U.S. Provides USD 2.7 Million in Law Enforcement Assistance to Ukraine

Ongoing efforts to fight corruption and to strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine received a USD 2.7 million boost on June 17, 2005, when U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John E. Herbst and Minister of the Interior Yuriy Lutsenko signed a protocol detailing the allocation of U.S. law enforcement assistance funds to Ukraine. The funds will go toward technical assistance, training, and equipment, as detailed below:

• A resident U.S. legal advisor based in Kyiv, who will work with prosecutors and judges to develop an effective criminal justice system characterized by transparency, integrity, and a thorough understanding of new laws in areas such as combating corruption, trafficking in persons, and money laundering;
• American Bar Association Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative Criminal Reform Program (ABA/CEELI), which will strengthen the independence of Ukraine's courts, improve the professional qualifications and skills of defense lawyers, and develop the skills of judges and other representatives of justice authorities;
• Development of an anti-trafficking in persons training curriculum for the Judicial Academy of Ukraine, which will allow Ukrainian judges to receive training on complex legal and procedural aspects of trafficking in persons cases, including new developments in international law;
• Advanced drug investigations training, to be conducted by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) trainers on the topics of successful investigation, case development, and prosecution of illegal drugs and money laundering cases;
• Narcotics and explosives maritime smuggling investigations training, to be conducted by DEA personnel in Odesa and including training on successful investigation, case development, and prosecution of maritime drug, weapons, and people smuggling;
• Second phase of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Migration Management System, which will enhance the capacity of relevant Ukrainian authorities to manage migration flows into and from the country and to more effectively operate against migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons;
• Second and third phases of the transition of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS) to a law enforcement agency compatible with international and European standards, which will include curriculum revision at the SBGS Academy and Training Centers, and improve the government of Ukraine's institutional capacity to improve border security and combat the trafficking of drugs, weapons, and people across Ukraine's borders.

At the signing ceremony, Ambassador Herbst said that the protocol "is an important step forward in the cooperative effort of our governments to increase the efficiency of Ukrainian law enforcement and improve the level of communication and exchange of experience between our law enforcement agencies." Minister Lutsenko underscored the protocol's importance, given "the special attention paid by the government of Ukraine to the fight against organized crime, drug smuggling, and trafficking in persons."