ZIF on a mission visit to the EU Advisory Mission (EUAM) Ukraine

ZIF Deputy Director Dr Katja Niethammer travelled to Kyiv and Lviv together with the head of the ZIF security team Monika Rückert and Sande Späker, Senior Training Officer, from 10-15 March 2024 to meet the German secondees and other partners of the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM). The visit centred on Duty of Care: Challenges in the mission, the security situation and arrangements as well as ZIF's contribution as an employer to make the difficult conditions more manageable, at least in part.

The ZIF seconded personnel reported on the challenges of being able to work efficiently on the mission's objectives despite the constant air alarms, which regularly interrupt both their daily work routine and their sleep at night. On the one hand, the areas of work of the civilian experts - most of whom are active in the fields of judicial reform, good governance and the prevention of impunity - are becoming increasingly important in the course of the EU accession negotiations. On the other hand, it is becoming increasingly challenging for Ukraine to wage the brutal war that has been forced upon it and to implement far-reaching reforms at the same time.

"It was encouraging to hear how positively - despite all the realism - the ZIF secondees experience working with their Ukrainian counterparts," says Katja Niethammer.

Security team leader Monika Rückert gained a comprehensive picture of the security risks and the precautions taken to deal with them and spoke to security experts not only from the EUAM, but also from the United Nations Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Sande Späker prepared a continuation of offers for psychological stabilisation through intensive talks and a workshop at the mission, which are aimed at all EUAM employees.

The importance of EUAM's work and the role of seconded civilian experts as a pillar of German foreign policy was also emphasised by the Deputy Head of the German Embassy, Dr Tim Prang