On November 20-21, 2024, the representatives of the National Institute of Justice participated in the Evaluation meeting and exchange of best practices between legal professionals from the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans. The event took place in Tirana, Albania, as part of the joint program of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Partnership for Good Governance" in the framework of the regional project "Women's Access to Justice - Implementing CoE Standards on Gender Equality and Violence against Women".
The meeting provided a good platform for the exchange of experiences and initiatives in the implementation of the Council of Europe Mentoring Program for Legal Professionals. The delegation of the National Institute of Justice shared the results achieved by the three generations of mentors (2019, 2022, 2023). Thus, two HELP e-courses "Women's access to justice" and "Violence against women and domestic violence" were adapted to the national legal order and institutionalized, public lectures and information and awareness-raising campaigns were organized to promote the principle of equality, including through the prism of the Istanbul Convention. At the same time, the beneficiaries of the National Institute of Justice had the opportunity to follow the Mentoring Program according to a guide designed to enhance the continuous learning of justice sector practitioners, especially judges and prosecutors.
At the meeting were also discussed the opportunities and risks for gender equality in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the judiciary, AI tools to support the mentoring process for legal professionals, and the establishment of a cooperation network between judicial schools.
The delegation of the National Institute of Justice also had the opportunity to visit the School of Magistrates in Tirana and to familiarize themselves with the processes of initial and continuous training of Albanian judges and prosecutors.
