OSCE Mission to Moldova strengthened capacity of lawyers from both banks to address documentation issues
The OSCE Mission supported a workshop strengthening the capacity of fifty legal professionals from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River to provide legal assistance to the population on documentation-related issues. The event took place on 30 November in Chisinau. Varying practices of the documentation process on both banks prevent the population from effectively exercising their rights. Issues related to civil status and documentation are a part of the discussions between Chisinau and Tiraspol within the framework of the settlement process.
During the workshop, the participants exchanged best practices in aiding clients to prove their civil status as well as to obtain identification documents. The lawyers familiarized themselves with a by-law elaborated by the Moldovan Government in 2018 to facilitate the recognition of changes to civil status that occurred in Transdniestria. They also examined recent amendments to the Regulation on Moldovan citizenship, which have simplified the process of acquiring Moldovan citizenship by the residents of Transdniestria.
“This year we have seen positive changes introduced to the legislation that regulates civil status documents. Therefore the topic of the workshop is relevant. Legal professionals from both banks were able to build new contacts and to jointly identify solutions to issues of common interest,” said Vladimir Tarasov, an attorney trainee from Chisinau.
In addition to the November workshop, the Mission conducted four capacity-building events for lawyers this year on the freedom of movement, legal assistance to the victims of domestic violence and tackling discrimination in employment.
These professional workshops have a strong focus on international law and are an offshoot of the Human Rights Club meetings that were organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova from 2013 to 2017. The Human Rights Club meetings served as a communication platform and a confidence-building measure between legal and civil society professionals on both banks of the Dniestr/Nistru River.