On 1 March 2022, the Council of Europe Programme on Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) launched virtual Asylum/Migration HELP e-Desks to assist lawyers from most affected countries dealing with the influx of war refugees from Ukraine, mostly women and children.

The aim of the Asylum/Migration HELP e-Desks are to facilitate access of legal professionals to information and training about effective handling of cases at national level related to refugees and displaced persons, with an immediate focus on refugees from Ukraine.

The National HELP e-Desks contain:

• useful links and practical tips assisting legal professionals dealing with the refugees and displaced persons;
• legal resources, national legal framework and context; the e-Desks are being updated with developments as they emerge at national and European level, especially related to procedures and practices on the EU Temporary Protection Directive (for EU MS) and asylum and resettlement procedures;
• online self-paced training based on HELP courses related to the context (Asylum and Human Rights; Refugee and Migrant Children; Internal Displacement; Combating Trafficking in Human Beings),
• some eDesks have a forum for exchange, moderated by national experts.

The e-Desks were launched in (Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland) and Moldova. In parallel, a similar Asylum/Migration National HELP e-Desk is being developed for Ukraine for those still in the country who need legal information on asylum/migration/displacement issues.

The initative is coordinated with the Migration Committee of the Council of Bars and Law Societies in Europe (CCBE). National HELP e-Desks have also been set up for Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece and Spain and several others are in preparation.