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A breakfast co-organised by the Human Rights Institute of the Ukrainian Bar Association and the International Bar Association
Click here to register for the breakfast. Open to delegates who have registered for IBA 2025 Toronto Conference only.
A breakfast conversation on post-war reconciliation and Ukraine’s legal transformation
As Ukraine strives to end the war and start healing, the role of legal professionals extends far beyond accountability. Lawyers are now facing the challenge of helping rebuild a post-conflict society, ensuring justice for victims, reintegrating communities, and transforming institutions.
This high-level breakfast brings together leading voices from Ukraine’s legal frontlines — prosecutors, human rights defenders, diplomats, and business leaders — to reflect on how law and justice can contribute not just to peace, but to a more democratic, inclusive, and resilient Ukraine.
Objectives
To raise awareness about Ukraine’s evolving justice landscape amid recovery and reconciliation, examine how legal tools can contribute to societal healing, transitional justice, and post-war transformation, as well as to promote international legal solidarity as a cornerstone of Ukraine’s long-term peace and integration into the rule-of-law community.
The discussion will explore:
- What does 'justice' mean in a society emerging from war?
- How can Ukraine balance accountability with national unity and reintegration?
- What legal frameworks and institutional reforms are needed to support social transformation?
- How can international legal actors meaningfully support Ukraine’s transition from resistance to renewal
- How the Human Rights Institute of the Ukrainian Bar Association is addressing systemic justice gaps and building long-term legal resilience.
Programme
Breakfast moderator
Mykola Stetsenko President, Ukrainian Bar Association, Kyiv
0800–0805 Opening remarks: Reimagining justice in post-war Ukraine
Setting the tone for a conversation on rebuilding trust, upholding the rule of law, and preparing for peace.
Speaker
Mykola Stetsenko President, Ukrainian Bar Association, Kyiv
0805 – 0830 Justice as a foundation for reconciliation
Insights into how justice mechanisms — from national prosecutions to international tribunals — can support healing and prevent cycles of violence.
Speakers
Mark Ellis Executive Director, International Bar Association, London
Andriy Kostin Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Ukraine to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, The Hague; Prosecutor General of Ukraine (2022–2024)
Andrii Ovsiienko Representative on Judiciary Matters, Office of the Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Kyiv
0830 – 0900 Repairing the social fabric: Rights of war-affected populations
How legal responses to the war’s human toll —particularly on women, children, and displaced populations — can contribute to societal cohesion.
Speakers
Alisa Kovalenko Ukrainian filmmaker and a servicewoman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Inna Liniova Head, Human Rights Institute, Ukrainian Bar Association, Kyiv
0900 – 0915 Global legal solidarity: What’s next?
Open dialogue on how the international legal community can assist Ukraine in post-war transformation, peacebuilding, and sustainable institutional change.