Back Octopus project – CYBERKOP action: 1st Steering Committee Meeting of the Action

Octopus project – CYBERKOP action: 1st Steering Committee Meeting of the Action

CYBERKOP Action of the Octopus Project held its First Steering Committee Meeting on 18 December 2024, in Pristina. The meeting served as a key platform to review progress, share achievements, and plan the next steps in advancing the action’s objectives.

The meeting was officially opened by the representative of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, who highlighted the longstanding cooperation between INL and the Council of Europe, in advancing the rule of law and human rights. INL representative emphasized the significance of the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) highlighting the positive impact of CYBERKOP and expressing support for the continuation of the project in the years to come.

The representatives of the following key domestic institutions participated in the meeting: Ministry of Justice, General, Special and Basic Prosecutor’s Office, Cybercrime Investigation Directorate and Training Department of Police, Academy of Justice, Financial Intelligence Unit, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Regulatory Authority for Electronic and Postal Communication (RAEPC), National Cyber Security Unit (KOS-CERT, and Information and Privacy Agency.

During the meeting, the project team presented the implemented activities and the notable achievements in 2024, including strengthening the domestic legal framework, training activities for judicial and law enforcement authorities; as well as fostering interagency and international cooperation. Additionally, the proposed calendar for activities planned from January to June 2025 was discussed and agreed with the participants.

Furthermore, the participants provided  updates on institutional developments and commended the role of the CYBERKOP Action as a platform for ensuring the internal coordination of the domestic efforts to respond the challenges of cybercrime and electronic evidence.

For the next period the focus of the CYBERKOP Action will be on supporting the implementation of newly drafted legal acts and providing training on investigation of cryptocurrencies and online child abuse.

On the margins of this meeting, a separate session was held with the delegation of the Ministry of Justice and Prosecutor’s Office for discussing the practical benefits of the Second Additional Protocol (2AP) to the Budapest Convention and potential law reforms for the implementation of this instrument, including a stream of activities aimed at aligning the legislation with the provisions of 2AP.

CYBERKOP Action will continue to support domestic institutions in strengthening their response to cybercrime and fostering international cooperation.

Pristina 18 December
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Fifty practitioners to enhance skills in provision of occupational therapy

Following the adoption of the Guidelines for Occupational Therapy (OT), as well as the Training of Trainers (ToT) on OT that took place in January 2024, three 2-day cascade training sessions were organised in the course of February and March 2024.  Fifty professionals, mainly from the Prison Health Department, along with representatives from the Correctional Services, Institute for Forensic Psychiatry, and the Special Institute for Persons with Mental and Physical Disabilities, were trained on this important form of therapy.

To complement the theoretical aspects and provide the trainees with practical knowledge, some of the sessions were conducted in the Dubrava Prison, in a section which houses prisoners with both mental and somatic problems. This on-site training allowed the participants to observe and understand the application of OT principles in a real-life setting, thus enhancing their learning experience by connecting theory and practice.

These cascade training sessions allowed the participants to further improve their skills in applying the OT Guidelines and tools in prisons and other closed institutions, a concept which was thus far not utilised in a structured manner. Furthermore, training healthcare and correctional professionals together helps them further strengthen the inter-institutional cooperation in the treatment and rehabilitation of some of the most vulnerable members of the society.

Each of these sessions were facilitated by two trainers who had participated in the ToT in January and were supervised and mentored by a Council of Europe consultant who has been involved in the process since the very beginning, thus further strengthening institutional capacity to provide training.

The activity was conducted under the auspices of the Council of Europe project “Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty”.

 

 

*All references to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions, or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United National Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Istog/ Istok 26 March 2024
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