Azernews.Az

A two-day OSCE-supported workshop on strengthening the legal profession and improved access to justice started on Wednesday.

The OSCE Office in Baku, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Human Rights Institute of Azerbaijan’s National Academy of Science organized this event, which brings together representatives from the government, Bar Association, as well as national and international experts.

The participants will discuss the role of bar associations in promoting effective legal representation and ensuring equal opportunities for parties in court proceedings, as well as admission to the legal profession and legal education and training. They will also identify possible ways for strengthening the profession in Azerbaijan’s legal framework, and examine good practices in effective legal representation, education and the development of legal aid systems in other OSCE countries.

Ambassador Koray Targay, the Head of the OSCE Office in Baku, said in his opening speech: "The main purpose of today’s event is to jointly identify effective ways of improving access of qualified lawyers to the Bar Association, as well as establishing a functional legal aid system able to fully ensure the delivery of defence services to low-income groups."

"The OSCE Office in Baku in co-operation with the Bar Association has been supporting the work of defence lawyers in Azerbaijan through training activities and facilitating exchanges of expertise and good practices within the OSCE region," he said.

Justice Minister Fikret Mammadov, the Chairperson of the Bar Association Azer Taghiyev and Chingiz Askarov representing the Presidential Administration will attend the conference.