Nov. 16, 2009
Ukranian Leaders Examine Rule of Law and Governance in Central Ohio
Five Ukrainian judicial leaders participating in the Open World Program are spending this week in central Ohio examining the inner workings of the U.S. judicial system and court operations.
The Columbus International Program serves as host of the delegation in partnership with the Supreme Court of Ohio and the Russian American Rule of Law Consortium of Colchester, Vt. Managed by the independent Open World Leadership Center under Congressional mandate, Open World enhances understanding and cooperation between the United States and Ukraine by developing a network of leaders who have gained significant firsthand exposure to America’s democratic, accountable government and free-market system.
While in central Ohio, the delegates will meet with the Supreme Court, Franklin County Court, Bricker and Eckler law firm, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and many other prominent Ohio lawyers and judges.
Additionally an afternoon will be spent at Worthington Kilbourne High School where the delegation will meet with student leaders. Based on Open World Guidelines as well as the participants’ backgrounds and goals, the program has been structured around several main themes: interaction, coordination, and cooperation between and among various levels and branches of government; transparency and accountability from legal and budgetary perspectives; benefits and organization of separation of governmental powers; understanding the roles of American government, civil institutes, free enterprise, and voluntary organizations; promotion of American and Ukrainian cultural awareness and understanding.
The visiting delegates, accompanied by facilitator Olena Troyan, are:
- Vasyl Fedynak, Appellate Court Judge of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
- Alla Kotelevets, Appellate Court Judge of Kharkiv Oblast
- Yelyzaveta Kovtyuk, Supreme Court Judge of Ukraine
- Hennadiy Kulinichenko, Obukhivskiy District Court Judge
- Oleksandr Yakovets, Rommy Local Court Judge located in the Surny Region
Delegates are being housed with local families in order to experience American family life. They also are taking part in several cultural and community activities that are designed to expose participants to the wide array of American culture and pastimes including visiting popular locales in the area, attending sporting events, and sampling restaurants.
The U.S. Congress established Open World in 1999 and expanded the program in 2003 to all post-Soviet states. Thanks to Open World, some 14,000 current and future Eurasian leaders have experienced American civil society and have been exposed to new ideas and practices that they can adapt for use in their own work. Open World also promotes partnerships and continued communications between delegates and their American hosts and professional counterparts. Open World currently operates exchanges for political and civic leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
For more information, please contact Mark Poeppelman, executive director of the Columbus International Program at 614.221.0034 or Maura Shelden, Open World public affairs officer at 202.707.6197. For more information on Open World, please visit http://www.openworld.gov.
Contact: Chris Davey or Bret Crow, 614.387.9250.