On 11 April 2024 – the same day as the launch of the Council of Europe’s comprehensive response package to the refugee influx in Armenia – about 20 representatives of local communities in Armenia participated in a workshop on Resilience Building Strategies (ReBuS) organised to support communities in developing effective responses to the influx of refugees from Karabakh. This workshop based on the Resilience Building Strategies toolkit developed by the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance, CoE Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, is the first in a series of capacity-development sessions aimed at enhancing the preparedness of local authorities in facing future crises and will be followed by the development and adoption of resilience building strategies at local level.
The Resilience Building Strategies approach is in line with the recent Congress Recommendation 510 (2024) on Local and regional responses to natural disasters and climate hazards: from risk preparedness to resilience, adopted in March 2024.
Council of Europe organised an important initiative under the project "Strengthening Human Rights Safeguards" aimed at empowering civil society organisations (CSOs) from the Karabakh region to enhance their capacities in proposal writing and fundraising. The training session, organised on 1-2 April 2024, specifically tailored for CSOs from the Karabakh region, equipped 20 representatives with essential skills in these areas.
Enhancing institutional capacities will foster CSOs competitiveness within their respective sectors of activity. Participants delved into practical knowledge and skills essential for navigating available opportunities, gaining comprehensive insights into designing project proposals.
Moreover, diverse fundraising methods and approaches were explored, enabling participants to effectively navigate through the complex funding environment.
Furthermore, the workshop facilitated a joint effort in mapping available donors in Armenia, fostering networking opportunities crucial for sustainability and growth.
On 17-18 April, the representatives of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Republic of Moldova carried out a Study Visit to Malta. The activity allowed for an exchange of experience and good practices between the Moldovan delegation and their counterparts from the European Union Agency for Asylum, Judicial Studies Committee and local Maltese NGOs in the field. Study Visit of the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Institute of Justice to Malta - Council of Europe Office in Chisinau (coe.int)
On 25 April, in Chisinau, the Council of Europe and UNHCR conducted a joint workshop on Protection of asylum-seekers, refugees, and migrants under the European and international human rights standards. The aim of the event was to provide a deeper understanding of the Council of Europe standards, with a focus on the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, and the United Nations standards in order to showcase the complementarity of the two systems. The workshop was delivered by two lawyers from the European Court of Human Rights and the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the Court, as well as by the UNHCR experts.
