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NOVE PRAVOSUDDYA JUSTICE SECTOR REFORM PROGRAM (NEW JUSTICE) ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT OCTOBER 2016 – SEPTEMBER 2017 October 31, 2017 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Chemonics International Inc. NOVE PRAVOSUDDYA JUSTICE SECTOR REFORM PROGRAM (NEW JUSTICE) ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT OCTOBER 2016 – SEPTEMBER 2017 Contract No. AID-OAA-1-13-00032, Task Order No. AID-121-TO-16-00003 Cover photo: 613 new Supreme Court judicial candidates taking anonymous testing conducted by the High Qualifications Commission of Judges of Ukraine with support from the USAID New Justice Program on February 16, 2017 in Kyiv. (Credit: USAID New Justice Program) DISCLAIMER The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States government. CONTENTS Acronyms ........................................................................................................... ii Executive Summary .......................................................................................... 1 Program Overview ............................................................................................ 3 Objective 1: Judicial Independence and Self Governance Strengthened ...................... 3 Objective 2: Accountability and Transparency of the Judiciary to Citizens and the Rule of Law Increased .......................................................................................................... 11 Objective 3: Administration of Justice Enhanced ........................................................... 13 Objective 4: Quality of Legal Education Strengthened ................................................. 20 Objective 5: Access to Justice Expanded and Human Rights Protected................... 24 Performance Management ............................................................................ 27 Budget Execution ............................................................................................ 29 Administration and Project Management .................................................... 30 ANNEX A. M&E Plan ..................................................................................... 33 ANNEX B. Milestones Progress Report ....................................................... 69 ANNEX C. Program Environmental Compliance .................................... 100 ANNEX D. Counterparts and Beneficiaries Actively Involved in the Project ............................................................................................................ 101 ANNEX E. Success Stories .......................................................................... 120 ANNEX F. Reports and Deliverables List .................................................. 124 NOVE PRAVOSUDDYA JUSTICE SECTOR REFORM PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT | I ACRONYMS ADR Alternative Dispute Resolution BPA Business Process Analysis CJC Community Justice Center CMI Court Management Institute COE Council of Europe COJ Council of Judges CRC Citizen Report Card CSO Civil Society Organization ENCJ European Network of Councils for the Judiciary ER Expected Result FAIR USAID Fair, Accountable, Independent, and Responsible Judiciary Program in Ukraine GOU Government of Ukraine HCJ High Council of Justice HQC High Qualifications Commission of Judges IAHR Institute for Applied Humanitarian Research IFJSE International Framework for Judicial Support Excellence IT Information Technology JRC Judicial Reform Council JSRS Justice Sector Reform Strategy LGBTI Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex LNU Lviv National University MOE Ministry of Education and Science MOJ Ministry of Justice MSU Michigan State University NABU National Anti-Corruption Bureau NAPC National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption NGO Nongovernmental Organization NSJ National School of Judges ODR Online Dispute Resolution OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe NOVE PRAVOSUDDYA JUSTICE SECTOR REFORM PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT | II PIO Public Information Officer SAF Strategic Activities Fund SAG Strategic Advisory Group SGBV Sexual and Gender-based Violence SJA State Judicial Administration TOT Training of Trainers NOVE PRAVOSUDDYA JUSTICE SECTOR REFORM PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT | III EXECUTIVE SUMMARY USAID/Ukraine awarded the Nove Pravosuddya Justice Sector Reform Program (New Justice) to Chemonics International on October 1, 2016. This program expands on the USAID/Ukraine Fair, Accountable, Independent and Responsible Judiciary Program in Ukraine (FAIR), which implemented activities from October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2016. New Justice is a four-year and four-month program that is designed to support the judiciary, government, parliament, bar, law schools, civil society, media, and citizens to create the conditions for an independent, accountable, transparent, and effective justice system that upholds the rule of law and fights corruption in Ukraine. In achieving this overarching goal, New Justice focuses on the following five key objectives and expected results: Objective 1: Judicial Independence and Self-Governance Strengthened • 1.1: Improve the legal framework for the justice sector, namely, the Law on the Judiciary and Status of Judges, the Law on the High Council of Justice, the Law on Bar and Law Practice. Moreover, New Justice efforts are aimed at supporting the Constitutional Commission Human Rights Working Group activities and the development of the legislative provisions regarding the establishment of anticorruption and intellectual property courts. • 1.2: Improve understanding and strengthen the support of new constitutional and legislative provisions by the judicial community and public. • 1.3: Improve effective interrelations between the judiciary, executive power and Parliament with due respect to the judicial independence. • 1.3: Ensure legislative and regulatory framework is amended in a manner that encourages inclusive discussion and vetting of reform proposals. Objective 2: Accountability and Transparency of the Judiciary to Citizens and the Rule of Law Increased • 2.1: Support increased transparency of judiciary proceedings to encourage accountability of judicial leaders through internal and external accountability mechanisms. • 2.2: Enhance mechanisms for central oversight of the judiciary, while also ensuring the judicial independence is not compromised. • 2.3: Create formal linkages between the Judiciary, GOU, Parliament, and civil society to improve the Judiciary’s accountability to media, civil society, and citizens. Objective 3: Administration of Justice Enhanced • 3.1: Provide technical assistance to implement Ukraine’s justice reform priorities, including improvements to case management, e-justice tools, workflow analysis and management, budget and financial planning, and human resources. • 3.2: Support the development of an improved court performance curriculum training program to ensure judges and judicial personnel have access to high quality, modern, and professional development services. • 3.3: Provide tools and resources based on regional and international best practices to support the development of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms. • 3.4: Support establishing GOU dispute enforcement mechanisms to strengthen enforcement of judgments and reduce susceptibility to corruption. Objective 4: Quality of Legal Education Strengthened • 4.1: Support the development of a comprehensive legal education strategy that ensures uniformity and quality of legal education. NOVE PRAVOSUDDYA JUSTICE SECTOR REFORM PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT | IV • 4.2: Support establishing effective quality assurance systems in accordance with the country’s Law on Higher Education. • 4.3: Support the development of improved instructional methods and tools that prepare graduates for successful entry into the legal profession. Objective 5: Access to Justice Expanded and Human Rights Protected • 5.1: Improve justice pathways for citizens, particularly vulnerable and marginalized populations (women, GBV and SGBV survivors, IDPs, persons with disabilities, veterans) to access services and obtain swift remedies to their unique challenges. 5.2: Improve knowledge on human rights laws and standards among the Judiciary and advocates to improve referral pathways for services support, and to empower citizens to advocate for their rights and the rights of the most vulnerable. NOVE PRAVOSUDDYA JUSTICE SECTOR REFORM PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT | IV PROGRAM OVERVIEW Pursuant to section F.3.D.2 of the contract, the following section discusses and analyzes the current status of affairs, key achievements to date and explains deviations in implementation of the work plan for each Objective from October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017. OBJECTIVE 1: JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE AND SELF GOVERNANCE STRENGTHENED Current Status of Affairs Judicial independence is central in a democratic society governed by the rule of law. It guarantees that everyone has a right to a fair trial. Whereas judicial self-governance in fostering the ability of each judge to resist improper pressure and promote a no tolerance policy to violations of the separations of powers. Under this objective, New Justice worked to assist institutional partners in ensuring proper implementation of key legislative amendments and identifying gaps and inefficiencies to be addressed. Anti-corruption court. Aiming to develop a legislative framework to establish anti-corruption courts, New Justice