Strengthening security sector oversight focus of training for the staff of Armenian Human Rights Defender Office October 2019

A three-day training of trainers’ course on enhancing oversight of the security sector jointly organized by ODIHR and the OSCE Secretariat concluded on 18 October 2019 in Yerevan. The capacity building event was designed to increase the human rights investigation skills of staff members of Armenia’s ombuds institution and help them train security sector personnel on human rights compliance.

“Oversight over the security sector has an essential role in human rights protection. It is a key priority in my capacity as the Human Rights Defender of Armenia and I am confident that this training will strengthen capacities and professionalism of the Human Rights Defender's Office. I will be delighted to have another opportunity to co-operate with OSCE/ODIHR and I am very much committed in further achievements in security sector monitoring", said Arman Tatoyan, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia.

The training sessions covered different types of human rights investigations led by national human rights institutions, and focused on topics including complaints handling, data analysis, interviewing, reporting and outreach. Special attention was paid to integrating a gender perspective throughout the investigation cycle.

Omer Fisher, the Head of ODIHR’s Human Rights Department, said that “by investigating human rights violations ombuds institutions provide redress to those whose rights have been violated. What’s more, they also help security sector institutions become more effective and accountable and thus enhance security sector governance.”

The training event drew from the experience of different country examples and featured Susan Atkins, the first UK Service Complaint Commissioner and Sasa Jankovic, Serbia’s former Protector of Citizens, the country’s ombuds institution, as lead trainers.

The training course was the first activity undertaken by the project “Strengthening Security Sector Governance in the Republic of Armenia”. It supports ongoing reforms in the security sector as one of the priority areas agreed with the authorities of Armenia within the framework of the Armenian Co-operation Programme.