News
Summer School on Arbitration
Students from various universities of Armenia had the opportunity to get first-hand insights into the world of arbitration during the 4-day Summer School on Arbitration co-organised by the Council of Europe and Arbitrators’ Association of Armenia. Taught by the leading arbitration practitioners...
The CEPEJ organised a training on judicial statistics in Georgia
On 9-10 July 2022, the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised a training for court managers and courts staff in order to enhance their skills to collect and analyse judicial data and to use performance indicators for courts. The collection, processing and analysis of...
Steps forward in combating inequality and hatred using human rights approach
The second of four modules on “Addressing hate speech through improving data collection”, enabled continuation of co-operation among equality bodies/Ombudsperson institutions from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions on the topic of data collection in combating hate speech and...
Roundtable presentation of a gap analysis of policy and legislation on violence against women in Azerbaijan
On 4 July 2022, the project “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” presented a gap analysis of Azerbaijani legislative and policy frameworks in line with Council of Europe and other international standards in the field of violence against...
Model rules of conduct for all Armenian public servants adopted - implementation by institutions to follow
The Council of Europe and the Corruption Prevention Commission of the Republic of Armenia jointly organised a “High-level Conference on the Model Code of Conduct for Public Servants in Armenia” on 4th July in Yerevann, Armenia. The conference concludes and complements the process of development...
Guides on the new Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes of Armenia ready for the national legal professionals as the new legislation enters into force
The Council of Europe has been working closely with the Armenian authorities on the criminal justice reform through legislative, methodological, and capacity-building support since 2015. Based on the legal expertise of the Council of Europe, conceptually new Criminal Code and Code of Criminal...
Training for Ukrainian judges on seizure and confiscation ready to be rolled-out throughout the country
In co-operation with the National School of Judges of Ukraine (NSJU), a training on seizure and confiscation for Ukrainian criminal judges, both from district and appellate courts, took place online on June 29 with over 85 participants. This training built on previous activities delivered jointly...
The Insurance Sector and financial intelligence unit in Georgia advance cooperation for effective compliance against economic crime
In cooperation with the Insurance State Supervision Service of Georgia, a two-day training on “Anti-money laundering/countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance” was organised specifically designed for the insurance sector. The training was part of a series of activities to support the...
Promoting equality in Azerbaijan
A workshop on combating discrimination and promoting equality by enhancing the knowledge and practical competencies of the Ombudsman office staff, representatives of regional and local authorities and civil society organisation active in the field, was organised on 22-23 June 2022 in Lankaran....
Ombudsman staff and civil society organisation representatives enhance their skills to provide support on anti-discrimination work in Azerbaijan
Office staff of the Ombudsman and representatives of civil society organisations successfully completed the Training of Trainers on combating discrimination held from November 2021 to June 2022. Through these trainings, participants enhanced their knowledge and practical competences on key...
Ensuring high-quality trainings on the new criminal justice legislation in Armenia by equipping trainers locally
15 national trainers got equipped with tools and techniques on adult learning methodology. The objective is to ensure high quality trainings on the new criminal justice legislation, as well as to guide trainers to link the newly acquired knowledge with their practical experience and further...
Expert discussion on the right of access to court for persons being declared as legally incapable as a result of mental disorder
On 17 and 18 June 2022, the President and the judges of the Court of Cassation, Supreme Judicial Council member, Representation of Armenia on International Legal matters, representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Human Rights Defender’s office, the Ministry of Health, the Guardianship and...
Legal professionals in Azerbaijan get trained on collection and analysis of court statistics
In co-operation with the Justice Academy of Azerbaijan, two online training sessions on improving the efficiency and quality of courts based on the tools and guidelines developed by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ). These trainings aimed to deepen the knowledge on...
“We are equal but different”: raising awareness on rights of people with disabilities
The local NGO “Equal Rights Equal Opportunities” (EREO) organised in Vanadzor, Armenia, a Community Forum concluding the results of the action “Challenging stereotypes against disabled people through empowerment in Armenia” being implemented under joint European Union/Council of Europe project...
High-level Conference “The Judiciary as a Guardian of Democracy”
The conference co-organised with the Constitutional Court of Armenia on 8-9 June in Yerevan, served as a platform to facilitate the dialogue between the Constitutional Court, courts of general jurisdiction and other branches of power, alongside with the international community and civil society....
State of affairs in the area of equality and nondiscrimination presented at the Conference dedicated to the 10th anniversary since the adoption of the Law on ensuring equality
Representatives of key institutions working on human rights, civil society organisations and associations that represent minority groups attended the conference dedicated to the 10th anniversary since the adoption of the Law on Ensuring Equality. The aim of the event was to take stock of the...
Human rights training methodology for legal professionals now available in Armenian
The HELP Methodology Guidebook on Human Rights Training for Legal Professionals is now available in Armenian. It provides a step-by-step analysis of the various stages of the methodology and describes the roles of the HELP Secretariat, the network members and the tutors in the training process....
Investigators of Armenia enhanced their knowledge and skills on the new criminal and procedural legislation of Armenia
Five two-day training seminars on "Selected issues of new Criminal (CC) and Criminal Procedure Codes (CPC) of Armenia" were organised for 125 investigators of Armenia from April till June 2022 in the Justice Academy in Yerevan. During the first half of the seminars, the participants learnt about...
Georgian law enforcement agencies improve their skills on economic crime cases through training sessions
Representatives of law enforcement agencies in Georgia participated to the training on corporate criminal liability, organised in a hybrid format on 2-3 June 2022 in co-operation with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia. This event is a part of series of activities designed to support...
Addressing hate speech through improving data collection in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership Region
The joint network of equality bodies working in the field of combatting hate speech delivered the first of the four planned workshops on “Addressing hate speech through improving data collection”. The activity aimed at ensuring a practical exchange between equality bodies/Ombudsperson...
Case law on violence against women and domestic violence presented at the Baku State University
On 20 May 2022, the Council of Europe, in co-operation with the Faculty of Law of Baku State University, organised an event to raise awareness of the European Court of Human Rights (the European Court) case law on violence against women and domestic violence at the Faculty of Law of the Baku...
Awareness-raising event on the role of national Parliaments in preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Azerbaijan
On 19 May 2022, the Council of Europe in co-operation with the State Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs (SCFWCA) organised an awareness-raising event on the role of national Parliaments in preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Baku, Azerbaijan. The...
Legal professionals in Armenia trained on Ethics for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers
A group of 23 legal professionals are trained in co-operation with the Justice Academy of Armenia on ethics for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers. The Council of Europe HELP online course used for the training has been translated into Armenian, adapted to the Armenian context and is piloted in the...
Tulip Press Award 2022 for articles created under EU/CoE awareness-raising campaign on hate speech
The Center for Independent Journalism (CJI) and the Office of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands announced the results of the competition Tulip Press Awards, 2022 edition, to highlight the efforts of journalists who address human rights issues in their materials. In its second edition,...
Contributing to the efforts of Georgian authorities to implement recommendations on anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism through trainings for accountants and auditors
In co-operation with the Service for Accounting, Reporting and Auditing Supervision of Georgia (SARAS), two online trainings on “Anti-money laundering/countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance” on 27 and 29 April 2022. The trainings contributed to the efforts by Georgian authorities...
Judiciary of the Court of Cassation of Armenia enhance their knowledge and skills on the new criminal procedure legislation of the country
Judges, experts and judicial assistants of the Court of Cassation of Armenia participated in the one-day workshop “Selected issues of new Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia” organised on 28 April in Yerevan. During the first two sessions, the participants discussed evidence, proving as well as...
Judges and prosecutors from the Republic of Moldova enhanced their knowledge on remedies in cases of discrimination
25 judges and prosecutors strengthened their knowledge on national and international remedies in cases of discrimination through an online training. The event held on 27 April, focused on the international legal framework and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights pertaining to...
Round table discussion on the draft Judicial and Legal Reforms Strategy for 2022-2026 of the Republic of Armenia with the participation of the judiciary
Members of the Supreme Judicial Council, Presidents and judges from different court instances both from Yerevan and regions of Armenia, and the Ministry of Justice representatives discussed the draft Judicial and Legal Reforms Strategy for 2022-2026 of the Republic of Armenia.The event was...
Round table discussion on the Decision SJC-65-VO-165 (30 August 2021) of the Supreme Judicial Council of the Republic of Armenia ''On prescribing benchmark periods of the average duration of case examination as per individual types and complexity of cases''
Members of the Supreme Judicial Council of the Republic of Armenia, Presidents and judges from different court instances both from Yerevan and regions of Armenia, and the Ministry of Justice representatives discussed the Decision SJC-65-VO-165 (30 August 2021) of the Supreme Judicial Council of...
Priorities and challenges for the asset declaration regime in Georgia identified with the support of our anti-corruption project in the country
The management team of the Civil Service Bureau (CSB), under the guidance of the project “Enhancing the systems of prevention and combating corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing in Georgia,” discussed during a workshop the effective implementation of the asset declaration regime...
Public officials of Kakheti region trained to combat corruption
In cooperation with the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG), we organised on April 14-15 an awareness-raising training on “Fighting Corruption” for municipal public officials from the Region of Kakheti, in Georgia. The leading trainers of the sessions were staff of the SSG’s Anti-corruption...
Judges enhanced their knowledge and skills on the new criminal procedural legislation of Armenia
Four one-day seminars on “Selected issues of Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) of Armenia” were organised for 62 judges of Armenia in March and April 2022 in the Justice Academy in Yerevan. The judges improved their knowledge and skills on topics such as evidence, proving, arrest and measures of...
Testimonial of Nikoloz Chinkorashvili from Local Steering Commitee meeting in Georgia
Testimonial of Nikoloz Chinkorashvili, Unit of European Integration and cooperation with International Organization, General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia, from Local Steering Commitee meeting in Georgia
Ambassador Meglena Kuneva, Head of Delegation of the EU to the Council of Europe, speaks about the PGG II
Ambassador Meglena Kuneva, Head of Delegation of the EU to the Council of Europe, speaks about the Partnership for Good Governance II 2019-2022 (the PGG)
Round table discussion on the application of mediation in Armenia
Mediators, lawyers and judges from different court instances and Ministry of Justice representatives, discussed the Mediation Development Toolkit (also available in Armenian) presented by a Council of Europe expert on 29 March 2022. The event allowed an exchange on the current challenges in the...
The Council of Europe and the European Union Delegation presented the state of implementation of the joint projects in Armenia in 2021 and the PGG activities planned for 2022
The European Union and Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance II 2019-2022 (the PGG) held the third Steering Committee meeting for Armenia on Friday 25 March in online format. The aim of the meeting was to present the state of implementation and the results of the...
Armenia: Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe
The Venice Commission adopted a joint opinion on the draft laws on making amendments to the Constitutional Law on the Judicial Code and to the Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court of Armenia, prepared together with the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the...
Judicial staff in the Republic of Moldova enhanced their knowledge on remedies in cases of discrimination
98 employees of the judicial system in the country, strengthened their knowledge on national and international remedies in cases of discrimination through an online training. The event held on 16 March, focused on the international legal framework and the case law of the European Court of Human...
Presentation of the outcomes of the consultations to define the indicators and track records able to demonstrate the effect of judicial reforms in Azerbaijan
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised a presentation of the Report “Consultations to define the indicators and track records able to demonstrate the effect of judicial reforms in Azerbaijan”. This report which was prepared by two CEPEJ experts, Nino Bakakuri,...
National stakeholders discuss results and next actions of anti-money laundering and asset recovery project in Azerbaijan
24 representatives from 16 national authorities took part in the third Steering Committee meeting of the joint European Union and Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance II 2019-2022 project on strengthening anti-money laundering and asset recovery in Azerbaijan. The meeting allowed to...
The Council of Europe and the European Union Delegation presented the state of implementation of the joint projects in Georgia in 2021 and PGG activities planned for 2022
The European Union and Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance II 2019-2022 (PGG) held the third Steering Committee meeting for Georgia on Friday 11 March in online format. The aim of the meeting was to present the state of implementation and the results of the programme...
The brochure “Sexism: See it. Name it. Stop it.” now available in Azerbaijani
On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, a new brochure on the Committee of Ministers Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)1 on preventing and combating sexism is available now in Azerbaijani. This brochure explains the recommendation and its aims, defines sexism, whilst showcasing its...
Webinars on the Istanbul Convention in Azerbaijan: what does it really say?
A series of webinars dedicated to specific articles of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention, were organised in 2021 by our project in Azerbaijan. The webinars aimed to increase knowledge and...
The Council of Europe and the European Union Delegation presented the state of implementation of the joint projects in the Republic of Moldova in 2021 and PGG activities planned for 2022
The European Union and Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance II 2019-2022 (PGG) held the third Steering Committee meeting for the Republic of Moldova on Tuesday 3 March in online format. The aim of the meeting was to present the state of implementation and the results...
Armenian team of students participates in the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court with our project's support
From 28 February to 2 March, a team of Armenian students participated in the 14th edition of the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court 2022 online competition. This is an educational exercise that promotes the peaceful resolution of international disputes in accordance with international...
Speak peace, be the change!
In English With Romanian subtitles "Speak peace! Hate speech is not an option" explores the concepts of hate speech, its manifestations, its risks for human rights and democracies. This booklet was developed for any person, civil society organisations and others who feel the need to...
The Council of Europe and the European Union Delegation present the state of implementation of the joint projects in Azerbaijan in 2021 and the PGG activities planned for 2022
The European Union and Council of Europe joint programme on Partnership for Good Governance (PGG) 2019-2022 held the third Steering Committee meeting for Azerbaijan on Friday 25 February in online format. The aim of the meeting was to present the state of implementation and the results of the...
Myths and facts about the Istanbul Convention: new explanatory video in Azerbaijani
Many misconceptions exist on what the Istanbul Convention requires from states and what it means in practice for citizens. A short video has been produced in English and Azerbaijani explaining in an understandable manner what the Istanbul Convention really says. On 11 May 2021, we celebrated the...
Web article on problems encountered by foreigners
A new storytelling article tackling hate speech, incitement to discrimination or other forms of intolerance against immigrants living in the Republic of Moldova, has been published online. This is the sixth from a series of web articles developed by the journalistic platform "Oameni și...
Prosecutors of Armenia enhanced their knowledge and skills on the new criminal and procedural legislation of Armenia
Through two seminars on “Selected issues of new Criminal (CC) and Criminal Procedure Codes (CPC) of Armenia” organised for two groups of 48 prosecutors of Armenia on 25-26 January and on 22-23 February in the Justice Academy in Yerevan, our joint European Union-Council of Europe project enhanced...
Armenian stakeholders discuss the role of corruption prevention and Codes of Conduct
The Council of Europe and the Corruption Prevention Commission of the Republic of Armenia jointly organised a Conference on Integrity, Corruption Prevention and Codes of Conduct, in the framework of the EU/Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance Project “Strengthening institutional...
Call for tender - Consultancy services in the field of equality, non-discrimination, and adult training methodology
The Council of Europe is launching the international public call for tenders for the procurement of international consultancy services to be provided within the Council of Europe Project “Strengthening the capacities of the justice sector actors to deliver justice in line with European standards,...
Presentation of the report on remote Court Hearings in Criminal Cases in Georgia
On 10 February 2022, the Report "Remote Court Hearings in Criminal Cases in Georgia" prepared by João Arsénio de Oliveira, expert of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and chairman of the CEPEJ Working group on quality of Justice, was presented to justice professionals,...
CEPEJ contributes to improve the communication policy of courts in the Republic of Moldova
Further to an assessment of the Communication Strategy of the Superior Council of Magistracy and of the Guide for the judiciary on relations with mass-media by international and national experts, a Working Group was created and met on 9 February 2022 to improve the regulations on communication...
Joint event dedicated to the launch of the new website of the Constitutional Court of Armenia
On 4 February 2022, a joint event dedicated to the launch of the new website of the Constitutional Court and the 26th Anniversary of Founding of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia was organised by the Constitutional Court and the European Union-Council of Europe Partnership for...
Competition on courts’ performance in the Republic of Moldova launched with the support of CEPEJ
A competition aiming at discovering and highlighting innovative and efficient practices concerning the functioning of justice, judicial procedures or the organisation of courts is to be conducted for the first time in Moldova in 2022. It is expected to encourage the proactive management,...
Law enforcement, judiciary, financial intelligence and other authorities enhance their capacities in asset investigation, seizure and confiscation
Following up on the extensive assessment of the existing legal and institutional framework for asset recovery in Azerbaijan previously conducted by the Project, the Council of Europe organised a three-day scenario-based training course to enhance the capacities of 35 representatives of the...
Web article on problems encountered by people with disabilities
A new storytelling article tackling hate speech and discrimination against persons with disabilities in the Republic of Moldova, is now available online. This is the fifth from a series of six web articles developed by the journalistic platform "Oameni și Kilometri", in the framework of the...
Law enforcement agencies exposed to the best practices for the efficient investigation and prosecution of terrorist financing
This two-day training on “Investigation and Prosecution of Terrorist Financing Cases” was organised by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the State Security Service of Georgia. The activity, delivered in “hybrid” format with the online contribution of international Council of Europe...
Representatives of the Equality Council enhance their knowledge and skills on sanctions systems in cases of discrimination
Through a workshop, held online on 17 January, employees of the Equality Council enhanced their knowledge and skills on sanction systems in cases of discrimination. During the session, sanctions and recommendations in discrimination cases issued by equality bodies in the EU, were discussed. This...
Advancing the counternarratives on hate speech with Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans equality bodies
The representatives from the network of equality bodies engaged on combating hate speech in the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans region held their conclusive meeting online on 17 January 2022. They tackled the work and the key results during a year long of modules to improve the response...
Launch of the report “Systemic mapping of national responses to hate speech in Ukraine”
What is the impact of hate speech on the society? What challenges does it pose and how can they be effectively addressed? What means of redress, tools and actions are available to victims in Ukraine? What is the role played by different state and civil society actors in addressing hate speech?...
Awareness-raising videos on combating hate speech in Armenia: The role of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia
This is one of the three awareness-raising videos prepared in co-operation with the with the Human Rights Defender of Armenia. These awareness-raising videos on combating hate speech have been prepared in the framework of the project “Strengthening the access to justice through non-judiciary...
Three awareness-raising videos on combating hate speech go online in Armenia
In co-operation with the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, three awareness-raising videos on combating hate speech have been prepared. The videos will be disseminated via social media and television channels in the country. Democratic societies are built on the respect of human rights and human...
Supervisory capacities of the National Bank of Ukraine on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing improved through our training sessions
A training on supervisory techniques to assess the effectiveness of application by obliged entities of controls on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) and their ability to detect and prevent financial crime marked the completion of a series of on-line training for...
Keynote lecture on electronic evidence gathered lawyers from eight countries
On 22 December an online meeting for lawyers was organised by our project with the aim to strengthen co-operation between bar associations and law societies to improve the internal functioning and independence of the bars, in line with Council of Europe standards and recommendations. At the...
Online training for accountants and auditors on anti-money laundering/countering financing of terrorism compliance and the risks associated with the sector
The European Union-Council of Europe joint project, in co-operation with the Service for Accounting, Reporting and Auditing Supervision (SARAS), organised the online training “Anti-money laundering/countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance for accounting/auditing sector”. The...
Azerbaijani judges enhance their knowledge on adjudication of money laundering and terrorism financing cases
24 Azerbaijani judges and one representative of the judicial staff enhanced their understanding and skills on judicial processing and adjudication of money laundering and terrorism financing (ML/TF) cases as a result of the training “Processing and Adjudicating ML/TF Cases” which took place...
Promoting Yezidi girls’ and women’s right to education in Armenia
Yezidi girls and women constitute the most vulnerable segment of this group in Armenia and usually they do not continue education after completing secondary education. The NGO Armavir Development Center from Armenia, based in the city of Armavir where a large Yazidi community lives, is...
Challenging stereotypes against disabled people through empowerment in Armenia
Over the period of December 2021- April 2022, the NGO Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities (EREO) from Armenia will run a project with the aim of combating discrimination against people with disabilities by promoting the rights and ensuring their inclusion in the Lori region of Armenia. This project...
The importance of the combat against corruption stressed in awareness raising meetings for representatives of the state institutions and local municipalities in Georgia
In cooperation with the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG), two awareness raising events on “Fighting against Corruption” were organised for the representatives of state institutions and local municipalities. The discussions were led by the staff of the SSSG Anti-corruption Agency,...
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