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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...
Raising awareness of young people in relation to discrimination and hate speech in the Republic of Moldova
The "MilleniuM" Training and Development Institute is implementing until July 2021 a national project in the Republic of Moldova raising awareness of young people in relation to discrimination and hate speech, with the support of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Partnership...
Steering Group meeting of the European Union / Council of Europe joint Project in the Republic of Moldova
On 25 February 2021 the third meeting of the Steering Group for the project “Support to further strengthening the efficiency and quality of the judicial system in the Republic of Moldova” was held. The event was attended by partners of the project and by a representative of the Delegation of the...
Seminar on optimal resource distribution in courts
A seminar on the use of CEPEJ tools to optimise the distribution of resources in courts has been organised in a videoconference format. European experts familiarised the participants with methods on applying Key Performance Indicators and statistical data to strengthen court management in...
Protecting LGBT people against hate crimes in Ukraine
The LGBT Human Rights NGO Nash Mir in Ukraine is implementing until July 2021 a national project aiming at protecting LGBT people against hate crimes in Ukraine, with the support of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, and its regional project...
Supporting Roma communities to fight human rights violations in Ukraine
The Lacho Drome Roma Center in Ukraine is implementing until July 2021 a local project aiming at supporting Roma communities to fight human rights violations in Ukraine, with the support of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, and its regional...
Training Programme for Judges and Assistants of Judges on Legal drafting of the Judicial Decisions
Legal drafting of judicial decisions was the key topic of a two-day training organised on 23-24 February 2021, in the framework of the project “Support to the judicial reform – enhancing the independence and professionalism of the judiciary in Armenia”. Seventeen national judges and assistants of...
Empowering the transgender community to facilitate their access to justice in Armenia
The RighT Side Human Rights Defender NGO in Armenia is implementing until July 2021 a national project aims at empowering the transgender community to facilitate their access to justice in Armenia, with the support of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good...
Verena Taylor, Director of the Office of the Directorate General of Programmes (ODGP), speaks about PGG II
Verena Taylor, Director of the Office of the Directorate General of Programmes (ODGP), speaks about the Partnership for Good Governance II 2019-2022 (the PGG).
Combating discrimination on the grounds of disability in Armenia
UNISON NGO Armenia is implementing a national project on combating discrimination affecting disabled persons in Armenia, under all its forms, with the support of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, and its regional project “Strengthening access to...
A strategic approach for the monitoring function of the Moldovan Equality Council
In an online meeting, independent equality and human rights expert Niall Crowley presented the results of a remote assessment of the Monitoring Strategy of the Moldovan Equality Council for 2021-2023. "This (monitoring strategy, n.r.) represents a significant step in strengthening the planned and...
Building capacities on judicial communication in the Republic of Moldova
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised an online training session on court communication for more than 40 justice professionals, including judges, court presidents, as well as representatives of the Superior Council of Magistrates and the Ministry of Justice. The...
Networking and knowledge depository platform for lawyers from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine now available
A new platform for networking, exchanging information and best practices, accessing key documents, including pieces of legislation and research is now accessible to lawyers, bar associations and legal professional in the Eastern Partnership countries. The platform was presented at the second...
Police officers from the Republic of Moldova will improve their professional abilities in enforcing the legislation and tackling hate crimes and hate speech
The regional project funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe “Strengthening access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in the Eastern Partnership”, started the first cycle of training for trainers from the General Police Inspectorate on the themes...
The Council of Europe and the European Union Delegation present the state of implementation of the joint projects in Armenia in 2020 and the PGG activities planned for 2021
The European Union and Council of Europe joint programme on Partnership for Good Governance (PGG) 2019-2021 held its second Steering Committee meeting for Armenia on Monday 8 February 2021 in an online format. The aim of the meeting was to present the state of implementation and the results of...
Towards the adoption of a Code of Conduct for deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
The Project on “Strengthening institutional capacities to fight and prevent corruption in Armenia” continues to support the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia in developing a Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament. This assistance addresses both national priorities in the Republic of...
The Council of Europe and the European Union share the proposals for future co-operation priorities in the six Eastern Partnership countries submitted through the Suggestion Box
The online event “Improving the lives of citizens through better governance” of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme on Partnership for Good Governance (PGG) 2019-2021, held on 5-7 October 2020, allowed speakers and participants to exchange about priorities in the region under...
Towards an improved framework for transparency of beneficial ownership in Azerbaijan
The Partnership for Good Governance II (2019-2021) project against money laundering and terrorism financing in Azerbaijan continues to support the national authorities in their efforts to align the national legislation with international standards and best practices geared to anti-money...
Awareness raising activities in Armenia on hate speech
A series of online educational activities “Combating hate speech through human rights education” will take place from February to May 2021, online, for beneficiaries in Armenia. This includes a five-day online training course for teachers of social science and youth workers of human rights...
The Council of Europe and the European Union Delegation present the state of implementation of the joint projects in Azerbaijan in 2020 and the PGG activities planned for 2021
The European Union and Council of Europe joint programme on Partnership for Good Governance (PGG) 2019-2021 held the second Steering Committee meeting for Azerbaijan on Monday 1 February 2021 in online format. The aim of the meeting was to present the state of implementation and the results of...
Strengthening the efficiency and effectiveness of the recommendations issued by the Moldovan Equality Council
A report commissioned by the Council of Europe to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of recommendations made by the Equality Council in the Republic of Moldova concerning discrimination cases, is now published online. Niall Crowley, international consultant, presented the report proposing...
Improving judicial communication to increase the public confidence in the judicial system of the Republic of Moldova
An assessment report that will help the national courts in the country to further strengthen the institutional capacities to develop better communication practices, internally and in relations with mass-media and the large public, has been presented. During the workshop organised on 20 January...
Strengthening the access to justice for vulnerable groups in the Republic of Moldova
Equal access to judicial services for all citizens, specifically access to courts for vulnerable groups including victims of discrimination, persons with disabilities, women, and children has been the focus of the online event organised on 20 January 2021. Representatives of key justice sector...
New initiative towards an effective asset recovery system in Azerbaijan
The project on “Strengthening anti-money laundering and asset recovery in Azerbaijan” launched a new initiative to support the development of an effective asset recovery system in Azerbaijan. The first phase in this support consists in assessing the existing legal and institutional framework for...
Leaflet on the Istanbul Convention’s monitoring system now available in Azerbaijani
A leaflet explaining the monitoring mechanism of the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) is now available in Azerbaijani. The Istanbul Convention establishes a monitoring system based on two-pillars to help states parties...
What is the Istanbul Convention? Find out more in our leaflet now available in Azerbaijani
A leaflet explaining the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) is now available in Azerbaijani. Find out more about what is the purpose of the Istanbul Convention, what makes it so ground-breaking, what types violence it covers,...
Harmonisation of collection and use of disaggregated data on hate crimes
In the Republic of Moldova, the PGG regional anti-discrimination project carried out a participatory inter-agency process with law enforcement agencies (Police, Prosecutor’s Office, Police Academy, National Institute of Justice) and the Equality Council to harmonise the collection and use of...
Consultative Council of European Judges' Opinion 23 on the role of associations of judges in supporting judicial independence will be discussed online
On 17 December at 15:00 (CET) evening discussions about Consultative Council of European Judges' (CCJE) Opinion 23 on the role of associations of judges in supporting judicial independence will be held online. The main objective of the Opinion is to provide a framework within which the right of...
Council of Europe and European Union Delegation presented the state of implementation of the joint projects in Ukraine in 2020 and the PGG activities planned for 2021
The European Union and Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance 2019-2021 held its second Steering Committee meeting for Ukraine on 14 December 2020 afternoon. The meeting aimed to present the state of implementation and the results of the Programme and discuss plans for 2021. The...
Council of Europe and European Union Delegation presented the state of implementation of the joint projects in the Republic of Moldova in 2020 and PGG activities planned for 2021
The European Union and Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance 2019-2021 held its second Steering Committee meeting for the Republic of Moldova on 14 December 2020 morning. The meeting aimed to present the state of implementation and the results of the Programme and discuss plans for...
Thank you for your support in raising awareness on violence against women in Azerbaijan and #OrangeYourHome #OrangeTheWorld with the Council of Europe!
Today, on International Human Rights Day, our 16 Days of Activism against Gendered-based violence come to an end. Women’s rights are human rights and every woman has the right to live a life free from violence. If you followed our Social Media during this campaign, you will be now aware of the...
Council of Europe and European Union Delegation presented the state of implementation of the joint projects in Georgia in 2020 and the PGG activities planned for 2021.
The European Union and Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance 2019-2021 held its second Steering Committee for Georgia on 10 December 2020. The meeting aimed to present the state of implementation and the results of the Programme and discuss plans for 2021. The participants also had...
Webinar “Gender Mainstreaming Law Schools’ Curricula”
‘How can gender mainstreaming strengthen women’s access to justice? What are the promising practices in Europe on ensuring gender equality in academia and research? How gender mainstreaming law schools contributes to addressing gender bias among legal professionals?’ These were the questions that...
Increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Equality Council recommendations - key tool in fighting discrimination in Moldova
The EU/CoE Partnership for Good Governance supports the Moldovan Equality Council (Council for Preventing and Eliminating Discrimination and Ensuring Equality - CPEDEE) in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of its recommendations. On 23 and 24 November, a 2-days round of discussions was...
National PGG II project on anti-discrimination holds its second Steering Committee Meeting
On 27 November 2020, the joint EU / CoE project implemented in the frame of the Partnership for Good Governance II ”Strengthening the capacities of the justice sector actors to deliver justice in line with European standards, in particular to fight discrimination in the Republic of Moldova”...
Moldovan Equality Council staff learning on the right to apply to the Constitutional Court based on the new constitutionality review of legislation
In the context of the current draft amendments to the national legislation, aimed at empowering the Moldovan Equality Council with the right to apply to the Constitutional Court for constitutionality review of legislation, the EU/CoE Partnership for Good Governance Programme supports the Moldovan...
#OrangeYourHome #OrangeTheWorld! - Join the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence in Azerbaijan
What are the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence? It is an annual campaign to raise awareness on violence against women and domestic violence. It runs from 25 November - International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women- until 10 December- International Human Rights...
Moldovan stakeholders involved in the meetings of the CEPEJ working group on judicial time management
On 9 and 10 November 2020 the representatives of the partner institutions from Moldova – the Agency for Court Administration and the National Union of Enforcement Agents – attended the online 28th meeting of the Working group on judicial time management (CEPEJ-SATURN). The working group has the...
Azerbaijan’s legislative framework on targeted financial sanctions discussed
In March 2020, the Council of Europe had responded to a request from Azerbaijani authorities to provide a legal opinion on the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Prevention of the Legalization of Criminally Obtained Funds or Other Property and the Financing of Terrorism, and two bylaws that...
Judicial staff Training on European standards on discrimination
EU/CoE Partnership for Good Governance Programme supports the National Institute of Justice in training the judicial staff on identifying and better understanding discrimination, according to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and EU legislation. Throughout a 1-day online training,...
21 lawyers and trainee lawyers consolidated their theoretical knowledge and practice on non-discrimination
EU/CoE Partnership for Good Governance Programme supports the Lawyers’ Training Centre of the Moldovan Bar Association in providing capacity building for lawyers and trainee lawyers on non-discrimination, in line with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and EU legislation. A total...
Moldovan lawyers instructed how to submit applications to ECHR
On 27 October, lawyers from Moldova received formation on the procedure for examining admissibility of applications to the ECHR. This highly practical online training was delivered by international consultant and human rights lawyer Dmitri Bartenev from Sankt Petersburg. He shared his experience...
Call for proposals: Grants for support to civil society organisations for combating discrimination in Armenia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine
Under the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, and its regional project “Strengthening access to justice through non-judicial redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Eastern Partnership...
IT-based solutions are envisaged to increase the efficiency of the enforcement system in the Republic of Moldova
A coordination meeting in online format took place on 9 October 2020 to address the needs and discuss further steps in the implementation of IT-based solutions for the enforcement system in civil and administrative matters. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Justice...
Even in difficult times, Partnership for Good Governance programme keeps delivering
A PGG online event to reflect on the mid-term results of the second phase of the European Union and Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance (PGG), launched in 2019 for the Eastern Partnership region, took place from 5-7 October 2020 under the title ‘Improving the lives of citizens...
Workshop on how to improve the relations between the judiciary and the media in Georgia
On 7 October 2020, a webinar will be organised for the Georgian judicial professionals on media and communication skills with focus on social and new media. This workshop will be based on the Guide on communication with the media and the public for courts and prosecuting authorities developed by...
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