A working group meeting was held on 20-21 December in Ankara within the scope of the activity on developing a practical handbook, general information leaflets, posters, and video for conciliation users and citizens under the European Union-Council of Europe Joint Project on “Promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution in Turkey”.
The meeting was organised with the attendance of 21 participants, including the Directorate General for Criminal Affairs of the Ministry of Justice, local and international consultants, and stakeholders (judges, prosecutors, conciliators, lawyers, academicians specialised on criminal justice and communication, representatives of NGOs such as Association of Conciliators in Eskişehir), as well as the Council of Europe project team.
During the two-day meeting, consultants presented the materials (draft handbook for defendants and plaintiffs; leaflets for defendants, plaintiffs, citizens, lawyers, justice police; posters for defendants, plaintiffs, citizens; and content of the video for citizens), and best practices in Europe on public awareness materials for conciliation. The meeting was followed by discussions on main messages, slogans, structure, length, and content of the materials for each target group and appropriateness of the proposals of the consultants.
The practical handbook for defendants and plaintiffs aims at explaining in detail the process and each stage of the conciliation, as well as assisting the MoJ to better inform the defendants and plaintiffs and guide them through each step of the conciliation process. The information leaflets, posters and video will enable publicising, raising awareness and promoting aspects of conciliation, as well as assisting the target groups to find the necessary information quickly and easily. When completed and produced, these materials will be distributed to the stakeholders and will also be available in electronic format and published on the relevant websites to reach wider audience.
The Joint Project on “Promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in Turkey” is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Turkey – Directorate General for Criminals Affairs and Directorate General for Legal Affairs are the end beneficiaries of the Project. The Central Finance and Contracts Unit is the contracting authority.
