On 8-9 July 2020, the Council of Europe Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme held its Annual Network Conference “Marking 70 years of the ECHR in critical times”, for the first time in a fully online format. Primarily aimed at Judiciary Schools and Bar Associations throughout the Council of Europe member states and beyond, as well as representatives of partner international organisations, the Conference was also open to everyone interested in the work of the HELP Programme and in the HELP online courses. The e-Conference was held under the auspices of the Greek Presidency of the Committee of Ministers and was opened by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers and the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation to the Council of Europe also addressed the participants. The keynote speech was delivered by the President of the European Court of Human Rights.

On 19 June 2020, ahead of World Refugee Day on 20 June, the Council of Europe launched a HELP/UNHCR free online course on Alternatives to Immigration Detention with the aim of supporting legal and other professionals working on migration. The course is composed of modules exploring: why states should use alternatives to immigration detention, the possible types of alternatives and how to make them effective. The course examines key legal and practical terms and principles, the applicable human rights standards, and the central factors that render alternatives effective in practice. The course is based on the Council of Europe’s CDDH Analysis and Practical Guide on Alternatives to Immigration Detention and it has been produced jointly by the Independent Human Rights Bodies Division and the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme of the Council of Europe. It has been developed under the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Refugee and Migrant Children with the support of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees and in collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).rnatives effective in practice.

Other related HELP courses:

- HELP/UNHCR course on Asylum and the ECHR

- HELP course on Refugee and Migrant Children

- HELP course on the Committee on the Prevention of Torture (CPT) standards, which includes a module on conditions of migration detention centres