Ensuring human rights, barrier-free, inclusive society, non-discrimination and gender equality is crucial in the activities of the High School of Public Governence.

The development of Ukraine as a European state implies the formation of a new worldview and democratic values based on the rule of law and human rights, ensuring equal opportunities for self-realisation regardless of gender, age or nationality. And in times of war, it is also an important factor in preserving the professional core and management potential of the public service.

One of the priorities set out in the Strategy of the High School is the development of competencies in human rights, non-discrimination and gender equality.

It provides for the following areas of activity:

1. Developing of programmes and organising of trainings on intercultural understanding, human rights and democratic citizenship for public servants of categories “B” and “C”.
2. Development of a training course and organisation of trainings on human rights protection in the context of the armed conflict in Ukraine for public servants and local self-government officials.
3. Ensure the functioning of the Gender Mainstreaming School (for authorised persons (coordinators) and employees of responsible structural units for ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men).
4. Inclusion of human rights, barrier-free, inclusive society, non-discrimination and gender equality in general professional (certificate) training programmes for government officials and local self-government officials.
5. Development and updating of general professional (certificate) and short-term in-service professional development programmes for public servants and local self-government officials for public servants and local self-government officials on relevant issues of implementation of and local self-government officials on topical issues of implementation of the state gender policy.
6. Formation and development of formal and informal networks, organisations of teachers for professional training of public servants in the field of human rights, barrier-free environment, social inclusion, gender equality and non-discrimination at the national and regional levels.

To this end, the High School actively cooperates with the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the National Social Service, the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, the State Labour Service of Ukraine, the Coordination Centre for Free Legal Aid, the Association of Women Lawyers of Ukraine ” JurFem “, etc.

It should be noted that the Center for Professional Development in the sphere of Human Rights Compentencies, Non-discrimination and Gender Equality, which operates as part of the High School, implemented 15 professional development programmes in 2023; 2827 students were trained on the following topics:

• ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men (gender equality)
• observance of human rights and combating discrimination;
• ensuring the rights and interests of people with disabilities;
• social protection of the population;
• de-shadowing of income in the field of employment;
• preventing and combating human trafficking.

In cooperation with international partners, developing and implementing programmes aimed at raising the level of professional knowledge in the field of human rights observance:

1. With the support of the Council of Europe Project “HELP (Human Rights Education for Lawyers) for Ukraine, including in times of war”, a training course on internal displacement was launched in November 2023. The topic of the course is extremely important in the context of human rights protection, as the full-scale invasion has displaced millions of people in our country and ensuring their rights is an important task. The training involves 43 public officials. https://bit.ly/3ToopBy
   
2. With the support and assistance of USAID/UK Aid, the Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services (TAPAS) project and the International Charitable Organisation “East Europe Foundation” developed a training programme “Access to Public Information for Public Servants”. The programme was completed by 497 people.
   
3. With the support of the Hans Seidel Foundation, Ukraine developed the programme “Human Rights in the EU”, which aims to increase professional competence in understanding the systemic approach to human rights protection in the European Union, 42 people were trained.
   https://bit.ly/3RKC4C4
   
4. With the support of the United Nations Development Programme, the Human Rights for Ukraine project developed a training of trainers programme “Using Training Technologies in Organising Training on the Right to Access Public Information in Public Authorities and Local Self-Government Bodies” and trained 24 trainers. The programme was implemented within the framework of the Summer School of Coaching Skills, an educational project aimed at introducing modern training technologies and educational innovations in the field of professional training.
   
5. As part of the Memorandum of Cooperation, the High School and the United Nations Population Fund established the National Training Centre for the Prevention and Counteraction of Gender-Based Violence.

Areas of activity:

• studying and summarising the training needs of state authorities and local self-government bodies;
• development of professional development programmes and organisation of training;
• preparation of training manuals, online courses, and methodological recommendations;
• formation and development of a national pool of trainers;
• organisation of information campaigns at the national level to improve skills on preventing and combating gender-based violence.

In 2023, the National Training Centre for Preventing and Combating Gender-Based Violence implemented 9 trainings and professional development programmes; 324 people were trained.