Civil society activists strengthen capacity to protect landowners’ rights

On May 25-26, 2021, a training for Ukrainian human rights defenders was held on the topic “Strengthening the capacities of public organizations in the process of interacting with ATCs when resolving issues related to land legal relations”.

The event was held at the base of .

The trainers were experienced lawyers and leading Ukrainian experts in the field of land legal relations Oleksiy Shamov and Lyudmila Hrytsenko.

During the training, the participants, together with the trainers, conducted a thematic inventory of knowledge and experience in land legal relations, made a brief excursion into history and reviewed the main stages of land reform and their impact on the development of land legal relations in Ukraine.

Oleksiy Shamov presented a detailed review of the novelties of land legislation (which are discussed in the Laws and ).

Lyudmila Hrytsenko offered the participants a thematic selection of current case law and legal conclusions of the Supreme Court in land legal relations.

The participants noted the importance and value of an analytical review of the legislative novelties of the “land constitution” and noted the expediency of a selection of current case law.

During the training, the participants had the opportunity to work out in detail the strategies for interaction between public organizations and AHs regarding land legal relations.

Working in teams, the participants built clear algorithms for solving legal problems and/or processing requests in the following areas of land legal relations:

– privatization of land plots, including by ATO participants;

– lease of land plots by individuals and legal entities, including without an auction;

– current issues of land use (establishing boundaries, changing the purpose, etc.)

– the right to use “someone else’s” land plot;

– acquisitive prescription.

The participants noted the high quality of the training, the relevance and timeliness of the chosen topic for improving the quality of communication between NGOs and newly established ATCs and for strengthening the capabilities of public organizations in interaction with ATCs in the process of resolving land issues.

The event was organized by the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights together with the project “Ensuring Human Rights and Strengthening Civic Participation in the Framework of Land Reform in Ukraine” with the support of the Human Rights House Foundation and the European Union.