Over 60 lawyers in Albania participated in the launch of the HELP course on Antidiscrimination taking place in Tirana. The hybrid event was organised by the EU/CoE Horizontal Facility action “Advancing the Protection from Discrimination in Albania” and “HELP in the Western Balkans” project funded by Human Rights Trust Fund.

The event was opened by Maksim HAXHIA, Chair of the Albanian Chamber of Advocacy, who welcomed the participants and shared the importance of prohibition of discrimination, domestic violence and ethical standards in the work of a lawyer, prosecutor or judge.

The participants were introduced to the EU/CoE Horizontal Facility country specific project “Advancing the Protection from Discrimination in Albania” and “HELP in the Western Balkans” project, as well as to the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme and its online platform, where over 45 courses on human rights are available in the self-learning format, including the course on Antidiscrimination.

The tutors, Rezarta ABDIU, HELP Info Point, and Viktor GUMI, expert on Antidiscrimination issues presented a brief overview of the course and the examples of national legislation that will be provided through the implementation of the online course. The participants had the possibility to share their expectations from the course, motivation for joining and to exchange their views on the importance of the topic with their colleagues.

The HELP course on Antidiscrimination was developed by a Working Group (WG) of international consultants. Modules related to the discrimination against Roma and the SOGI communities were developed in cooperation with the Council of Europe Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Unit and the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Roma issues.

The aim of the course is to provide a detailed, yet easily accessible, educational resource to promote understanding among national judges, prosecutors and lawyers in respect of the significant amount of relevant ECtHR case law.  

In five modules participants will explore issues of discrimination experienced by a range of communities as well as key terms and definitions associated with these groups. Finally, participants will see how they are protected by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

The event was organised with the support of the Action on Advancing the Protection from Discrimination in Albania part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.