A distance-learning course on protection against discrimination for staff members of the Agency for Gender Equality BiH and Gender Centres RS and FBiH, aiming at strengthening their capacity to identify and address the issues of discrimination was launched today in Banja Luka.  The course, developed by the Council of Europe in the framework of the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals – HELP, includes modules on international standards and mechanism in combating and preventing discrimination, including those issues by the CoE monitoring bodies and the European Court of Human Rights.

The European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) supports the Council of Europe member states in implementing the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) at the national level. The HELP methodology and resources are systematically used in all Council of Europe capacity building activities on the ECHR, organised in the beneficiary countries, including within the framework of EU/CoE Joint Programmes.

The kick-off event, to be followed by a meeting in Sarajevo on 9 February 2018, is being organised within the framework of the Action “Strengthening the Human Rights Ombudsman to fight discrimination” – a part of the joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe: “Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey”.