3-day training in human rights engagement for Kyrgyz state officials
The Danish Institute for Human Rights led a 3-day training on UN human rights mechanisms with a focus on engaging with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Special Procedures and UN Treaty Body individual communications and state party review processes.
The content of the training will have a positive impact on the work of the government, relevant in the current context where civic space is being gradually squeezed...
Building on the Institute’s 20-year collaboration with Kyrgyz state actors, this training brought together officials from key ministries, the courts and law enforcement agencies. It was led by local experts from the OHCHR office in Bishkek and civil society.
“The content of the training will have a positive impact on the work of the government, relevant in the current context where civic space is being gradually squeezed by increasingly restrictive laws in areas such as freedom of expression and association", said Bolot Isakov, DIHR Adviser on ROLPRO 2.
Participants included the Secretariat of the Human Rights Coordination Committee, the Kyrgyz National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting and Follow Up (NMIRF) and officials from the ministries of Justice, Interior, Labour, Social Welfare, Culture, Health and other law enforcement and judicial actors from the General Prosecution Office, Supreme Court and Probation Service.
A cooperative approach to human rights
International organisations tend to offer human rights training to civil society organisations and less attention is paid to capacity building of state bodies...
For many participants, this is the first training they have received on UN human rights mechanisms. As such, participants welcomed the opportunity to discuss how state actors can coordinate more effectively across government and with other stakeholders.
“International organisations tend to offer human rights training to civil society organisations and less attention is paid to capacity building of state bodies. Officials are often ill-informed on how to implement, report and follow up on human rights recommendations", explained Ms. Ainura Osmonalieva, one of the local experts involved in the training.
The training addressed the benefits of Kyrgyzstan being more actively engaged with international human rights mechanisms and the importance of consulting widely with stakeholders within the national human rights system, including civil society, the business community and academia.
This training is part of the current Rule of Law project, Phase 2 (ROLPRO 2), co-funded by the European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Danish Institute for Human Rights has been in Kyrgyzstan for 20 years, working closely with the Ombudsman Institute, Parliamentary Committee, Ministry of Justice and Judiciary as well as with civil society to promote the rule of law, human rights and good governance.