RWI’s engagement in Ukraine spans back to the early 2000s. Over the years, we have engaged with a diverse array of stakeholders, fostering a robust platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration between Ukrainians and their counterparts from the Eastern Partnership region and beyond.
In 2015, the RWI together with the Council of Europe jointly undertook an assessment of the Draft National Human Rights Action Plan in Ukraine. The results of this assessment were subsequently shared with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in advance of the Action Plan's adoption.
From 2015 to 2019, we collaborated closely with the Human Rights Centre and the Kyiv Mohyla Academy to facilitate research visits for Belarusian scholars in Kyiv. The primary goal was to enhance their capacities in conducting human rights research, contributing to the broader advancement of this vital field.
Since 2017, we have been engaged with Ukrainian professionals from public sector, civil society as well as academia under the umbrella of the Swedish Institute’s Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP). This initiative provides a unique platform for bringing together early career professionals from Eastern Partnership countries, including Ukraine, and Baltic states. SAYP aspires to enable young changemaker to network and exchange practical experiences with their peers, all while bolstering their knowledge of the practical application of human rights, multi-level governance, and decentralization. To gain deeper insights, you can read an interview with two Ukrainian participants from the 2023 SAYP cohort.
Ukraine engagements 2022
In May, 2023, RWI and Lund University co-organized a roundtable discussion “Academia’s Role to Uphold Human Rights in Ukraine” that brought together esteemed participants hailing from the realms of academia and the public sector. Their invaluable insights were shared with the intention of deliberating upon the matter of extending support to the Ukrainian academia, with a specific focus on the field of human rights. For an in-depth exploration of the outcomes of this symposium, please proceed to the this page.
In response to the full-scale invasion, RWI has augmented its engagement in Ukraine by launching three projects. The first project “Supporting Ukraine’s academia to help address human rights challenges faced in Ukraine” is dedicated to assisting Ukrainian academics in delivering human rights education and conducting human rights research. Within the scope of this project, RWI collaborated with a Ukrainian researcher Arsen Markiv who carried out a mapping study of the eight major law schools in Ukraine. This study not only provides an insightful overview of human rights research and education in Ukraine but also delves into the current challenges stemming from the ongoing war. Furthermore, it offers valuable recommendations for the continued promotion and support of human rights education and research in Ukraine.
You can access the complete mapping study here.
To read about the other two projects, please go to this page.
In 2023, RWI took part in the The World Human Rights Cities Forum, at which panel discussion “Human Rights and Corruption City Challenges and Possibilities” was moderated by RWI’s Deputy Research Director Morten Koch Andersen and featured Mayor of Mykolaiv Oleksandr Senkevych. Morten Kjaerum, Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Lawspoke at the Panel Discussion “Education in the 21st Century: New Challenges and Solutions” at the VII Kharkiv International Legal Forum.
Ukraine Staff
Zuzana Zalanova
Zuzana has been promoting human rights, good governance, and civic engagement in various capacities in Europe and Central Asia.
Prior to joining RWI’s Europe Office, Zuzana was in charge of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Ukraine with focus on civic and youth engagement. She previously coordinated rule of law programmes of the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO) in Mongolia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, supported regional human rights and justice initiatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Europe and Central Asia, and managed the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum, a platform of civil society actors from the EU and Russia. Zuzana holds a BA degree in Political Science, an MA degree in Security Studies, and a joint (BA and MA) degree in International Relations with a specialisation in Non-Profit Management from her studies in the Czech Republic (Charles University, University of Economics) and the United Kingdom (University of Reading).
David Eile
David Eile currently works as a Senior Programme Officer responsible for various projects under RWI’s Europe Office, focusing on different forms of academic cooperation in Europe and Cuba. Since joining RWI in 2006, David worked with various human rights programmes in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. David has an MA in Anthropology from Lund University and is a doctoral candidate in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Uppsala.
Tatsiana Rahozina
Before joining RWI’s Europe Office, Tanya gained experience in the fields of human rights and development at the Istanbul regional hub of UNDP working with a gender equality team, the Swedish section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), MSF, and the Varieties of Democracy Institute. She holds an MSc in International Development and Management (LUMID) and an MSc in Global Studies from Lund University as well as a BA in International Relations.
In the capacity of a Department Associate, Tanya will continue working on the projects “Strengthening the Rights of Ukrainian IDPs and Refugees through Public Legal Education” and “Standing with Ukraine by Providing Enhanced Rights Protection for IDPs and Refugees” implemented by the RWI and its partners, ALCU and PLCF.
Tanya is fluent in English, Swedish, Belarusian, and Russian.
Milena Ayvazyan
Milena Ayvazyan is an intern at the Europe Office of RWI. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Turkish Studies from her home country, Armenia, she is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Middle East Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Lund University.
Previously, she contributed to media outlets in Armenia, reporting on conflicts in the Middle East. Wanting to deepen her understanding of the region, Milena moved to Sweden for her studies at Lund University, which also allowed her to spend time in the Middle East through exchange studies in Jordan.
Her academic research focuses on Turkey’s foreign policy towards its neighbors, which includes different aspects of various human rights violations. Thus, as an intern at RWI, Milena is excited to expand her knowledge of international human rights research.