The HELP course on “Asylum and Human Rights” was launched for judges, lawyers and prosecutors in the Republic of Moldova. The course covers in an interactive way the key concepts and the international and European (United Nations, Council of Europe and European Union) framework related to asylum, including the rich body of case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Mr Marius Ciprian Toth, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, highlighted the importance of ensuring the human rights protection of refugees and migrants. In this context, he emphasised that: "Dealing with migration and asylum requires collective efforts, and legal professionals - judges, lawyers, prosecutors and paralegals - play a significant role in assisting refugees, including displaced persons from Ukraine. This HELP course is an opportunity to familiarise legal professionals from the Republic of Moldova with international and European standards on asylum as well as the relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union."

In the same vein, Ms Ecaterina Popa, Ad interim director of the National Institute of Justice and focal point for HELP, expressed her enthusiasm about the launch of e-learning courses developed by the HELP Programme. Ms Popa noted that: "Today, given the sensitive regional context that has led to large-scale population movements, it is more important than ever to stand firm on our commitment to refugee rights and to promote an asylum policy that is based on the principles of justice, humanity and solidarity. The new course will be a significant contribution of the HELP Programme and the Council of Europe in developing the professional capacities of the beneficiaries of the National Institute of Justice."

The national tutors, Ms Cezara-Elena Polisca and Mr Ion Bocan highlighted the objective of the course, the national adaptation process, the activities for the trainees on the platform as well as the evaluation methods and criteria.

The e-learning course is implemented by the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP), in cooperation with the National Institute of Justice of the Republic of Moldova within the Council of Europe project “Strengthening the human rights protection of refugees and migrants in the Republic of Moldova”, funded under the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova (2021-2024) and implemented by the Council of Europe.