Safeguarding human rights through courts, phase II

Competent and independent judges, advocates, and other legal professionals form the cornerstone of a judicial system able to defend human rights and contribute to social stability.

The first phase of the “Safeguarding Human Rights Through Courts” project was focused on helping legal professionals master international human rights protection tools. This include, among others, the use of the European Convention on Human Rights and the case law of the Strasbourg-based European Court in the review of cases in local courts. The Second Phase of this project addressed the request by partners to complete these initiatives and ensure that previous accomplishments are sustainable.

The new phase of the project aims to deliver the following results:

• the National School of Judges will have more capacity and new tools to deliver quality professional human rights education and to improve judges’ knowledge of gender mainstreaming;
• civil society groups have the skills and knowledge to monitor court proceedings in line with international standards;
• legal professionals are informed about the latest trends in human rights protection, gender equality, and relevant European Court of Human Rights case-law.

This Project is part of the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine implemented with extra-budgetary contributions from the Organization's participating States; see full list of the Programme's donors.