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Court management online training session in Azerbaijan
An online training session for trainers on court management, in particular on the collection and analysis of judicial statistics, performance evaluation, measuring the quality of justice and case and time management was held on 23-25 June. The participants were judges and court presidents, court...
Presentation of the Analysis on how CEPEJ methods can be applied on judicial statistics in Georgia
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised an online seminar to present the analysis of existing data and statistical reporting processes to demonstrate the use of CEPEJ methods to guide and support policy and managerial capacity required for the creation of...
What is hate speech? Video available in English, Romanian and Russian
Romanian version Russian version
New publication available in Azerbaijani on Article 13 of the Istanbul Convention
The Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention, is the most comprehensive international legal standard to end violence against women and domestic violence. It starts from the point that violence...
International Conference on Advancing Beneficial Ownership Transparency
In contributing to the international on-going efforts to enable countries to access and share reliable beneficial ownership information, the Council of Europe, in co-operation with the European Union, is organising an international Conference on Advancing Beneficial Ownership Transparency on...
Training law professors in Azerbaijan to become trainers on violence against women
Aiming to equip law professors at the Faculty of Law of the Baku State University with the capacity of tutoring the Council of Europe Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) course Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, an online training session was organised by our project...
Azerbaijani authorities boost their capacities on anti-corruption and ethics in public service
The handbooks on anti-corruption concepts, standards, and practices, as well as ethics in public service were presented at the meeting of the Scientific-Advisory Council under the General Prosecutor of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This is of particular importance due to the establishment of the...
Online training on appeals against acts of enforcement agents in national courts in the Republic of Moldova
A series of 10 online training seminars are being conducted in the field of enforcement in civil and administrative matters, largely based on the new Commentary to the Enforcement Code, recently developed at the initiative of the Council of Europe. The agenda of these training is focused on the...
Online discussion of the Opinion of the methodology and the procedure for the performance evaluation of Court of Cassation/Supreme Court judges in Armenia
On 11 June 2021 the online discussion of the Opinion of the methodology and the procedure for the performance evaluation of Court of Cassation/Supreme Court judges in Armenia took place in the framework of the project "Support to the judicial reform – enhancing the independence and...
Round table: A comprehensive approach to combating hate speech in the Republic of Moldova
The Council of Europe organised an online round table on 11 June, in co-operation with the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova, the Audiovisual Council and the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training to discuss the application of a comprehensive approach to combating hate...
Second awareness-raising webinar on violence against women and the Istanbul Convention held in Azerbaijan
The second webinar on raising awareness of violence against women under the Council of Europe’s Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, known as the Istanbul Convention, took place on 8 June 2021. Raising awareness of violence against women is the...
Regional launch in Eastern Partnership countries for HELP course on Women's Access to Justice
The Council of Europe and its member states have made specific commitments to improve women’s access to justice and prevent and combat violence against women. The role of justice system professionals in ensuring and strengthening women’s access to justice is essential in achieving substantive...
Azerbaijan’s Financial Intelligence Unit learns about EU member state experience on ultimate beneficial ownership register
The representatives of the Azerbaijani Financial Intelligence Unit (Financial Monitoring Service) were introduced to the process of development, implementation and management of the Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO) Register in one of the EU member states in the framework of the project...
Georgian currency exchange bureaus trained to detect and prevent money laundering and terrorism financing in their daily business
The Council of Europe in cooperation with the Financial Monitoring Service of Georgia (FMS - Financial Intelligence Unit of Georgia) organised a two-day online training on “Anti-money laundering/countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance for currency exchange bureaus”. In addition to...
Webinar on reasonable length of proceedings and case backlog in Georgian courts
A second webinar, part of a series dedicated to “Judicial proceedings within reasonable time”, was held on 3 June 2021. Its aim was to present Council of Europe European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) timeframes in conformity with Article 6 of the European Convention of Human...
National risk assessment process on money laundering/terrorism financing enhanced in Azerbaijan
A three-day workshop was organised by the Economic Crime and Cooperation Division of the Council of Europe with the aim to support Azerbaijani authorities in the process of performing their second national risk assessment (NRA) in the field of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of...
Enhancing equality and non-discrimination by training police and the judiciary on hate crime in the Republic of Moldova
Following up on the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) conclusions on the implementation of its priority recommendations made to Republic of Moldova, an online round table on enhancing equality and non-discrimination by training law enforcement and the judiciary on hate...
Ombudsperson Institutions united in fighting for Roma inclusion
Upon the initiative of the Ukraine Ombudsperson office, the Council of Europe co-organised the “Kiev International Forum of Equality Bodies on Roma Inclusion”, on 27 May 2021. The Forum gathered over 140 participants, from over 20 independent human rights institutions from across Europe and...
Online discussion of the study ''Gender equality in the judiciary of Armenia: challenges and opportunities''
An online discussion of the study ''Gender equality in the judiciary of Armenia: challenges and opportunities,'' took place on 25 May in the framework of the Partnership for Good Governance II (2019-2022) project ''Support to the judicial reform – enhancing the independence and professionalism of...
Training for public officials on combating hate speech in Armenia
On 24 and 25 May 2021, the regional project “Strengthening access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crime in the Eastern Partnership” organised two training sessions offline, for 30 civil servants working in the relevant ministries and institutions, and in the...
Evaluation of the performance of enforcement systems and reporting in the Republic of Moldova
An online seminar on the evaluation and reporting on the performance of enforcement systems and their agents was conducted in the Republic of Moldova. The seminar gathered 25 participants, from the Moldovan National Union of Enforcement Agents as well as court presidents and judges. With the...
Moldovan Equality Council staff trained to better structure and articulate arguments and draft motivation on discrimination cases
The Council of Europe facilitated an online workshop to consolidate the Moldovan Equality Council staff capacity on constructing decisions for cases of discrimination. The workshop took place on 14 and 24 May 2021 and it consisted of structural tips, persuasion techniques and methodological...
Improving the methodology of distribution of resources in the Moldovan judiciary by using statistical data
The ability of the courts and of the judiciary in general to properly evaluate and reason their needs is a key aspect of modern judicial management. The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised a second online seminar on taking decisions with regard to the distribution...
Georgian authorities discuss how to identify and manage conflict of interests and assess corruption risks in the public sector
The Council of Europe in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Georgia (MOJ) organised a two-day workshop on “Corruption Prevention in the Public Sector”. The workshop aimed at supporting the transition of the Anti-Corruption Council Secretariat to the Administration of the Government of...
Policing hate crime against LGBTI persons: training for a professional police response” and launch of the manual in Ukrainian
On the occasion of the International Week Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, an online public event on combating hate crime affecting LGBTI people, including a launch of the Ukrainian adaptation of the Council of Europe manual “Policing hate crime against LGBTI persons: training for a...
Georgian translation of the ECRI factsheet on LGBTI issues now available
The ECRI factsheet on LGBTI issues summarises recommendations made by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) to safeguard and protect the human rights of LGBTI persons. The factsheet includes sections on the Legal framework, Data collection, research and policy framework,...
Online discussion of the Comparative analysis on certain aspects of arbitration in Armenia
On 5 May 2021 the online discussion of the Comparative analysis on certain aspects of arbitration in Armenia took place in the framework of the project “Support to the judicial reform – enhancing the independence and professionalism of the judiciary in Armenia.” One of the Project components is...
Reforms and measures taken to protect people with disabilities against discrimination not enough according to report by UNISON NGO in Armenia
UNISON, the Armenian non-governmental organisation (NGO), conducted a survey on the topic "Discrimination on the Ground of Disability in Armenia". The survey respondents were 120 people with different types of disabilities. In this regard, raising the awareness of the general population about the...
Georgia: Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the amendments to the Election Code of Georgia
The Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR issued their urgent joint opinion on the draft amendments to the Election Code of Georgia, following an urgent request for assistance by the then Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Mr Archil Talakvadze, addressed to the OSCE/ODIHR on 9 March 2021....
Ukrainian Security Service better equipped to fight terrorist financing
A complex online training course on terrorist financing detection, disruption and investigation was delivered to practitioners of the Security Service of Ukraine, including operatives and investigators, as well as representatives of training institutions. Moreover, with a view to ensuring...
Georgia: Urgent Opinion on the amendments to the Organic law on Common Courts (appointment of Supreme Court judges) issued by Venice Commission
The Venice Commission in its urgent opinion welcomes the amendments to the Organic Law of Georgia on Common Courts, which have taken into account several of its previous recommendations. Nevertheless, there are a number of outstanding recommendations that should be considered in order to ensure...
Training on financial investigation for Georgian law enforcement
The Council of Europe in cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia organised a two-day training on “Financial investigation of money laundering/financing of terrorism cases”. The activity was delivered in “hybrid” format with the online involvement of international Council...
Call for participants: training course for journalists on combating hate speech in the audio-visual mass-media
The Council of Europe organises a training course on combating hate speech in the audio-visual mass-media for journalists from the Republic of Moldova. The training is organised around five sessions, on 17, 19, 21, 24 and 26 May. By the end of the training course, participants will be able to:...
Judges and prosecutors in Armenia getting trained on hate speech
Judges and prosecutors from Armenia started in April a training course on hate speech, organised by the project “Strengthening access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crime in the Eastern Partnership countries” in co-operation with the Justice Academy of the Republic...
Findings and recommendations on improvement of asset recovery system discussed with Azerbaijani stakeholders
After a thorough consultation process with national authorities, the project “Strengthening anti-money laundering and asset recovery in Azerbaijan” has developed a holistic analysis of the institutional and legislative asset recovery framework in Azerbaijan, complemented with practical...
#JusticeForAll campaign launched in Georgia to promote access to justice free of visible and invisible barriers
Access to justice is a fundamental prerequisite for the protection of basic human rights by citizens. To improve access to justice means to tackle existing inequalities and provide quality services to all, notwithstanding their gender, ethnicity, race, identity, age, social condition or physical...
Ukrainian prosecutors refine their knowledge and skills on effective investigation and prosecution of money laundering offences
A three-day online training course on “Effective investigation and prosecution of money laundering” was organised together with the Training Centre of Prosecutors of Ukraine. The Prosecutor General’s Office as well as regional and district public prosecution offices benefited from the training,...
Presentation of the Handbook on improving the quality of judicial decisions
On 27 April 2021 the online presentation of the Handbook on improving the quality of judicial decisions developed by the Council of Europe international consultant Oleksandr Ovchynnykov, took place in the framework of the project ''Support to the judicial reform – enhancing the independence and...
Concluding the series of discussions to enhance the quality of justice in Georgia
Evening Talks, a series of online discussions aiming at contributing to the quality of improvement of the justice system in Georgia concluded with its final session held on 18 April. This series created an online platform promoting different policy papers, guidelines, and documents developed by...
Electoral legislation amendments in Armenia are welcomed, but further improvements needed
The Council of Europe’s body of constitutional legal experts, the Venice Commission, and the OSCE/ODIHR have published an urgent joint opinion today on amendments to the Electoral Code and related legislation of Armenia. Having examined the conformity of the procedure of their development, as...
Interactive online tool of the checklist on gender mainstreaming law school’s curricula available now in seven languages
There is an urgent need for tools and support networks on gender mainstreaming academia, particularly in view of the impact of Covid-19 on women’s rights and the rising anti-gender sentiments and opposition in several European countries. We have therefore developed an interactive tool of the...
Join our online peer discussions for practitioners working on equality issues in the Eastern Partnership countries
Equality and non-discrimination are very relevant topics for the Eastern Partnership countries, and the possibility to have regional exchange regarding problems, solutions and promising practices is an opportunity for the professional development and getting motivation for further work. Our...
Empowering the Roma communities in Ukraine through mediators and new local associations
The Lacho Drome Roma Center successfully started capacity building the local network of mediators in four towns across two Ukrainian regions (Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk). Two mediators in each of the four towns were trained toward in their communities monitoring and reporting cases of...
Second meeting of the Steering Committee of the Project "Support to the judicial reform – enhancing the independence and professionalism of the judiciary in Armenia"
On 14 April 2021 the second meeting of the Steering Committee of the Project "Support to the judicial reform – enhancing the independence and professionalism of the judiciary in Armenia" was held online. The Project is funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the...
Raising awareness in Armenia among disabled people about protection against discrimination
On 26 March, 2 and 13 April, the non-profit organisation (NGO) Unison conducted three seminars for NGOs, women with disabilities and people with disabilities within the framework of the project "Combating Discrimination on the Grounds of Disability in Armenia". This project is supported through a...
Evening talks on 14 April: the series of discussions to enhance the quality of justice in Georgia
This session is a series of online discussions under the name Evening talks aiming at contributing to the quality improvement of the justice system in Georgia. The online programme creates a platform promoting different policy papers, guidelines, and documents developed by the Council of Europe...
Increasing the capacity of the Moldova Audio-visual Council to monitor and sanction hate speech
A training course for the staff of the Audio-visual Council of the Republic of Moldova on monitoring and sanctioning hate speech has been launched. The training will include four online sessions during the month of April, with the following objectives: To familiarise participants with key human...
Legal professionals in Armenia trained on procedural safeguards in criminal proceedings and victims’ rights
The first group of judges, prosecutors and investigators have successfully completed a distance-learning course on procedural safeguards in criminal proceedings and victims’ rights. This course has been translated and adapted to the Armenian legal context and launched in co-operation with the...
Ukrainian judges are trained to train their peers on money laundering
As a part of a long-standing cooperation with the National School of Judges of Ukraine aimed at strengthening judicial capacities related to money laundering, training of trainers was conducted for Ukrainian judges through Council of Europe support on 29-30 March 2021. Following up on the...
Online discussion of the assessment of the methodology and the procedure for the performance evaluation of judges
On 30 March 2021 an online discussion on the ''Assessment of the methodology and the procedure for the performance evaluation of judges” took place in the framework of the project ''Support to the judicial reform – enhancing the independence and professionalism of the judiciary in Armenia,''...
"Where is my place?" Life stories of victims of discrimination in the Republic of Moldova
"Where is my place?" is the central question of the concept for the video spot, presenting two life stories of a woman and a man, victims of discrimination in the Republic of Moldova. The video is filmed in an observational documentary style in the first part showing people’s behavior when they...
Using a human right-based language in responding to hate speech: a challenge for equality bodies across Europe
Equality bodies need to make strong efforts in nowadays’ Europe to respond to hate speech in the framework of their mandate. This is particularly important considering the increased use of social media, forms and levels of hatred present on the social media, as well as in the public space. The...
Republic of Moldova: Venice Commission adopts an opinion on draft legislation amending the people’s advocate law
During its 126th plenary session, held on 19 and 20 March, the Venice Commission adopted an opinion on the draft law amending some normative acts relating to the People’s Advocate of the Republic of Moldova. The draft legislation introduces into the national legal order a ”People’s Advocate for...
Republic of Moldova: Venice Commission issues an amicus curiae brief on the constitutional review of the law-making procedures in Parliament
During its 126th plenary session, held on 19 and 20 March, the European Commission for Democracy through Law of the Council of Europe (Venice Commission) adopted an amicus curiae opinion for the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova on three legal questions concerning the law-making...
Georgia: Reform for elections, political associations and parliament rules should be “reconsidered”, according to Venice Commission
In a joint opinion, requested in December 2020 by the Chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia and adopted at the latest plenary of the Venice Commission (19-20 March 2021), the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission call on Georgia to reconsider several amendments to the Election Code, the Law on...
Empowering transgender community in Armenia to facilitate their access to justice
The transgender community faces marginalization in Armenia and is often exposed to discrimination, hate speech and hate crime, according to the data available and personal reporting in the country. The Right Side Human Rights Defender NGO, organised the training course "Human Rights in Touch with...
Online training on Council of Europe standards to combat hate speech in Georgia
Participants from institutions and organisations in Georgia will be trained through online courses on Council of Europe standards to combat hate speech. The aim of these courses is to increate understanding of hate speech, its forms, its causes and consequences. Participants will also learn about...
Evening talks: the series of discussions to enhance the quality of justice in Georgia
A series of online discussions under the name “Evening talks”, aiming at contributing to the quality improvement of the justice system in Georgia, continues during the month of March. The online programme creates a platform promoting different policy papers, guidelines, and documents developed by...
National Proliferation Financing Indicators for Ukraine
On 19 March 2021 the technical paper on “Proliferation Financing Threats in Ukraine” was presented to Ukrainian stakeholders in an online event. The document is the result of several months of joint work with a wide range of concerned national authorities including policymakers, law enforcement,...
Raising awareness on the Istanbul Convention in Azerbaijan
The first of a series of webinars dedicated on explaining specific articles of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) in Azerbaijan was launched this week. The aim of these webinars is to contribute to the...
Improving the enforcement system in Azerbaijan
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) has developed two important documents in the framework of its project to support the improvement of the enforcement system in Azerbaijan. The documents were drafted by the experts Mathieu Chardon and Jos Uitdehaag, based on the results...
Speak peace, be the change!
A new publication on hate speech, produced within co-operation programmes of the European Union and the Council of Europe, is now available online. "Speak peace! Hate speech is not an option" explores the concepts of hate speech, its manifestations, its risks for human rights and democracies....
One in four people felt discriminated in the Republic of Moldova during the last year
The general population and professionals in the Republic of Moldova consider discrimination a widespread problem, according to a national study conducted in the period September-November 2020. One in four people from the general population interviewed stated that they have felt discriminated in...
Improving Armenian capacities to use international cooperation in criminal matters
The Council of Europe continues supporting Armenian authorities in developing procedures and capacities related to the investigation of corruption crimes by using international cooperation means. On 11-12 March 2021, the Project on “Strengthening institutional capacities to fight and prevent...
Moldovan judicial staff trained on discrimination on ground of disability
On 2 March , 30 representatives from Moldovan courts and prosecutor offices were trained on the subject of discrimination on ground of disability, The training was organized in cooperation with the National Institute of Justice in the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe joint...
Police officers, prosecutors and judges from the Republic of Moldova will improve their professional skills to combat hate crime
Combating hate crimes is a key issue for law enforcement and the judicial system and a key step in this process is the development of capacities of those involved, according to international standards and a coordinated approach. On 1 March 2021, our project launched a training of trainers for 28...
Integrity checking: Armenian experience, achievements, and prospects for improvement
The project on “Strengthening institutional capacities to fight and prevent corruption in Armenia” continues supporting the Corruption Prevention Commission in developing and improving its methodology for integrity checking of judicial nominees. The workshop on “Integrity checking: Armenian...
Online discussion of the post-adoption review of the Judicial Code of Armenia
On 26 February 2021 an online discussion of the ''Post-adoption review of the Judicial Code of Armenia'' took place in the framework of the project '“Support to the judicial reform – enhancing the independence and professionalism of the judiciary in Armenia” (the Project). One of the Project...
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