BackOn 16-18 of October, a three-day training for trainers on the governance and oversight mechanisms in the security sector was conducted for the Human Rights Defender’s Office of Armenia.
The training is the first event implemented in the framework of the new OSCE-Armenia cooperation within the project on Strengthening security sector governance.
In his opening speech, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, stated, “the democratic oversight of the security sector plays an important role in human rights protection and promotion, and is one of the priorities of my activities.” He also highly valued the implementation of similar trainings, stressing that they contribute to the capacity building of the Defender’s representatives and may be beneficial for the perspective of addressing the issues in the field more effectively.
The training was conducted by Sasha Yankovic, the first Ombudsman of the Republic of Serbia, and Susan Atkins, the first Service Complaints Commissioner of the United Kingdom.
During the training, the international standards for the oversight of the security sector, the peculiarities of investigating and monitoring human rights violations in the security sector bodies, as well as in the army, were examined, other issues in the field were also discussed. The Human Rights Defender’s role in the process of improving governance of the security sector was specifically highlighted, whose oversight mandate significantly contribute to promoting human rights in the field.
The Defender’s representatives were presented with the principles and best international practice of planning and implementing monitoring visits, private interviews, fact-finding missions. The necessity of good governance from the perspective of ensuring and promoting human rights in armed forces was also highlighted, during which an individual approach towards each serviceman should be ensured. During the training, reference was also made to the skills of data analysis and professional reports preparation with respect to the security sector.
After the training, the Human Rights Defender’s representatives will have the capacity to conduct trainings for the competent and interested persons of the field based on the obtained knowledge and skills.
Source: Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia
