On 31 May 2021, Azerbaijani stakeholders participated in the online piloting of a twinning methodology in the field of violence against women, domestic violence and gender equality, based on the standards of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). Twinning is a tool to promote peer-exchanges as a learning method among countries or sectors. It seeks to help authorities to improve their policies and practices.

Among the Azerbaijani authorities, there were representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the State Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs and the Ombuds Office. Through interactive methods, participants were introduced with to the different phases of the processes of twinning and shared their own experiences on constraints and good practices to implementing twinning initiatives. The pilot session served to test the methodology and ultimately will contribute to its finalisation.

This activity took place under the joint action ‘Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan’ currently implemented within the Programme for Good Governance II (PGGII), a European Union and Council of Europe joint programme in the Eastern Partnership countries. Among other objectives, the joint action seeks to support the Azerbaijani authorities to sign the Istanbul Convention.

For further information on the project, please visit the project’s website.

Further information on PGGII is available on the PGGII’s website.