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Back Turkish lawyers discussed the implementation of the CoE/EU Joint Project and the promotion of the ECHR at national level.

Turkish lawyers discussed the implementation of the CoE/EU Joint Project and the promotion of the ECHR at national level.

On 27 and 28 February 2020 in Ankara meetings were held under the Joint Project between the Council of European and the European Union “Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards (SCoBAL)”: the 5th Management Meeting, the 4th Steering Committee Meeting and the 3rd Coordination Meeting.

The participants of the Management Meeting followed by the Steering Committee Meeting discussed the achievements of the Project’s implementation under the Project’s Expected Results:

  1. Strengthened capacity of the human rights centres of the bar associations through the establishment of model human rights centres in seven pilot provinces
  2. Enhanced knowledge and skills of the lawyers to apply European human rights standards
  3. Fostered communication and coordination between the human rights centres, the bar associations and the UTBA.

The Union of Turkish Bar Associations (UTBA) together with the Project team of the Council of Europe, the CFCU, the EU Delegation to Turkey, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the representatives of the pilot bar associations considered the implemented activities within the last 6 months, which included the development of training materials on the ECHR for lawyers, placements of lawyers with the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, study visits, development of the specialised IT tool and the adaptation of distance-learning courses developed in the framework of the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals – HELP.

The 3rd Coordination Meeting brought together representatives of bar associations from seven pilot regions and the UTBA. The lawyers discussed the ways to reach the short-term targets under the Strategic Action Plan for the Development of Human Rights Centres for both the UTBA and the pilot bar associations. The items discussed included the budget and planning for human rights centres at the bar associations, their organisation and structure, their co-ordination with the UTBA and each other, human rights training for lawyers. Human Rights Centres are seen as the key instrument to promote the ECHR among lawyers in Turkey and boost the national implementation of the ECHR.

Ankara 27 - 28 February 2020
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about the project

Project Description

The overall objective of the Projects is to contribute to effective implementation of European human rights standards in Turkey. Its specific objective is to strengthen the capacities of Turkish bar associations and lawyers in the implementation of these standards.

The Project will support the bar associations in seven pilot provinces to strengthen the institutional capacities of their Human Rights Centres (HRCs) and to improve the coordination between them and the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (UTBA). It also aims at enhancing the capacities of lawyers to apply European human rights standards in their daily work and fostering the cooperation between the UTBA and HRCs of local bar associations and other national and international stakeholders working on the protection of fundamental rights. By achieving these results, bar associations and the UTBA, as one of the three pillars of judiciary, will play significant role in improving the situation with fundamental rights in Turkey.

The UTBA is a professional organisation with public institution status and serves as an umbrella organization representing local bar associations. Local bars are established in 79 provinces of Turkey and represent the lawyers practicing in these provinces. The UTBA is formed with the participation of all bar associations. The defence and protection of the rule of law and human rights is among their main tasks, according to articles 76 and 110 of the Turkish Code of Lawyers. For this purpose Human Rights Centres (HRCs) were established in the UTBA in 2001 and in most bar associations. The main objective of the HRC of the UTBA is to carry out professional, theoretical and practical researches and studies regarding the protecting and promoting the rule of law, fundamental rights and freedoms, at national and supra-national level. This work is essential for qualitatively monitoring of the development of the human rights situation in Turkey and serves as a basis for other attorneys to improve their work. In this context, the HRC of the UTBA produced several reports on various human rights issues. There is a need for improving of the institutional capacities of the HRCs in local bar associations, co-ordination among them and with the UTBA and their training capacities on human rights.

Local bar associations and the UTBA are in charge of initial training of lawyers; they organise conferences, seminars and other events for lawyers to update their knowledge on various legal aspects. It is a genuine interest both for the UTBA and local bar associations to strengthen the knowledge of lawyers on human rights issues.

Project Information

Title of the Project: Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards

Duration: 48 months (01 April 2018 – 31 March 2022)

Place/Country: Turkey

Budget: 3.890.000 €

Funding: This Project is co-financed by the Republic of Turkey, the European Union, and the Council of Europe.

End beneficiary: Union of Turkish Bar Associations (UTBA).

Project Activities

 

Institutional Capacity Building

  • A Needs Assessment Report will be prepared for the institutional capacity of the local bars and it will consist of assessment of the institutional capacities to operate the HRCs in pilot bars, but also to assess the framework of the human rights materials, with recommendations in that context.

  • An Action Plan to strengthen the functioning of HRCs will be prepared and agreed by local bars and the UTBA.

  • A draft regulation for the HRCs deriving from the reported findings of the need assessment visits will be proposed and incorporated in the Action Plan above.

  • Five study visits of 3-days each to European countries (which are identified in the needs assessment visits and agreed by the UTBA), will be organised with a view to examining the best practices for HRCs of the bar associations.

  • Approx. 24 placements for the representatives from the pilot bar associations and the UTBA will be organized in various departments of the CoE/ECtHR and HRCs of bar associations in various European countries, including international lawyer organisations for approx. two months.

     

    Individual Capacity Building

  • A Needs Assessment Report for human rights training will be drafted to be used in drafting training modules and organising training sessions in local bar associations.

  • Training modules (pre-service, in-service training curricula and online course) and materials, including manuals for the trainers will be developed for the HRCs of the bar associations and lawyers under the HELP umbrella.

  • Training-of-trainers sessions will be delivered for a total of 50 lawyers.

  • 200 training sessions for 5.000 lawyers (25 participants for each training session) will be organised at different levels which will be followed by the online trainings for a number of participants (around 200 lawyers), who will complete the course online, guided by trainers.

  • The major reference documents and resources needed for training programmes, the documents on human rights commissions in other EU member states and those provided by international consultants participating in activities will be translated into Turkish. The Action will also support the publication and dissemination of resources necessary to improve the capacity of bar associations and lawyers.

    Cooperation and Outreaching

  • 2-day coordination meetings will be organised in order to monitor the implementation process of the Action, exchange information and experience in various bar associations.

  • A project website will be established under the webpage of the UTBA. A web-based communication network between the UTBA and HRCs of bar associations will be developed in order to facilitate the communication among the lawyers working in HRCs.

  • Four one day awareness-raising/outreaching meetings will be held in order to share findings of HRCs with other stakeholders, such as judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officers and civil society representatives.

  • Two one-day international conferences will be held at the beginning and end of the Action.

Project Results

 

1. The institutional capacity of the Human Rights Centres of the Bar Associations in 7 pilot provinces is strengthened.

2. The capacity of lawyers to apply European human rights standards in their daily work is enhanced.

3. The cooperation between the Union of Turkish Bar Associations and Human Rights Centres of local bar associations is fostered.

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More information

Project News

  1. Closing Conference of Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards Project Held

  2. Project organised Study Visit to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg

  3. 6th Awareness Raising Meeting and Launching of e-Library

  4. Eighth Coordination Meeting Held Online with Pilot Bars

  5. Call for tenders for the provision of the production of general introductory videos of the Project and Human Right Centres for the Project on “Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards”

  6. Call for tenders for the provision of the creation of Online Training for Trainee Lawyers for the Project on “Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards”

  7. Turkish human rights lawyers attended a study visit to Vienna

  8. Kick-off meeting of the tutored HELP Courses on ‘’Introduction to the ECHR and the ECtHR’’ and ‘’Asylum and the ECHR’’

  9. 4th Awareness Raising Meeting on Monitoring and Reporting Human Rights Violations

  10. Call for tenders for the provision of the creation of Online Training for Trainee Lawyers for the Project on “Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards”

  11. Call for tenders for the provision of the creation of Online Training for Lawyers for the Project on “Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyer of on European Human Rights Standards”

  12. Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards Project organised its international conference

  13. Call for tenders for the provision of E-library for Strengthening the Capacity and Knowledge of Lawyers of the Human Rights Centers for the Project on “Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards”

  14. The European Union-Council of Europe Joint Project “Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards” held its Sixth Steering Committee Meeting

  15. Call for tenders for the provision of Publication Package for Strengthening the Capacity and Knowledge of Lawyers of the Human Rights Centers for the Project on “Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards”

  16. Kick-off meeting of the tutored HELP Course on Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence

  17. Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards Project organised its 3rd Awareness Raising Meeting

  18. 5th Coordination Meeting held with Pilot Bar Associations

  19. The European Union-Council of Europe Joint Project “Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards” held its Fifth Steering Committee Meeting Online

  20. Ceremony of handing over training certificates

  21. Three Publications Now Available in Turkish for All Turkish-speaking Lawyers

  22. Online Trainings of Trainers on Fundamental Rights

  23. Lawyers were trained to become a certified HELP tutor of the Council of Europe

  24. Tutored HELP Course on Admissibility Criteria takes a start

  25. 4th Coordination Meeting of the Pilot Bar Associations

  26. Turkish translation and adaptation of the course: Admissibility criteria in applications submitted to the European Court of Human Rights has been launched.                 

  27. Turkish translation and adaptation of the HELP Online course on Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence has been launched.

  28. Turkish lawyers discussed the implementation of the CoE/EU Joint Project and the promotion of the ECHR at national level.

  29. Announcement for Applications: Placements at the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the ECtHR

  30. 2020/AO/04 - Call for tenders – 28 February 2020 – Translation into Turkish and publication of books and other published materials
  31. Announcement for Applications: Placements at the Registery of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the ECtHR
  32. HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION SYMPOSIUM AND ROUND TABLE MEETING
  33. OPEN INVITATION TO SYMPOSIUM
  34. Call for tenders – 14 December 2019 - Provision of services on IT Tool Development in Turkey
  35. Human Rights Trainings of Trainers in Turkey
  36. 2nd Coordination Meeting of the Pilot Bar Associations                 
  37. Announcement in English - for Support to the Research Studies in Universities/Institutions in EU Member States’’
  38. Announcement for Support to the Research Studies in Universities/Institutions in EU Member States
  39. Announcement for Application to the Placement in ECHR Execution Department
  40. Announcement for Application to Participate in the Training for Trainers
  41. SCOBAL PROJECT MEETINGS          
  42. Turkish human rights lawyers attended a study visit to the UK                 
  43. Placements of lawyers with the Council of Europe and the European Court                 
  44. Human Rights Training: Development of the Programme, Handbook and Materials                 
  45. Development of a human rights reflex was the focus of Turkish pilot bar associations at a working group meeting on training
  46. Representatives of Turkish Bar Associations assessed the Draft Action Plan for Human Rights Centres
  47. Turkish Lawyers Reviewed The Outline Of The Human Rights Training Programme
  48. Turkish lawyers and international consultants discussed curricula on human rights trainings for lawyers
  49. Development of the Action Plan for the Human Rights Centers of Turkish Bars was the Focus of the 1st Working Group meeting of the EU-CoE Joint Project
  50. International Symposium on “Protection of Lawyers as Human Rights Defenders”
  51. Study Visit of Turkish lawyers
  52. Need assessment visits held under the Project
  53. Launching conference for the EU-Council of Europe Joint Project "Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards”
  54. The EU-Council of Europe Joint Project “Strengthening the Capacity of Bar Associations and Lawyers on European Human Rights Standards” held its Kick-off and first Steering Committee Meeting

Project Documents

Project Announcement

  1. 2020/AO/18 - Call for tenders – 27 April 2020 – Provision of services on IT Tool Development

  2. ''Provision of consultancy services on capacity building component/measuring and assessment of adult trainings''

  3. Announcement for Applications: Placements at the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the ECtHR

  4. 2020/AO/04 - Call for tenders – 28 February 2020 – Translation into Turkish and publication of books and other published materials
  5. Announcement for Applications: Placements at the Registery of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the ECtHR
  6. Call for tenders – 14 December 2019 - Provision of services on IT Tool Development in Turkey                
  7. Announcement for Application to Participate in the Training of Trainers