This summary outlines key insights and recommendations from an expert policy brief developed by the NGO “Social Action Centre” . The present summary is intends to bring its key aspects to the attention of EU institutions, international organizations, and national and international stakeholders involved in Ukraine’s EU integration process, particularly those focused on human rights, equality, and anti-discrimination frameworks.

This report, prepared by the Social Action Centre (Ukraine) 1 , outlines key shortcomings in
Ukraine’s implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination (CERD), in light of the country’s 24th–26th periodic reports to the UN
Committee.

This report, prepared by the Social Action Centre (Ukraine) 1 , outlines key shortcomings in
Ukraine’s implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination (CERD), in light of the country’s 24th–26th periodic reports to the UN
Committee.

The experience of monitoring conflict-related human rights violations since 2014, as well as the evidence received after the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, led some Coalition member organizations to separate the monitoring of the human rights situation and documentation of war crimes committed against detainees and staff of places of detention into a separate area of work.
In addition, the organizations focused part of their attention on what actions the Ukrainian authorities have taken or failed to take to ensure the safety and well-being of these people.

This work brought together several members of the Coalition - the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, the NGOs Ukraine without Torture, the Social Action Center, and the Expert Center for Human Rights - who were also joined by the NGO “Fight for Rights,” a specialized organization representing the community of people with disabilities.

The authors of the review decided to prepare a preliminary assessment of the human rights situation in places of detention in the three selected regions, as well as to begin analyzing data on war crimes documented in these territories against detainees and/or the administration of places of detention. 

The publication “Discrimination: Court Practice 2012 - 2020” contains a comparative analysis of court decisions for almost the entire period of existence of anti-discrimination legislation in Ukraine. The purpose of this study is to review and analyze lawsuits filed in various courts in Ukraine, where complainants claimed discrimination as the main or one of the violations of their rights.

This review aims to investigate the development of court practice in cases related to discrimination, identify which complaints Ukrainians most often bring to court, what are the trends in the consideration of these complaints and model decisions, and formulate recommendations for all stakeholders in this area to address the main problems identified.