Environment and Human Rights: Mentoring within the HELP Programme
In October and November 2025, a Council of Europe HELP course was delivered for staff of the Protector of Citizens and legal advisers of environmental organisations.
As a mentor, Prof. Dr Mirjana Drenovak-Ivanović supported participants through four modules on the relationship between human rights, environmental protection and climate change, international and European standards, recent ECtHR case law and a human-rights-based approach to environmental protection.
The programme also addressed business responsibility for environmental and human-rights impacts. The course formed part of the Council of Europe regional project “Human Rights and Sustainable Environment in South-East Europe” and an EU-supported project implemented in Serbia.
Combining online modules with mentoring enabled participants to apply European standards to issues encountered in the work of institutions and civil-society organisations. The course connected states’ positive obligations, procedural rights and corporate responsibility. The activity extended the reach of JMC EECL themes beyond university teaching to the professional development of legal advisers and staff of an independent institution.