The whistle-blowers’ protection awareness raising initiative was launched by the Armenian Ministry of Justice with the support of the joint EU/Council of Europe programme Partnership for Good Governance. The Partnership for Good Governance will continue to support the national authorities in the implementation of several activities outlined in the Action Plan developed by the Ministry of Justice aimed at strengthening the legal framework on whistle-blowing and enhancing the anti-corruption prevention system.

The fifth edition of the Coming Out Day Fest, a thematic event aiming to raise awareness of the human rights situation for LGBTI persons in the Republic of Moldova and combat homophobia, transphobia and biphobia through artistic and cultural events, was held in October 2023. An important outcome of the festival was the creation of a shared space for discussions, exchanges, and dialogue for the general public with LGBTI persons. Communication through art and culture was promoted, to raise awareness and combat discrimination against LGBTI persons in the Moldovan society.

A round-table, organised ahead of the electoral campaign for the 5 November 2023 General Local Elections in the Republic of Moldova, aimed at building a common platform for discussions on the importance of preventing and combating hate speech, sexism, and other forms of gender-based violence. Participants included representatives of electoral management bodies, local authorities, non-governmental organisations, anti-discrimination stakeholders, mass-media and potential voters. Council of Europe tools and methodologies were delivered including the methodology on monitoring sexist speech and behaviour in the traditional and new (online) media in the Republic of Moldova, especially during electoral periods, a Guide for assessing and processing hate speech in media and the revised Code of Conduct for electoral competitors and media outlets, etc.

A network of law enforcement institutions and Civil Society Organisations from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions was launched. This network is expected to improve the response of law enforcement institutions to hatred and discrimination, through trained multipliers of a human-rights based policing approach. An important message was shared during the launch “It is essential to help police build trust with communities. Civil Society Organisations can play an important role in this respect”.

AZERBAIJAN
Civil society representatives, young legal professionals, and volunteers from Baku and three regions of Azerbaijan, were trained on standards and tools of the Council of Europe promoting equality and non-discrimination. This training provided support to civil society representatives working towards building a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable society.

ARMENIA
The inauguration of the Public Council on National Minorities’ Rights in Armenia sets the stage for meaningful co-operation and shared commitment to uphold the rights and cultural diversity of national minorities in the country.

The work of the Human Rights Defender’s Office in Armenia is strengthened through the training programme on combating discrimination adapted to their needs. This training programme aimed at enhancing the capacities of the equality body staff to respond to cases of discrimination and hatred in line with European standards.

UKRAINE
Considering the Russian Federation’s war of aggression context, an increase in the number of persons with disabilities has been registered, which is estimated now at more than 25 000. It is important that police officers are aware of the rights of persons with disabilities and of good communication practices, leading to their adequate protection. In this respect, at the request of the National Police, a training session was organised on protection from discrimination and combating hate speech.

A peer-to-peer workshop between the Portuguese and Ukrainian police, organised in December 2023, provided a platform for exchange of experiences on the prevention of discrimination and promotion of diversity in the remit of law enforcement work. This workshop confirmed the importance of synergies and co-operation between all law enforcement representatives from European countries for better response to cases of discrimination and further protect and promote equality and non-discrimination, in line with European standards and good practices.

ARMENIA
A pool of highly skilled mediators will be created in Armenia following the training programme organised at the initiative of the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Justice in Armenia and the Arbitration and Mediation Centre.

GEORGIA
The eighth annual Court Managers’ Forum, organised in December 2023, aimed at developing further the practical and organisational skills of court managers in Georgia. The event was attended by 24 court managers from all the regions, and it serves as a platform for the exchange of knowledge and good practices to streamline and enhance the efficiency of Georgia’s judicial system.

The launch of the Mentoring Programme’s third cycle on women’s access to justice for legal professionals was marked through the event held by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia. During this activity, the results of the second cycle of the programme were presented, as evidence to the success of the joint work established.

• Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the draft amendments to the Electoral Code and related legislation.
• Joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe on the Concept Paper concerning the reform of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission of the General Assembly of Judge.

• Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and ODIHR on the Draft amendments to the Election Code and to the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Georgia.
• Opinion on the Law on the Special Investigation Service and on the provisions of the Law on Personal Data Protection concerning the Personal Data Protection Service.
• Opinion on the provisions of the Law on the fight against Corruption concerning the Anti-Corruption Bureau

• Follow-up Opinion to the opinion on the draft law of the Republic of Moldova on the Intelligence and Security Service, as well as on the draft law on counterintelligence and external intelligence activity.

• Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe on the draft law on the anti-corruption judicial system and on amending some normative acts of the Republic of Moldova.

• Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR on amendments to the Electoral Code of the Republic of Moldova and other related laws concerning ineligibility of persons connected to political parties declared unconstitutional.

• Joint Follow-up Opinion of the Venice Commission and ODIHR to the Joint Opinion on amendments to the Electoral Code and other related laws concerning ineligibility of persons connected to political parties declared unconstitutional.

• Joint amicus curiae brief of the Venice Commission and ODIHR on the ineligibility of persons connected to political parties declared unconstitutional.