The Council of Europe conducted the second session of Initial Training Program in Sarajevo on 14 -15 May 2024 and in Banjaluka on 13-14 May 2024 for 59 newly appointed judges and prosecutors. This training was organised in collaboration with the Judicial and Prosecutorial Training Centres of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS).

The sessions followed the Human Rights Training Curriculum for Initial and Continuous Training of Judges and Prosecutors. This curriculum, comprising 12 modules, integrates online learning via the Council of Europe HELP platform with in-person sessions that use specialized adult learning methodologies focused on enhancing knowledge and presentation skills. While primarily designed for the initial training of legal associates and newly appointed judicial office holders, the curriculum is also applicable for continuous training.

During the second session, the focus was on two modules: Advanced Principles of Interpretation of the European Court of Human Rights and Procedural Human Rights. The effectiveness of the training was evaluated using the Council of Europe’s Methodology for Evaluation of Human Rights Training, which is embedded in the curriculum.

The training was delivered by experienced trainers from the Council of Europe, alongside trained trainers who had successfully completed comprehensive train-the-trainers programs.

The activities were carried out within the project: “Support to a coherent national implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and facilitating execution of ECtHR judgments in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, funded by the Council of Europe Action Plan for BiH 2022-2025.