[ICL lectures in hybrid] First edition of International Criminal Law Guest Lecture Series for Ukrainian Law Schools concludes

On 18 May, the first edition of the Guest Lecture Series of the Inter-University Programme (IUP) for Ukrainian law schools concluded. In total, the series delivered seven lectures in collaboration with various Ukrainian law schools, focusing on pertinent matters of international criminal law (ICL). Over the course of several months, Ukrainian law students had the opportunity to hear important insights from a range of international speakers on:

• Architecture of the System of International Criminal Justice (Dr Marieke de Hoon, Associate Professor of (International) Criminal Law, University of Amsterdam);
• The Law of Immunity and Accountability of State Officials for International Crimes (Prof. Dr Cedric Ryngaert, Professor of Public International Law, Utrecht University);
• Substantive ICL: Crimes against Humanity (Valerie Gabard, Co-founder & Co-director and Ciara Laverty, Legal Advisor, UpRights);
• Substantive ICL: Genocide (Dr Yulia Ioffe, Associate Professor of Law, Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London); and
• The Right to a Fair Trial in International Crimes Cases (Ukraine) (Victoria Kerr (Consultant, T.M.C. Asser Institute, projects Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine 2025-2027 and MATRA-Ukraine 2025-2029).

The lectures were organised as part of the second round of the Inter-University Programme on International Criminal Law and Procedure for Ukrainian Law Schools (IUP 2.0).  The partner universities involved in these sessions were the Kyiv Aviation Institute, Odesa State University of Internal Affairs, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and Lviv Polytechnic National University.

Participants noted:

• “The main strengths of the Guest Lecture Series were the interesting topics and the practical experience shared by the speakers. The lectures were engaging and useful for understanding real professional situations. It could be improved by adding a little more time for discussion and questions after each lecture.”
• “The expert speakers combined theoretical depth with practical relevance to the situation in Ukraine.”

Future activities:
The Asser Institute will continue its work aimed at supporting the development of ICL skills and networks of Ukrainian law students, early-career legal practitioners, and academics. The second edition of the Guest Lecture Series is planned for autumn 2026 and will cover the following five topics:

• Procedural ICL: Evidence in Proceedings Involving International Crimes;
• Crimes against Cultural Heritage in International Criminal Law;
• Corporate Criminal Responsibility for International Crimes;
• Prosecuting Environmental Crimes: The Ukrainian Context;
• The Right to Reparations for Ukrainian Victims: The Register of Damage and International Claims Commission.

[About the Project: Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine: Phase II]
This initiative forms part of the broader 'Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine: Phase II' programme, which focuses on advancing accountability for international crimes committed in Ukraine. The programme is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the International Development Organisation (IDLO), in partnership with the T.M.C. Asser Institute, the Centre for International Legal Cooperation (CILC), and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC).