TUESDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER:

National Security Concerns and International Refugee Protection

09:15 – 09:30

Registration of the Participants and Welcoming Coffee

09:30 – 10:30

Welcoming Session

-      Ms. Nino Javakhadze, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia

-      Mr. Johannes van der Klaauw, UNHCR Regional Representative, UNHCR Representation in South Caucasus

-      Mr. Cristian Urse, Head of Council of Europe Office in Georgia

10:30 – 11:00

Refugee Protection Under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the European Convention on Human Rights (including interplay and complementarity between the two systems) – Observations on key findings from the recent ECtHR case-law relating to the national security concerns

-      Ms. Jutta Seidel, Senior Legal Associate, UNHCR Representation to the European Institutions in Strasbourg

11:00 – 11:20

Coffee break

11:20 – 11:50

Addressing Legitimate Security Concerns in a Way Compatible with the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees 

-      Ms. Sibylle Kapferer, Head, Protection and National Security Section, Division of International Protection, UNHCR

11:50 – 12:10

Questions, Answers and Observations (Q&A&O)

12:10 – 12:30

Relevant Council of Europe Instruments on Migration/Asylum, National Security/Anti-terrorism and Online Resources 

-      Ms. Dagmara Rajska, Lawyer, Polish National Council of Legal Advisers

12:30 – 13:00

Prohibition of Torture, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment – Article 3 of the ECHR & Relevant Case-Law

-      Ms. Pamela McCormick, Lawyer, Registry of the European Court of Human Rights

13:00 – 13:30

Questions, Answers and Observations (Q&A&O)

13:30 – 14:30

Lunch

14:30 – 16:00

With Q & A & O

Discussion on Current State Practice on Addressing the National Security Concerns Without Undermining Refugee Protection with QIEE countries, Norway, and Sweden

Facilitated by: Ms. Cristina Bunea, Regional Protection Officer, UNHCR RRSS

Participants:

-     Delegations of the QIEE states

-     Mr. Claudiu Dragusin, Judge, First Instance Court of the 4th District of Bucharest, Romania

-     Mr. Magnus Rosenberg, National Exclusion Coordinator, SMA, Sweden

-     Mr. Sigurd Østrem, Expert Adviser on Exclusion and National Security Cases, NDI

-     Mr. Michael Hoppe, Judge, Higher Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg, Germany

16:00 – 16:20

Coffee break

16:20 – 17:20

Discussion on Current State Practice on Addressing the National Security Concerns Without Undermining Refugee Protection (continued) 

17:20 – 17:35

Wrap-up 

-    Ms. Anna Gekht Davis, Regional Project Coordinator, Regional Bureau for Europe, UNHCR

19:00 – 22:00

Welcoming Dinner, Tabla Restaurant, 33 Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue

WEDNESDAY, 26 SEPTEMBER:

Extradition and International Refugee Protection, Right to an Effective Remedy

09:30 – 10:00

Extradition and Asylum – substantive and procedural issues

-      Ms. Sibylle Kapferer, Head, Protection and National Security Section (PNSS), DIP, UNHCR

10:00 – 10:30

Questions, Answers and Observations (Q&A&O)

10:30 – 11:30

ECHR Standards Related to Extradition and Selected Case-law on the Right to an Effective Remedy (under Art. 13 combined with  Art. 3 ECHR)

-      Ms. Pamela McCormick, Lawyer, Registry of the European Court of Human Rights

11:30 – 11:45

Questions, Answers and Observations (Q&A&O)

11:45 – 12:00

Coffee Break

12:00 – 12:45

The Supervision of the Execution of ECtHR Judgments. Overview of Pending Relevant Cases and  Measures Taken to Implement the Judgments

-      Ms. Laura Ielciu-Erel, Head of Section, Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, Council of Europe

12:45 – 13:00

Questions, Answers and Observations (Q&A&O)

13:00 – 14:00

Lunch

14:00 – 15:45 With Q & A & O

Discussion on State Practice on Safeguards in Asylum & Extradition Cases –Focus on National Legislation, Cases, Trends & Compliance with International Refugee & ECHR Law

Facilitated by: Ms. Pamela McCormick, Ms. Laura Ielciu-Erel &
Ms. Dagmara Rajska

Participants:

-     Delegations of the QIEE states

-     Mr. Claudiu Dragusin, Judge, First Instance Court of the 4th District of Bucharest, Romania

-     Mr. Magnus Rosenberg, National Exclusion Coordinator, Sweden

-     Mr. Sigurd Østrem, Expert Adviser on Exclusion and National Security Cases, Norway

-     Mr. Michael Hoppe, Judge, Higher Administrative Court of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

15:45 – 16:00

Coffee break

16:00—16:30

National Security and the Grant of Citizenship/Naturalisation in the Context of Statelessness

-     Ms. Valeriia Cherednichenko, Associate Protection Officer (Statelessness), UNHCR RBE-Brussels (via VideoLink)

16:30 – 17:00

Wrap-up and Conclusions

-     Mr. Cristian Urse, Head of Council of Europe Office in Georgia

-     Mr. Johannes van der Klaauw, UNHCR Regional Representative, UNHCR Representation in South Caucasus