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Partnership for Good Governance II
Newsletter 18 | January-March 2021
Istanbul Convention: raising awareness in Azerbaijan
The first of a series of webinars dedicated to explaining specific articles of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) was held this March.

The first session covered Article 12 of the Istanbul Convention on general state obligations on preventing violence against women.

Upcoming sessions will cover the following subjects:
  • Raising Awareness on Violence Against Women: Article 13 of the Istanbul Convention (June 2021)
  • Domestic and Sexual Violence Perpetrator Programmes: Article 16 of the Istanbul Convention (September 2021)
  • Emergency Barring Orders in Situations of Domestic Violence: Article 52 of the Istanbul Convention (December 2021)
 
Our photo exhibition is now online!
What do equality, non-discrimination, diversity, living together, inclusion of minorities, gender equality mean to you and your country?

Five winner and four nominee photos have been selected in the framework of the Partnership for Good Governance II (2019-2021) photo contest and are now available to discover in our photo exhibition.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to discover more about how the actions of our projects in the Eastern Partnership region benefit their citizens.
Suggestion box results
In the framework of the online event of the European Union and Council of Europe Joint Programme Partnership for Good Governance II (2019-2021) “Improving the lives of citizens through better governance” , participants were invited to share their thoughts and ideas on the priority areas the European Union, the Council of Europe and the Eastern Partnership countries should focus on. This assessment is now online on a dedicated webpage. The main areas highlighted will be considered for future joint co-operation in the Eastern Partnership region.
Combating discrimination through five country specific actions implemented with civil society organisations
People in the Eastern Partnership countries are victims of discrimination on a daily basis. The European Union and the Council of Europe are working together to address this issue by raising awareness of the general public and providing necessary tools to the people experiencing discrimination to protect themselves. Find out more about these actions per country:

ARMENIA
 
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
 
UKRAINE
 
Evening talks: the series of discussions to enhance the quality of justice in Georgia
A series of online discussions under the name “Evening talks”, aiming at contributing to the quality improvement of the justice system in Georgia, are currently ongoing. The online programme creates a platform promoting different policy papers, guidelines, and documents developed by the Council of Europe for the member states in the field of the Judiciary.
Networking and knowledge depository platform for lawyers from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine now available
National partners in these countries welcomed the platform as a useful and practical tool to facilitate contacts and knowledge sharing within the legal communities.

The aim of the platform is to support regional dialogue and co-operation between the bars and lawyers’ professional associations and it will provide wide dissemination to the comparative reviews on key areas of interest to assess the current challenges faced by the legal profession, facilitate exchange of experiences and identify solutions to enhance compliance with European standards on lawyers’ independence and professionalism.
Quick Response Mechanism
Three Venice Commission opinions were prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism in the framework of the Partnership for Good Governance II (2019-2021).

GEORGIA
 

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
 
New initiative towards an effective asset recovery system in Azerbaijan
The project on “Strengthening anti-money laundering and asset recovery in Azerbaijan” launched a new initiative to support the development of an effective asset recovery system in Azerbaijan. The first phase in this support consists in assessing the existing legal and institutional framework for asset recovery and providing actionable recommendations for its improvement in line with international standards and best practices.
Second round of Partnership for Good Governance II Local Steering Committee meetings
The second round of the Partnership for Good Governance II (2019-2021) Local Steering Committee meetings for the Eastern Partnership countries were held online during the period December 2020 - February 2021. These were dedicated to present the state of implementation and the results of the Programme in each of the countries and discuss plans for 2021. 

Representatives from the European Union, the Council of Europe, National authorities and civil society of each country were present to exchange on the impact of our projects for citizens.

Learn more about the second round of Local Steering Committee meetings held for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
Latest publications
Speak peace! Hate speech is not an option

Visit our updated website to access all our publications in their online format.
This newsletter has been produced using the funds of a Joint Project between the European Union and the Council of Europe. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of either party.

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