The conference, which was organized in the framework of the “International Law In Advocacy” program, became a platform for the exchange of experience of work with the Covenant and for discussing challenges, achievements and prospects.
The experts made presentations on the experience of work with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania.
Liudmila Ulyashyna, Manager of the “International Law In Advocacy” program, proposed to the participants of the conference to look at the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in the national legal systems in the light of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). This information is especially important for the Belarusian human rights community, as in May 2015 Belarus went through the second cycle of the UPR procedure.
In his report, Aleh Hulak, chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, analyzed the difficulties and problems that exist in the national legal system of Belarus. He talked about the Interagency Human Rights Action Plan as well. Such plan was developed for the first time in the entire history of Belarus, it contains a number of measures aimed at improving the human rights situation in the country. For the period from 2016 to 2019 year the Plan names the steps to implement the recommendations adopted in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review procedure of the UN Human Rights Council. In this regard, within the framework of the conference it was decided that there is a need to also hold such a conference in Belarus, which will be one of the steps in the implementation of the Interagency Human Rights Action Plan. Aleh Hulak also stressed that it is important that human rights defenders seek publicity of discussions and reports on the Plan.
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“International Law In Advocacy” is a Human Rights House Network program for lawyers and human rights defenders. The program was launched by several members of the HRH Network with the purpose to equip lawyers and human rights defenders with international instruments of human rights protection, to promote implementation of the human rights law international standards in national practice, and also to ensure better protection for human rights defenders and victims of human rights violations.This program is a part of the strategic Human Rights House Network program on capacity building and knowledge exchange; and it is aimed at deepening the knowledge and skills of lawyers in the international protection of human rights.In the framework of the program there are two projects:
Bring International Standards Home (BISH)
Electronic Human Rights Education for Lawyers (EHREL)
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