Back Asylum and Human Rights: updated HELP/UNHCR course launched for legal professionals in Ireland

Asylum and Human Rights: updated HELP/UNHCR course launched for legal professionals in Ireland

The Council of Europe HELP course on Asylum and Human Rights was launched in an online seminar gathering 35 lawyers (solicitors and barristers) from Ireland. The online session was held on 23 April 2021 and was organised by the European Union and the Council of Europe funded "HELP in the EU II" project, in cooperation with the EU and International Affairs Committee of the Law Society of Ireland.

The participants got familiarised with the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme of the Council of Europe and its online platform that includes a catalogue of almost 40 courses on human rights.

The group was welcomed by Deirdre Flynn, HELP Info Point for Ireland, Andreas Wissner, UNHCR Representative to the European Institutions in Strasbourg, and Eva Pastrana, Head of HELP Unit, Council of Europe.

The online seminar started with a presentation of Maria Hennessy from the UNHCR Office in Dublin on the challenges and perspectives on asylum in Ireland. Riccardo Priore from the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees of the Council of Europe presented the work of the Council of Europe in protecting the rights of asylum seekers and refugees. Pamela McCormick, senior lawyer at the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights, gave an overview of the key case-law of the ECtHR.

Ana-Maria Telbis, coordinator of the EU-CoE “HELP in the EU II” project and Eva Massa-Arranz, project coordinator of the HELP Programme, presented the HELP Programme and the EU funded project and introduced the participants to the HELP online platform as well as the updated edition of the HELP course on Asylum and Human Rights.

The tutor, Deirdre Flynn, solicitor with the Law Society of Ireland, will be guiding the participants through the course in the following three months. She offered details on the implementation of the course, presented the materials prepared for the national adaptation of the course and also pinpointed some practical challenges in the national context concerning asylum and human rights. The participants also had the possibility to share their expectations from the course and exchange with their colleagues.

Following the online launch event, all participants will be enrolled on the course page and will go through the online course. Those among them who successfully complete it will receive HELP certificates issued by the Council of Europe.

The HELP course “Asylum and Human Rights” covers in an interactive way the key concepts, the international and European (UN, CoE and EU) framework related to asylum and the impressive body of case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). One of the key reference materials to develop this course has been the Handbook on European law relating to asylum, borders and immigration, developed jointly by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency and the European Court of Human Rights.

The course was initially developed in 2015 jointly by the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme of the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It was updated in 2021 under the EU-CoE “HELP in the EU II” project to contain the most recent developments.

The course consists of an introductory module, as well as 4 specific modules addressing the main aspects related to asylum: non-refoulement, the right to life and prohibition of ill-treatment; detention and reception; family life; and effective remedies.

The HELP online course on Asylum and Human Rights is also available in a self-learning format on the HELP e-learning platform to any legal professional interested in the topic. It can be followed in English and French as well as Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Greek, Flemish, Italian, Georgian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, and Turkish. Those who complete it in self-learning mode can obtain an electronic ‘Statement of accomplishment’.

Course brief

Ireland / Online 23 April 20021
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