Our Work
Our mission is to support and empower Ukrainian victims and survivors of international crimes and human rights violations, and our approach is deeply rooted in reflecting the priorities of the Ukrainian survivor community, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs met in every aspect of our work.
Our activities encompass a wide range of services designed to address the complex legal challenges faced by the Ukrainian community. We offer tailored legal aid to help navigate both Dutch and international legal systems, focusing on accountability and redress for the harms endured by victims and survivors.
Our team of dedicated professionals and volunteers works tirelessly to provide legal support, initiate litigation, engage in active advocacy and lobbying, and offer essential training and capacity building services to enhance the legal knowledge and capabilities of the Ukrainian community.
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Survivor Support Centre
ULN provides legal and non legal information to Ukrainians in the Netherlands, making the technical legal language and procedures digestible, and facilitating victims’ access to a variety of justice spaces. The network also offers referral pathways to social and psychological services, to make sustained engagement with justice processes feasible and meaningful.
Are you a Ukrainian survivor looking for legal or non-legal information?
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Training & Capacity Building
Together with partners, ULN provides training for Ukrainian members of the network to empower these advocates to work with us to serve their community’s justice needs. Through a series of lectures, training and interactive events, ULN equips them with the tools and capacities needed to be the link between justice mechanisms in the Netherlands and the larger community of Ukrainian refugees, thereby creating a victim-first approach.
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Engagement & Case Building
ULN engages with the Ukrainian community to
establish trust and ease access to justice mechanisms and initiatives. We aim to partner with Ukrainian survivors and assist in initiating legal cases in Dutch courts, actively participating in proceedings at international courts such as the ICC and the ICJ, and potentially a future Aggression Tribunal.
Are you a survivor looking to start legal proceedings?
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Advocacy & Lobbying
Utilising our robust pre-existing links with Dutch and international legal, non-profit and political institutions, as well as the media, ULN advocates for Ukrainian survivors to have a voice in their own justice processes. We ensure that authorities pursue comprehensive and effective engagement with the survivor community, reflect victim priorities, and offer opportunities for survivor participation in line with survivors’ right to access justice.
Podcast
Join us as we explore international justice and accountability processes for severe war crimes committed by Russia during its invasion of Ukraine.
We delve into justic processes, combining personal stories from Ukrainians, legal guidance, and deep dives into legal complexities.
