The Council of Europe hosted a round table with 16 of the human rights trainers trained under “HELP in Russia” to discuss results so far and perspectives for the future. In the five regions where the trainers came from (Moscow, Irkutsk, Stavropol, Ulyanovsk and Voronezh), HELP has gone much further than what was initially planned: the HELP methodology was adapted to the target groups’ specific needs and when needed, distance-learning courses were adapted to face-to-face training for in-depth training (five-day course for lawyers in Moscow); more target groups benefited from HELP courses than initially planned (students in Irkutsk, social workers in Ulyanovsk and civil servants in MGIMO); inter-regional cooperation was established between the partner institutions and the trainers, such as between Chambers of Advocates in Irkutsk and Stavropol, Stavropol and Ulyanovsk; public institutions integrated the HELP courses and methodology in the initial and continuous training they provide and acquired themselves the moodle platform (Stavropol’s advocates’ school); students and lawyers self-financed study visits to the Council of Europe (Irkutsk and Stravropol); the Supreme Court adopted a plenum resolution providing guidelines to lower courts on the admissibility of evidence in criminal trials, based on the HELP course on this subject. Finally, legislative changes in the Code of Criminal Procedure also occurred partly as a result of the development of the HELP course on the admissibility of evidence in the criminal process and the active involvement of the Russian State University of Justice and the Ministry of Justice in its development and implementation.

Representatives of donors from the Human Rights Trust Fund from Germany, Finland, The Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland had the opportunity to hear from the national tutors how participants “became other people” after completing a HELP course and visiting Strasbourg.

Follow-up activities for 2017-2018 were also discussed. They include the training of more national trainers, the organisation of activities for mixed groups of legal professionals, the development/adaptation of new courses on areas such as lengthy procedures in the criminal trial, data protection or property rights, the systematic inclusion of more target groups such as civil servant, students and staff of regional ombudsperson’s offices and the extension of “HELP in Russia” to more regions.

The Russian experience in using the HELP methodology and tools is a vivid example of reinforced national ownership and increased multiplier effect thanks to the national partners’ commitment.