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Launch of the EU Twinning Project
EU Twinning Project “Implementation of the best European practices with the aim of strengthening the institutional capacity of the Apparatus of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights to protect human rights and freedoms (Apparatus)” was launched last Friday, 3rd of February.
The goal of this EU Twinning Project is to ensure the effective prevention and response to violations of human rights by strengthening the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) institution as an efficient mechanism of parliamentary control over the observance of human rights and freedoms at the national level, taking into account the best European practices. The Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights is the main beneficiary of this Twinning Project.
Opening Ceremony, bringing together Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Austrian project partners, marked a launch of the Twinning Project. This event was opened by H.E. Hugues Mingarelli, Ambassador of the European Union and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, H.E. Marius Janukonis, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine, H.E. Hermine Poppeller, Ambassador of Austria to Ukraine, Ms. Valeriya Lutkovska, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights and Mr. Augustinas Normantas, Head of the Seimas Ombudsmen's Office of the Republic of Lithuania. Ms. Milda Vainiutė, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania and Mr. Dainius Žalimas, President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania shared best Lithuanian and EU practices in the human rights protection area at the Opening Ceremony of the Project.
“The project aimed at building capacities of the most critical institution in democratic societies serves as a bridge between people and authorities and also seeks to forge the ties between local entities for a common goal”– stated in his speech during the opening ceremony Mr. Augustinas Normantas, Head of the Seimas Ombudsmen's Office of the Republic of Lithuania.
While H.E. Ambassador Hugues Mingarelli pointed out, that "'Strengthening capacity' will not mean only sharing best practices or improving the methodologies and training of the officials, but making sure that rule of law and protection of the related rights will become an integral part of a common understanding in society of what a modern European state is about".
The Project will be implemented by the Seimas Ombudsmen’s Office of the Republic of Lithuania, the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson (Republic of Lithuania), the State Data Protection Inspectorate (Republic of Lithuania), the Law Institute of Lithuania, Vilnius University (Republic of Lithuania), the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (Austria) and the Central Project Management Agency (Republic of Lithuania). The two-year project budget is EUR 1.5 million financed by the European Union.
Source: The Seimas Ombudsmen's Office of the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuania
