Înapoi Strengthening police and civil society collaboration to combat racism in the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries

Strengthening police and civil society collaboration to combat racism in the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries

In continuation of the joint efforts put in place by the European Union and the Council of Europe to enhance cross-regional collaboration to combat racism in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership countries, a peer-to-peer exchange was organised in Skopje.

This training brought together law enforcement officers and representatives from civil society organisations (CSOs) in Armenia, Georgia, North Macedonia, and Serbia, aiming to improve their co-operation in safeguarding the most vulnerable groups experiencing racism and discrimination in each of the above-mentioned countries. David Martín Abánades, local police inspector from Spain and Council of Europe expert on hate crimes, racial / ethnic profiling, and improvement of relations between police and vulnerable social groups, held the training. This training was supported by experts from CSOs from Serbia and North Macedonia.

The training session followed-up of the three-days training workshop on addressing racism “Police operating in diverse societies”, organised in Strasbourg, in October 2023, and the publication of the Council of Europe manuals on Police Manual on Equality and Non-discrimination adapted in local languages.

Quality training is key to cultivating informed, skilled, and accountable police services that are equipped to support and protect societies in all their diversity and complexity, and to challenge and prevent racism, racial discrimination and all other forms of discrimination and intolerance. The exercises and activities in this manual are grounded in key Council of Europe norms and standards and aim to give them practical life in ways that inspire trainers and their participants. This manual is for police officers at all levels, including police leadership, first responders, investigators, pre-service personnel, specialists, and relevant civilian staff. Additionally, participants had the chance to participate in a field visit and engage in practical exchanges with North Macedonian law enforcement.

 Find more information about the work of the Partnership for Good Governance to promote equality and non-discrimination 

This event is organised in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and “Combating Hatred and Intolerance in North Macedonia” actions, implemented under the joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”; the “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” and “Promoting equality and non-discrimination in Armenia” projects, implemented in the framework of the “Partnership for Good Governance” programme; and in co-operation with the Council of Europe project “Enhancing Equality and Non-Discrimination in Georgia”.

Skopje, North Macedonia 19-21 June 2024
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Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
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Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of Equality Bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region

A two-day workshop on addressing hate speech and hate crime took place at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, involving Equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions.  The event supported by the EU and Council of Europe, gathered 50 representatives from both regions who discussed and exchanged on the best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy, raising awareness and supporting victims equality bodies play a fundamental role in protecting human rights and ensuring that all individuals are treated equally.

In her opening remarks, Angela Longo, Head of Anti-discrimination Co-operation Unit, Council of Europe, underlined the significant progress in engaging with Equality Bodies through this network, regularly exchanging best practices and addressing the challenges of hatred and intolerance in societies. She highlighted that this new chapter of discussion delves into the grey area between hate speech and hate crime, addressing issues of incitement and biases,

Representatives from Equality Bodies had the opportunity to discuss and enhance their knowledge on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation to member States on combating hate crime, adopted on 7th May 2024, as well as gain a clearer understanding of EU standards in the field of hate crime. Moreover, participants engaged in exchanges with peers from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE), who shared insights on addressing hate speech in the public discourse. The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) in Italy provided practical examples for developing counter-narratives and raising awareness initiatives.

They also explored opportunities to advocate for legislative reform, foster multisectoral co-operation, enhance data collection, and overall improve national mechanisms to counter hate crimes.

This seminar was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe  under the joint Programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

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