The second Steering Committee meeting was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 12 July 2017 in the framework of the Joint Project of the European Union and Council of Europe “Further support to the penitentiary reform in Azerbaijan”. The Steering Committee was attended by the main project beneficiaries and representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office and the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy and State Building.

The discussion focused on the progress made in the implementation of the project activities since its commencement in September 2016. The Work Plan of activities for the next six months was also presented and agreed upon by the participants.

One of the highlights of the reporting period was the development of action plans by the project beneficiaries which integrate a number of recommendations provided by the needs assessment missions conducted under the project. The plans focus on the three pilot prisons though measures, such as development of internal procedures, improvement of professional skills of the medical and non-medical prison staff through trainings cover other penitentiary establishments as well. When implemented, the measures are expected to contribute to the improvement of prison management and provision of healthcare services for inmates in Azerbaijan.

The Joint Project of the European Union and Council of Europe “Further support to the penitentiary reform in Azerbaijan” is financed by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.