Judges of the Supreme Court took part in the launch of the Ukrainian-British Programme to strengthen the capacity of Ukraine’s commercial courts

On 24 February 2026, the Ukrainian Commercial Courts Judicial Capacity Building Programme was officially launched. The programme to enhance the judicial capacity of Ukraine’s commercial courts is implemented by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) with the support of the UK Ministry of Justice.  

During the opening ceremony, welcome addresses were delivered by Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister of State at the UK Ministry of Justice; Liudmyla Suhak, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine for European Integration; and The Rt Hon. the Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury GBS PC HonFRS, President of BIICL and former President of the UK Supreme Court (2012–2017).   

As members of the expert group involved in developing the programme, judges of the Supreme Court of Ukraine participated in the ceremony, including Judge of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court Kostiantyn Pilkov, and Judges of the Supreme Court in the Commercial Cassation Court Olena Kibenko and Ivan Mishchenko.

In 2025, through an open competition, 19 judges from commercial courts of various instances and regions of Ukraine (Kyiv, Poltava, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Donetsk, and Lviv) were selected to participate in the programme.

A distinctive feature of the programme is its structure based on professional peer-to-peer dialogue: Ukrainian judges receive training materials from British experts, while the British side receives practical materials and experience from Ukrainian judges. This format ensures mutual knowledge exchange and deepens international judicial dialogue.

The programme includes approximately 20 hours of interactive online sessions, during which participants discuss materials prepared by British and Ukrainian experts and complete mini-tasks. The culminating stage will be an in-person session in Krakow. The programme aims not only to improve professional skills but also to enhance participants’ proficiency in English, which serves as the working language of the programme. 

The launch ceremony was also attended by: Mr Justice Andrew Henshaw, Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court, High Court of Justice of England and Wales (King’s Bench Division); The Hon. Mr Justice Simon Picken, High Court Judge of England and Wales (Commercial Court), Lead Judge for European Affairs; The Hon. Sir Robin Knowles, Judge of the Commercial Court, responsible for the current activities of SIFoCC (of which Ukraine has been a member since 2024); The Rt Hon. Lady Rose of Colmworth DBE PC, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom; Lord Justice Snowden PC, Lord Justice of Appeal of England and Wales; The Rt Hon. Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd PC FLSW, President of the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre, former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (2013–2017), and one of the founders of SIFoCC; as well as Maria Tymofienko, who leads the programme on behalf of BIICL.

For reference. The launch of the programme continues earlier work within the framework of Ukrainian-British cooperation. In 2023, at the request of the UK Ministry of Justice, BIICL prepared a report entitled “Attracting Investment to Ukraine”, which identified strengthening the institutional capacity of commercial courts as one of the key directions for enhancing Ukraine’s investment attractiveness. In 2024, Ukraine became a member of the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts (SIFoCC), in whose work it actively participates.