Oleksiy Shevchuk, one of Ukraine’s candidates for the position of judge at the International Criminal Court, a partner and spokesperson at Barristers Law Firm, spoke with “ZiB” about the nationwide law student competition “New Ukraine Through the Eyes of Young Lawyers.” As part of the competition, young people are asked to propose a vision for a security treaty for Ukraine that would define security guarantees, mechanisms for compensation and satisfaction, and would not preclude holding those responsible accountable in specialized international tribunals in the future.

The Competition as an Investment in Ukraine’s Legal Future

Ukrainian youth must begin today to contribute to shaping the legal architecture of the country’s post-war security. That is why the All-Ukrainian Law Student Competition “New Ukraine Through the Eyes of Young Lawyers” is designed not only to support talented students but also to develop ideas for Ukraine’s future security treaty — a document that should define international legal guarantees, appropriate compensation, and satisfaction for Ukraine, while not limiting the state’s right to prosecute war criminals in specialized tribunals.

In collaboration with the Youth Committee of the National Bar Association of Ukraine, the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Law Institute of the Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University, the “Interfax-Ukraine” media agency, and with the participation of parliamentarians, including Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union, and Brigadier General Dmytro Usov, we have launched a major project that I am confident will become an annual event.

The “New Ukraine Through the Eyes of Young Lawyers” competition for the best law student paper on drafting an international legal treaty for Ukraine after the war ends is an investment in Ukraine’s future. And that is precisely why it is so important. This is truly a unique initiative, the likes of which have never been seen in Ukraine before.

Our competition is not just an educational platform. It is a space for shaping the future generation of Ukrainian lawyers. This year, participants are working on a vision for a security treaty for Ukraine. Going forward, the best proposals will be presented to the Office of the President and the Verkhovna Rada, publicly showcased at leading universities, and presented at international forums, including the Council of Europe.

A Security Treaty as a Tool for Compensation and Restoring Justice

Contest participants are asked to propose not an abstract vision for ending the war, but a concrete instrument of international law that will address the key challenges of the post-war period. This primarily concerns what security guarantees Ukraine should receive, what legal mechanisms should ensure the genuine restoration of justice, and how approaches to compensating for damages inflicted on the state, society, and citizens should be enshrined.

A particular focus of the competition is the development of approaches to adequate compensation and satisfaction for Ukraine. This involves not only compensation for direct material losses but also a broader understanding under international law of the aggressor state’s responsibility, including political, legal, and symbolic mechanisms for restoring justice.

At the same time, the future security treaty, as envisioned by the contest organizers, cannot replace or limit the mechanisms of international criminal justice. On the contrary, it must take into account that Ukraine retains the full right to hold the perpetrators accountable, particularly within the framework of specialized tribunals that may be established in the future to adjudicate the crime of aggression and other international crimes.

In this context, the work of young lawyers may have not only academic but also practical significance. Looking ahead, such approaches could become part of a broader legal discussion regarding what kind of document should serve as a guide for the Ukrainian state, international partners, and potential international judicial and tribunal mechanisms.

Why the voices of young lawyers need to be heard right now

We want to tell the world: this is how young people envision Ukraine’s security in the future. It is these young people who will be living in Ukraine in 20, 30, or 40 years; it is up to them and their children to build a new state. And that is precisely why it is extremely important to hear their vision today.

We must honestly acknowledge that today’s youth often understand new security challenges even more deeply than previous generations. The world has changed radically. This is a different kind of war—a war of drones, digital technologies, hybrid threats, cyberattacks, and the systematic disregard of international institutions by aggressive regimes. We live in an era when traditional security mechanisms no longer work as they once did, and international legal doctrine needs to be rethought.

That is why, from the perspective of young lawyers, the security treaty is not merely the topic of a competition, but an attempt to lay the foundation for a new Ukraine—one that is strong, modern, post-war, and based on the rule of law.

Development of the platform and training of specialists for international institutions

It is clear that this platform will evolve and expand in the future. Next year, the competition’s theme may be different—for example, focused on post-war elections in Ukraine. And then we will still want to hear from young people: how they envision the structure of the democratic process after victory, and what guarantees should be in place for electoral rights, security, and trust in the electoral system.

We view this competition as a great opportunity for talented young people. I am convinced that, in the long term, this initiative could give rise to substantial grant programs involving the world’s leading universities, international donors, and foreign institutions. Moreover, I see the potential for this program to become Ukraine’s equivalent of powerful international academic initiatives such as Fulbright—a platform for the development of young, ambitious, and professional lawyers.

Ukraine is currently shaping a new model that the world will look to in the future. And that is precisely why this competition is much more than just a student contest. It is a contribution to changing approaches to training young lawyers, shaping the legal elite, and rethinking global security.

We are now entering the final stage of the competition, which is scheduled to take place in mid-April. And I very much hope that very soon we will be able to properly present both the students themselves and their work to the public.

It is also important to note that we plan to invite Ukraine’s leading law firms to offer internships to the top participants. We will also initiate internship opportunities at international institutions, including the International Criminal Court and the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC. After all, Ukraine already needs a new generation of practitioners in the fields of international law, international criminal justice, and security.