Project Summary:

The overall objective of the project is to improve human rights protection and rule of law through strengthening institutional capacities of key actors with a mandate in human rights, criminal justice, governance and anti-corruption, to better perform their core functions, and mainstreaming human rights based approach, equality, gender issues and inclusion in their daily work.

Objectives:

• Strengthening capacities of the human rights, equality, governance and anti-corruption public institutions in performing their key functions;
• Strengthening capacities of the National Institute of Justice in terms of provision of high quality human rights focused training for the justice sector professionals.

Expected results:

• 45 persons from targeted national institutions completed the training programme focused on improving human rights knowledge and better management skills;
• 10 initiatives/micro-projects on human rights changes, submitted by the national institutions funded by the Project;
• Human rights standards are mainstreamed through the revised National Institute of Justice (NIJ)’s training curricula for judges and prosecutors;
• Strengthened NIJ capacities to provide access to eLearning/distance learning content;
• Internet-based technologies integrated with NIJ’s admission and training processes;
• NIJ’s activity and procedures certified in line with ISO standards.

Accomplishments:

• Training needs assessment of national institutions with a human rights mandate conducted, needs of staff members clustered in eight modules focus on human rights and management skills;
• 55 public officials (44 women, 11 men) completed the training programme on human rights and management;
• 14 human rights initiatives/projects on human rights changes, initiated by the participating national institutions, successfully completed with project’s support;
• Premises for joint training and interaction of national institutions redesigned and equipped to display an inviting and user-friendly environment;
• Assessment on human rights mainstreaming in the NIJ’ training programme conducted, measures to integrate human rights dimension in NIJ’s training processes undertaken (e.g., a separate pool of human rights tests included in the admission e-test, human rights is a distinctive cross-cutting issue in the complex simulation/mock trial cases, developed with Project’s support for skills/practice oriented training of future judges and prosecutors);
• 80 NIJ trainees admitted in 2017 and 2018 are practicing the new mock-trial/simulation methodology, developed with project’s support. The mock-trial exercises represent more than 50% of the entire training process;
• Increased accessibility of NIJ physical and informational infrastructure (access ramps, stair lift, accessible toilets, accessible website) ensured;
• e-Tools (e-application, computer-based testing, codification of users, automated random distribution of case studies, e-registers, etc.) introduced and applied at the NIJ to foster transparent, merit-based and qualitative admission, training and graduation processes;
• A new computer class room with 36 working spaces to provide access to on-line learning content and e-learning tools established;
• Three e-Learning courses developed and introduced in the NIJ initial training programme;
• NIJ’s Strategic Development Plan for 2017-2020, developed with project support, approved and put in practice;
• NIJ is certified in line with the three international standards: ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management Systems – Requirements), ISO 21001:2018 (Educational organizations – management systems for educational organizations), SM ISO 29990:2016 (Learning services for non-formal education and training – Basic requirements for service providers).