Representatives of the National Institute of Justice participated in the annual HELP Network Conference

During July 3-4, 2025, a delegation of the National Institute of Justice participated in the annual HELP Network Conference and the third meeting of the Eastern Partnership Regional Network of Judicial Training Institutions, held in Strasbourg, France.

The HELP Conference, organized under the auspices of the Maltese Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, brought together representatives of graduate schools from CoE member states as well as development partners of the HELP Programme. The INJ delegation included Ecaterina Popa, head of the Training and Research Directorate, Octavian Bivol, head of the Continuing Education Section, and Olga Marandici, INJ trainer.

The conference provided a framework for the exchange of experience and good practices regarding the integration of HELP courses into national training programs, the digitization of legal training and the strengthening of multilateral cooperation in the field of human rights education. Also, topics were addressed regarding the gender dimension in training, the use of HELP courses in the university environment, as well as the role of training in support of the execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, in the context of the commitments assumed by the Reykjavik Declaration. Special attention was given to the HELP project in Ukraine, including the launch of the course dedicated to the deportation of children during armed conflicts. The agenda of the event also included the presentation of new e-courses ("Mental health and human rights", "Abolition of the death penalty", "Protection of children against sexual exploitation", "Human rights in the context of drug use"), the updating of two existing courses in the fields of non-discrimination and human rights in business, workshops dedicated to the digitization of training, sustainable training and non-legal skills in professional training.

In the afternoon of July 4, INJ representatives participated in the meeting of the Regional Network of Judicial Training Institutions within the project focused on improving women's access to justice and carried out as part of the EU-CoE Joint Program "Partnership for Good Governance, Phase III". The purpose of the event was to discuss the impact of the actions carried out during one year, as well as the priorities for the next period. In this sense, the opportunity to organize, in Chisinau, a regional conference on the role of training institutions in the implementation of the Istanbul Convention was analyzed.

The HELP program is the reference platform of the Council of Europe for professional training in the field of human rights, dedicated to judges, prosecutors and lawyers. It offers 63 e-courses on various topics, translated into more than 40 languages. The National Institute of Justice has adapted 23 of these courses to national legislation, which they provide, with the assistance of national HELP certified tutors, on the ILIAS of INJ and HELP of CoE platforms.