Why does good communication help build trust in the judiciary? How can you bring your core message across? What is the added value of ‘opening the doors’ of your court?
These questions were central to a working visit to the Netherlands by a delegation from various courts in the Lviv region. From 6 to 9 October, judges and judicial assistants of Ukrainian courts exchanged experiences with their Dutch peers about confidence in the judiciary and how to promote this through improved court communication. The visit included inspiring sessions at the CILC office in The Hague, the District Court in Utrecht and the Court of Appeal in Arnhem.
Dutch professionals shared the judiciary’s ‘core story’, communication strategies and practical tools, such as social media content, vlogs and documentary series on television. Peer discussions also allowed the Ukrainian and Dutch colleagues to brainstorm about what steps could be taken in Ukraine, taking into account the main challenges in the justice sector. In addition, the delegation was invited to the award ceremony of the ‘Klaretaalbokaal’. This is an initiative of the judiciary to promote the use of clear language in court decisions.
This visit is part of the project Peer 2 Peer: service-oriented courts in Western Ukraine that is funded by the Netherlands Embassy in Kyiv. A follow-up activity in the project will be a peer discussion in Lviv about the core values of justice and integrity, scheduled for 14 and 15 November 2019.
For more information about this visit to the Netherlands or the project itself, feel free to contact CILC Senior Project Manager Lino Brosius.
