committed the crime of aggression in respect of the territory of Ukraine, including those who have materially influenced or shaped the commission of that crime.

The meeting will be moderated by Professor Hanna Kuczyńska, Member of the Executive Board of Sunflowers Foundation and professor at the Institute of Law Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

The webinar will be conducted in English and simultaneous translations into Ukrainian will be available.

Here is the link to registration:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_T0-nxoVSTUCZmHIM7DhOgw#/registration

The webinar is a joint event of the Project Sunflowers and the EU Pravo-Justice Project.

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Webinar

War Crimes Prosecution: Lessons from the former Yugoslavia for Ukraine

Join us, virtually, on the 22h of April 2024, Monday, at 6:00 PM CET, for the a zoom webinar entitled: War Crimes Prosecution: Lessons from the former Yugoslavia for Ukraine”. The topic will be presented by dr Iva Vukušić, who is a historian and a genocide scholar, Assistant Professor in International History at Utrecht University, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. 

The second speaker will be dr Anna Adamska-Gallant, Ph.D., former international judge in Kosovo, head of the Judiciary Component of EU Pravo Justice in Ukraine.

The webinar focuses on the challenges and opportunities of prosecuting war crimes, and on the many difficulties ahead of Ukraine in an effort to provide some justice for survivors. Dr. Vukušić spent years working on accountability in the former Yugoslavia and The Hague, and will use that experience to provide some insights into ways forward for Ukraine. The focus will be on criminal accountability for international crimes at the ICC and within the domestic judiciary, as well as efforts to prosecute the Crime of Aggression.

The meeting will be moderated by dr Andriy Kosylo, adjunct professor at the Institute of Social Prevention and Resocialization and at the Warsaw University, Department of Criminology and Criminal Policy, he is a Board Member of the Foundation Sunflowers.

The webinar will be conducted in English and simultaneous translations into Ukrainian will be available.

The webinar is a joint event of the Project Sunflowers and the EU Pravo-Justice Project.
Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81066780577?pwd=TKYLV1lE50e4M6M2A1VZp-b7ZK_wew.JQwicx7ehWRBhoGe

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Webinar

Reparative Justice IV: Challenges of Engaging, Interviewing and Supporting Child victims / survivors / witnesses of War and Terror

This International Center for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma webinar series is held in collaboration with Project Sunflowers. It is a fourth in a series, following I: a conceptual introduction to reparative justice, II. key groups of traumatized victims and III. Difficulties in Listening to and Hearing Traumatized Witnesses/Victims/Survivors, all answering the call for specialized training in reparative justice for professionals and others working with them. This webinar begins the in-depth focus on engaging specifically with child victim/survivors/witnesses of the array of war’s and terror’s massive trauma to help heal and protect both child victim/survivors (family community members) and the professionals themselves from potential re/traumatization of sharing traumatic experiences. Participants are urged to view the three earlier webinars of this series prior to attending this one.

Link to the recording of the webinar Reparative Justice I: https://reportwarcrime.org/massive-trauma-and-the-healing-role-of-reparative-justice/

Link to the recording of the webinar Reparative Justice II: https://reportwarcrime.org/reparative-justice-ii-challenges-of-listening-when-interviewing-traumatized-witnesses/

Link to the recording of the webinar Reparative Justice III: https://reportwarcrime.org/reparative-justice-iii-difficulties-in-listening-to-and-hearing-traumatized-witnesses-victims-survivors/

Ukrainian-English interpretation will be provided.

Presentation will be given by Mykola Kuleba (statesman, children’s rights advocate and humanitarian; co-founder of Ukraine Without Orphans Alliance and co-founder/head of Save Ukraine – a multidisciplinary organization that repatriated 273 forcibly transferred Ukrainian children from Russia and the temporarily occupied territories), Orma Dotan (economist and business manager, who for the past twenty years focused on managing health systems, autism, and old age; on October 10 she established the Resilience Unit at the Families Forum of the Abducted and Missing and manages Sderot’s Ezra Lemarphe rehabilitation center that combines physical and mental rehabilitation), dr Oksana Senatorova (Ukrainian lawyer specializing in humanitarian law, international criminal law, human rights law and transitional justice; Legal and Policy Advisor to Geneva Call, Ukraine; expert of Council of Europe, EU, ICRC and advisor to several Ukrainian state bodies; one of the initiators of Project Sunflowers), dr Michelle Slone (full professor at the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Israel; her research interests include trauma and post-traumatic reactions, resilience and its promotion in therapy, individual and group therapy for trauma exposure and cross-cultural issues related to trauma and treatment). The webinar will be moderated by dr Yael Danieli (clinical psychologist, traumatologist, victimologist and psychohistorian, Dr. Danieli is Founder and Executive Director of the International Center for the study, prevention and treatment of MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma; Director, Group Project for Holocaust Survivors and their Children and Past-President, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies)

Link to register:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UOYMCTjxRnWA3SxqU5_pMg

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Webinar

The role and powers of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the ICC as the ‘executive’ and ‘legislative’ organ of the ICC as ‘International Organization

Join us, virtually, on the 25th of March 2024, Monday, at 6:00 PM CET, for the a zoom webinar entitled: “The role and powers of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the ICC as the ‘executive’ and ‘legislative’ organ of the ICC as ‘International Organization”. The topic will be presented by David Donat-Cattin, who is the Adjunct Associate Professor of International Law at New York University (NYU) Center for Global Affairs (2012 to present), lecturer of International Law and the Law of International Organizations at the University of Verona, Italy.

The second speaker will be Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, the President of the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) 2020-2023, former Judge and President of the ICC (2009-2018, 2015-2018) and career diplomat with over thirty years of experience in international criminal law, humanitarian and human rights law.

The webinar focuses on the analysis on some critical elements on the functioning of the ASP, which should improve its effectiveness and efficacy in the application of the Rome Statute.

The meeting will be moderated by Professor Paweł Wiliński, Professor of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Chairman of the Foundation Sunflowers.

The webinar will be conducted in English.

Please, use the following link to register: 

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MW8drLiYQjuGTm-2FwqOJg

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Webinar

Reparative Justice III: Difficulties in Listening to and Hearing Traumatized Witnesses / Victims / Survivors

This International Center for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma webinar series is held in collaboration with Project Sunflowers. It is a third in a series, following I: a conceptual introduction to reparative justice and II. key groups of traumatized victims. This time the webinar will focus on elements of the conspiracy of silence ubiquitously present after trauma, harmful both to the victims and society. Whereas society has a moral obligation to share its members’ pain, professionals and investigators of all related disciplines have, in addition, a professional, contractual obligation. When we fail to listen, explore, understand, and help, we too inflict the “trauma after the trauma”, or “the ‘second injury’ to victims” by maintaining and perpetuating the conspiracy of silence. The webinar will report and elaborate on findings detailing the multiple ways professional listening is compromised and its implications to reparative justice.  Participants are urged to view the earlier webinars on this series prior to attending this one.

Link to the recording of the webinar Reparative Justice I: https://reportwarcrime.org/massive-trauma-and-the-healing-role-of-reparative-justice/

Link to the recording of the webinar Reparative Justice II: https://reportwarcrime.org/reparative-justice-ii-challenges-of-listening-when-interviewing-traumatized-witnesses/

Ukrainian-English interpretation will be provided.

Presentation will be given by dr Yael Danieli (clinical psychologist, traumatologist, victimologist and psychohistorian, Dr. Danieli is Founder and Executive Director of the International Center for the study, prevention and treatment of MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma; Director, Group Project for Holocaust Survivors and their Children and Past-President, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies) and dr Yurii Belousov (head of the War Crimes Department at the Prosecutor General’s Office in Ukraine (PGO); former head of the Department for Combating Violations of Human Rights in the Law Enforcement and Penitentiary Sectors and the PGO’s specialized Unit for Combating Torture) will be the discussant. The webinar will be moderated by dr Veronika Plotnikova (head of the Coordination Center for the Support of Victims and Witnesses of the Prosecutor General’s Office in Ukraine; co-author the practical commentary on the Code of Professional Ethics of Prosecutors and a trainer in the Training Center of Prosecutors of Ukraine, and national expert of projects of Council of Europe).

Link to register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OAanaRA_QzSObSkyyOuoEQ#/registration

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Webinar

Reparative Justice II: Challenges of Listening when Interviewing Traumatized Witnesses

This International Center for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma webinar is held in collaboration with Project Sunflowers. It is second in a series, following a primarily conceptual introduction to reparative justice. Here we answer its call for specialized training for professionals and others engaging with victim/survivors of war’s massive trauma to help heal and protect both victim/survivors and themselves from re/traumatization of sharing traumatic experiences. This international multidimensional, multidisciplinary webinar precedes the teaching/training process of potential interviewers about some of the main populations they would collect evidence from or about. These include (deported) children and their family members, victims of conflict-related sexual violence, torture victims, refugees, prisoners of war and members of the military.

Ukrainian-English interpretation will be provided

To take part in the webinar, please, register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7JBJfvKpQcCbzl0Fb7Hzpg#/registration

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Webinar

Legal and Social Consequences of Crimes of International Law in Ukraine

On behalf of all organisers and partners of the conference on Legal and Social Consequences of International Crimes Committed in Ukraine, which is organised on the occasion of the 75th  anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Project Sunflowers invites you to take part in this event (online). The conference will take place on December 14, 2023. 

Link to remote participation: 
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6qhIX_uJTGmBXny8KAUMIg#/registration 

Please, find below the program of the event. Hope you will join us! 

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Webinar

Join the ICC as an Independent Consel

Register and join our webinar on Tuesday, 14 November 2023, at 17:00 CET. This time Pieter Vanaverbeke, acting chief of the Counsel Support Section (CSS) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will encourage every lawyer to join the ICC as independent legal counsel here. The webinar is a joint event of the Project Sunflowers and the EU Pravo-Justice Project.
 

Pieter Vanaverbeke is responsible for, inter alia, the implementation and application of all aspects of the ICC’s Legal Aid Policy as well as the 360 degrees service provision to all Counsel (and team members) active before the Court. Before moving to the CSS in 2015, he has been working at the Court since 2005 in various functions and sections, including the position of Legal Coordinator in the Office of the Director of the Division of Judicial Services and has been deployed to situation countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Uganda) for a prolonged duration (from 2006 – 2009). Pieter Vanaverbeke holds a Master’s Degree in International and National Public law. 

The CSS is in charge of centralizing and coordinating all assistance provided to counsel by the Court; and also provides logistical and administrative assistance. The Section also manages the Court’s programme of legal aid for indigent defendants and victims and provides administrative assistance to the Court’s Disciplinary Organs. The CSS is responsible for the following functions, among other: 

  • assisting persons entitled to legal assistance under the Statute and the Rules to secure such assistance; 
  • managing the Court’s programme of legal aid for indigent defendants and victims; 
  • maintaining the Court’s Lists of Counsel, Assistants and Professional Investigators; 
  • rendering logistic and administrative services to all Counsel acting before the Court, their team members and representatives of states, in order to facilitate their activities before the Court
  • facilitating the Court’s Disciplinary Organs’ for counsel elections and appointments as well as the process of designation of members of the Advisory Committee on Legal Texts; 
  • interacting with Universities and other external stakeholders relating legal profession in order to increase awareness and understanding of the work of the Court; 
  • coordinating and providing relevant internal and external training events for Counsel. 

The webinar will be conducted in English and simultaneous translations into Ukrainian will be available.

To take part in the webinar, please, register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6–azLxCRDejcTLNdQkW0w#/registration