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A training on the topic: ““Promoting Human Rights in Hostile Environments”, and attended by 14 representatives of the civil society from the Transnistrian region was organized on 8-9 June in Chisinau.

The event focused specifically on the approach of the verticality of human rights in the context of developing local initiatives in relation to state institutions, identifying mechanisms to protect human rights, and their positioning in relation to the social realities in the region.

The event was opened by Ion Manole, Executive Director of the Promo-LEX Association, who emphasized the importance and need to organize such activities, especially in conflict areas. “The involvement of the civil society in promoting human rights is not only a value in the development of a democratic society, but also the duty of every citizen” Mr. Manole added.

The trainers of the seminar: Dmitry Makarov (Russian Federation) and Vladimir Senko (Ukraine), human rights experts from the Youth Human Rights Movement (YHRM), focused on the use of practical methods regarding procedures and mechanisms of defending human rights at a local, national and international level. Examining the legal framework for the promotion of citizens’ rights allowed to identify certain risks faced by the community, and to develop recommendations for advancing civil society institutions in the region.

The organized group activities, where participants talked about social issues in the region, had a special role in the structure of the seminar. “Organizing joint civic actions could significantly impact the institutional development of civic associations and help increase their credibility among the local communities,” the participants noted.

For their part, the experts stressed that those in power must serve the people, and when human rights are violated, international legal mechanisms and procedures should be used to ensure their observance. “The concept of human rights must be learned, developed and applied in the Transnistrian region in a context of emerging hostile conditions,” concluded the experts.

The participants at the seminar hailed the organization of such activities, especially in the Transnistrian region, where this is a topic of current interest for legal advisers, NGOs, defense lawyers and activists. Inviting experts who effectively combined theoretical material with practical activities, while sharing their personal experience in different situations, was also deemed appropriate for identifying ways to promote human rights at the local level.

For some participants, however, the idea of placing human rights in the formula of the vertical state-person relation, without affecting individual relationships between members of society, remains poorly understood.

For this reason, some participants noted, a reiteration of the concept of human rights would not only benefit lawyers, who probably understand this idea, but also other members of the society; teaching human rights in schools by properly qualified staff remains a subject of great current interest as the future belongs to the young generation.

The training was organized as part of the project “Promoting Human Rights and Strengthening Civil Society in the Transnistrian Region of Moldova”, carried out with the financial support of the National Endowment for Democracy.

For more information, please contact:
Victoria Căpătici,Project Coordinator,
Tel: (022) 44-96-26, Fax: 45-00-24