Tokyo, Japan, 10 October 2023 – In a continued effort to enhance the forensic capacities of Ukraine's National Police, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and the Government of Japan have arranged the second phase of a study tour for a group of 15 forensic investigators from 12 oblasts of Ukraine and the Ministry of Interior on 2-6 October. 

This study programme was specially organized by UNDP Representation Office in Tokyo in partnership with National Policy Agency of Japan, Metropolitan Police Department and the Fukushima Prefectural Police. 

Building on the success of the first wave in July 2023, this initiative is intended to enhance the capacities of forensic investigators with advanced methods and practices. 

Christophoros Politis, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative to Ukraine, stressed that such initiatives significantly will enhance expert capacities in Ukraine’s justice system. 

"The rule of law and access to justice are of vital importance in times of war. We firmly believe that empowering the National Police of Ukraine to effectively address emerging challenges and ensure access to justice for all individuals affected by the ongoing war will further improve the resilience and effectiveness of the justice system," said Politis. 

Maksym Tsutskiridze, Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine – chief of the Chief Investigative Department, underlined that opportunities to learn from their counterparts are important role for enhancing the capacities of the National Police to address all the new challenges caused by the war. “As the war in Ukraine persists, it is increasingly vital to find innovative solutions in the field of justice. We are honoured to gain new knowledge and experience from our Japanese colleagues, and I believe that such study tours and the exchange of knowledge are mutually beneficial,” said he. 

The second study tour provided an opportunity for forensic investigators from Chernivtsi, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Khmelnytsky, Volyn, Odesa, Lviv, Vinnytsia, Zakarpattia, Zhytomyr, Dnipro, and Kyiv oblasts to enhance their expertise for handling complex forensic investigations through knowledge exchange with Japanese forensic expertise such as DNA Identification method and experience. The Japanese police introduced their hands-on experience of DNA Identification of the unidentified and missing people right after the Great East Japan Earthquakes in 2011.

Earlier in July, a group from Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporizhizhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson and Kyiv oblasts visited Japan to delve into the intricacies of mass autopsy procedures, specimen collection techniques, and efficient methods for analyzing DNA, all based on the knowledge and experience offered by their Japanese counterparts. 

Background: The knowledge exchange was organized as part of the "Promotion of Human Security in Ukraine Through Responding to the Multidimensional Crisis Caused by the War" project, implemented by the UNDP and financed by the Government of Japan. As of September 2023 the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recorded 27,149 civilian casualties in Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion began, including 9,614 fatalities and 17,535 injuries. 

Media enquiries: Yuliia Samus, Communications Team Leader, UNDP in Ukraine; email: yuliia.samus@undp.org