POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS EASTERN EUROPE Activities Related to General Police Development and Reform Police Development and Reform In May, the PCU supported an exchange visit of officials from the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) to the Netherlands, where they met with officials from Europol, Eurojust and International Criminal Court. On 12 and 13 September, in partnership with the SSU, the PCU conducted the Third National Conference in the Yaremche, Ivano-Frankivsk region, on the legislative agenda of critical infrastructure protection, where stakeholders shared opinions on a draft law On the critical infrastructure and its protection. Recommendations from the conference were submitted to the SSS and relevant parliamentary committees for consideration. On 19 and 20 September, the PCU supported the fifth annual “Lviv Criminal Justice Forum”, which gathered 100 legal professionals who explored the challenges of reforming the criminal justice system, including the introduction of the misdemeanours, digital challenges in criminal proceedings, launch of High Anti-corruption Court and adjustment of the judiciary setup. The recommendations stemming from the conference were delivered to the Parliament and other relevant national stakeholders for review. On 15 November, during the Third Kyiv Polilogue on “Modernization of the combating crime system”, the PCU provided a platform for discussing ongoing criminal justice reform issues, gathering criminal investigators, prosecutors, judges as well as leading academics, attorneys and technical experts. On 26 September, the PCU supported the “3rd Kharkiv International Legal Forum”, contributing to the sharing of experience within the OSCE area while participating in a discussion on the current challenges faced in transnational crime and security. In November and December, the PCU organized training seminars for staff of the recently established SBI in Lviv and Odessa. The aim was to build the capacity of SBI staff in investigating corruption related crime, torture, and illtreatment. To support their organizational capacity-building, the PCU organized a lessons learned/strategizing session for both management and staff. It also facilitated an exchange visit for the SBI to Lithuania with the aim of providing valuable insights gained from meetings held with their Lithuanian counterparts. A hotline dispatcher reacts to domestic violence incident. (Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine) On 13 December, the PCU organized a National legal forum on “Access to justice in context of decentralization reform”, in Sieverodonetsk (Luhansk). During the forum, legal practitioners and experts discussed the impact of the decentralization process on public order, combating crime at the local level, and criminal justice improvements from a law enforcement viewpoint. The Forum was broadcasted online, and its recommendations were also submitted to the relevant policy-making stakeholders for consideration. On 18 December, in co-operation with the SSS and Constitutional Court, the PCU organized a conference in the PCU premises on the harmonization of national legislation with the ICC Rome Statute. Human Rights and Police Accountability From 27 to 31 May, focusing on the modalities of cooperation between security providers and civil society, media and international organizations, in co-operation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the PCU organized a cross-border seminar between Lviv and Zagreb. The participants were 29 officers from the SSS responsible for co-ordination and communication, and their counterparts in the police, prosecutor’s office, and border guard service. Gender Mainstreaming On 6 December, the PCU supported the MoI in conducting a second national forum focused on promoting gender equality and empowering women in the law enforcement sector. The forum agreed a set of recommendations, which were sent to the MoI. 103