Framework for Cooperation with the Russian Federation for 2007 and beyond

The present document has been developed in consultation with State agencies and bodies, national institutions and civil society. In the Russian Federation, the Office of the High Commissioner will work in close cooperation with national partners, who will assume the ownership for relevant projects, as well as with United Nations agencies and programmes.

I. The Rule of Law

1.  Human rights network of judges

Facilitating the establishment of a network of judges who would like to develop advanced expertise in human rights. The purpose of this project is to provide participating judges with information on developments in international human rights law, international mechanisms of human rights protection, and the evolving jurisprudence applying substantive and procedural human rights. The network should also enable participating judges to learn about their colleagues’ experience and exchange information on good practices. It will be supported by an electronic communication site and good practices workshops. The project will be launched in selected regions of the Russian Federation and may be expanded later on. This initiative is perceived by the OHCHR as a pilot project, lessons from which might be applied in other countries. The same or similar concept may be applied to the Prokuratura and law enforcement agencies, as appropriate.

• Beneficiaries: the Supreme Court, which will benefit from analytical materials resulting from the activities of the network; judges belonging to the network, who will benefit from access to the interactive forum, workshops, and printed materials; and other stakeholders by having access to the information on the website.

2.  Promotion of administrative justice

Facilitating the organization of an international seminar on the role of administrative justice in the protection of human rights.

• Beneficiaries: the international community, benefiting from the findings of the seminar, relevant State agencies and their officials, and persons affected by the action of State administration,

3.  Promotion of human rights among judges, prosecutors, lawyers and law enforcement officials: a promotional activity in selected regions

• Upgrading human rights expertise of the judiciary, the Prokuratura, and law enforcement agencies,
• Exploration of enhancing the role of videotaping of interrogations as a preemptive measure – a pilot project to gather good practices.
  
• Beneficiaries: relevant State agencies and their officials, and indirectly persons affected by State agencies’ action.

4.  Promotion of women’s rights and combating violence against women

Integrating the gender dimension into the rule of law programme.

• Beneficiaries: relevant State agencies and their officials, in particular within the area of the administration of justice, civil society, and indirectly victims of gender-based discrimination and violence.

5.  Juvenile justice and promoting child rights

Support to the efforts aimed at strengthening administration of justice for children/minors, including juvenile offenders, in accordance with recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

• Beneficiaries: relevant practitioners and other stakeholders involved in dealing with children and minors, as well as the affected children and minors.

II. Promotion of Equality and Tolerance

1.  Coordinated and cross-sectoral programmes to promote tolerance and counter the most acute manifestations of racism

Facilitating the development of coordinated plans aimed at strengthening national efforts to combat the most acute manifestations of racial and xenophobic attitudes, focusing on problems identified by the Plenipotentiary Commissioner of the Russian Federation for Human Rights and UN mechanisms.

Facilitating an intercultural dialogue and education with the involvement of civil society organizations.

Protection of the human rights of victims of racially and xenophobic motivated violence, including through the promotion of human rights aspects of investigating and prosecuting racially motivated acts of violence.

• Beneficiaries: relevant State agencies and their officials, civil society, and indirectly persons affected by racially or xenophobic motivated acts of discrimination and/or violence.

2.  Protection of the rights of indigenous peoples

Contribution to efforts to strengthen the capacity of indigenous communities to promote and protect their rights, including through the indigenous fellowship programme that enhances the knowledge of the indigenous on their human rights and the work of relevant United Nations agencies and programmes.

Establishment of a partnership with an academic institution for the support of the international fellowship programme.

• Beneficiaries: indigenous peoples, academic institutions involved, and indirectly relevant State agencies and their officials, civil society.

3.  Protection of the rights of persons with disabilities

Follow-up to the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, with a special focus on the promotion of the ratification of the Convention and its Optional Protocol, and the elaboration of a substantive road map leading up to the ratification.

• Beneficiaries: relevant State agencies, civil society, in particular organizations of persons with disabilities, and persons with disabilities.

4.  Human rights aspects of HIV/AIDS

Contribution of human rights input to the efforts of UNAIDS to promote tolerance, address stigma and discrimination related to HIV/AIDS, with a special focus on universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support based on the principles of equality and non-discrimination, and on implementation of relevant regulations by administration of justice.

• Beneficiaries: persons affected by HIV/AIDS, relevant State agencies and their officials, and civil society.

III.  Human Rights Education and Information

1.  Education of human rights professionals

Establishment of a human rights masters programme at a leading academic institution in cooperation with one of the foreign academic programmes specialized in this area and possibly with UNESCO. The graduates of the programme, trained in human rights at a high academic level and having certified specialization in this area, will primarily find employment in State agencies, schools, civil society organizations, and international organizations and missions.

Facilitating the establishment of a masters programme at one of the leading universities, which may expand through cooperative arrangements with other academic institutions.

• Beneficiaries: the host university or institute, its partners and participating students, State agencies, the school system, civil society, and the programme’s international partners.

2.  Dissemination of knowledge of international mechanisms and procedures

Regular update on international law and procedures for the human rights constituency in the Russian Federation. The focus will be on the dissemination of information (international sources of law and jurisprudence, and other relevant UN information). It will endeavour to make available international documents in Russian through the OHCHR Russian website and the UNIC network.

• Beneficiaries: State agencies, academic institutions and the school system, civil society, UN agencies and other international partners .

IV. Mainstreaming human rights within the United Nations Country Team (UNCT)

Assisting UN agencies acting in the Russian Federation in mainstreaming human rights into their programmes.

Promotion of the rights based approach within the UNCT, its implementing partners and cooperating governmental agencies, in particular planning units, including training in analysis and programming.

Training programmes for UNCT staff on UN human rights mechanisms and procedures.