News on combating discrimination
Study on preventing child trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation, begging and forced marriages in North Macedonia reveals factual situation and trends
According to the 2023 third evaluation report on North Macedonia of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking of the Council of Europe, most of the trafficking victims are children. Although most of the trafficked children were subjected to sexual exploitation, child trafficking for the...
Call for Applications: Intercultural Cities - invitation for the participation of towns and municipalities in Serbia to promote diversity and tolerance at local level
Within the action "Combating discrimination and promoting diversity in Serbia", part of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye", we are inviting local self-government units to apply for the new initiative to...
Empowering mental health professionals on LGBTIQ counselling approach in Bosnia and Herzegovina
As part of the "Empower and Embrace" project, supported by EU and Council of Europe, the Centre for Psychological Support Sensus concluded the capacity building initiative on "Gender, Identity, and Sexuality" in Mostar and Foča, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 17 mental health professionals had the...
Improving the monitoring of detention places in the context of migration in Türkiye
The "Guidelines for Monitoring of Detention Places" for the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye (HREIT) have been completed and published with the expert support of the European Union's and Council of Europe's joint action "Strengthening Human Rights Protection in the Context of...
Combating Hate Speech and Discrimination through Education in the Municipality of Ilijaš
In the efforts to address hate speech and fight discrimination in the local communities of Ilijas in Bosnia and Herzegovina the initiative “Countering hate speech in the Municipality of Ilijaš” was successfully concluded. This initiative supported by the European Union and the Council of Europe...
European Commission against Racism аnd Intolerance Recommendation on preventing and combating intolerance and discrimination against LGBTI persons, available in Macedonian
European Commission against Racism and Intolerance’s (ECRI) General Policy Recommendation No.17 on preventing and combating intolerance and discrimination against LGBTI persons is now available in Macedonian language! Published in September 2023, the document recognises the continuing challenges...
Promoting a culture of dialogue in Banja Luka, to prevent hate speech on the internet
The City of Banja Luka hosted on 9 to 10 July a capacity building activity dedicated to the important topic of preventing hate speech on the internet and promoting a positive use of social media. The event organised with the support of EU and Council of Europe brought together 35 participants...
European Union and Council of Europe support civil society to empower women in Türkiye
The joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Fostering women's access to justice in Türkiye” is supporting the capacities of civil society organisations through a grant scheme. Grants were awarded to three civil society organisations, namely Hayat Sende Gençlik Akademisi Derneği (Hayat...
Participation of the Young European Ambassadors in the International Youth Seminar and Policy Symposium on Active Political Participation of National Minority Youth
Supported by the European Union and the Council of Europe and organised by the Council of Europe Youth Department in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary and the National Youth Council of Hungary, the International Youth Seminar and Policy Symposium on Active...
Call for tenders: Purchase of the communication services relating to the social media awareness raising initiative on discrimination in digital settings and inclusive education in Montenegro
Within the framework of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, the Council of Europe is currently implementing the action “Quality education for all in Montenegro”. In that context, it is looking for a Provider for the...
Fighting 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...
Addressing racism and racial discrimination in the context of the EU accession process in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership region
The Council of Europe in Strasbourg welcomed during 3-4 July a two-day conference, focusing on tackling racism and racial discrimination in the context of the EU accession process. The conference, supported by EU and Council of Europe titled "Addressing racism and racial discrimination in the...
First round of training for civil servants of Bosnia and Herzegovina to recognise and tackle hate speech
The Civil Service Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe, organised on the mountain Jahorina the first training for 26 civil servants on recognising and responding to cases of hate speech. This training, that took place on 8 and 9 July...
Teachers take first steps to become certified trainers on the Competences for democratic culture
Ten teachers from primary and secondary schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) participated in the Training of trainers for teachers from Resource centers organised within the joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Quality education for all” from 2 to 4 July. This group of teachers who...
Anti-trafficking partners and beneficiaries confirm their co-operation to advance the fight against trafficking in North Macedonia
The third multi-agency Steering Committee meeting of the action “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in North Macedonia” was held in Skopje. Representatives from the EU Delegation, the Ministry of Social Protection, Demography and Youth, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
Members of the Advisory Board call for further implementation of the Roadmap for improvement of inclusive education in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The third meeting of the Advisory Board of the joint European Union (EU) and Council of Europe action "Quality education for all" in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) took place online on the 1 July 2024. The meeting was opened by Adnan Husić, Assistant Minister from the Ministry of Civil Affairs of...
Fuqizimi i sistemit të drejtësisë për të trajtuar format e rënda të diskriminimit: Nisja e kursit HELP për krimin e urrejtjes për profesionistët ligjorë shqiptarë
Kursi HELP (Edukim ligjor për të Drejtat e Njeriut për Profesionistët e së drejtës) për Krimet e Urrejtjes, i krijuar posaçërisht për gjyqtarët, prokurorët dhe punonjësit e policisë në Shqipëri, u prezantua në Tiranë më 28 qershor. Kjy aktivitet, i mbështetur nga Bashkimi Evropian dhe Këshilli i...
Conference on “Human rights and migration in the context of natural disasters and emergency situations” held in Ankara
An international conference on “Human rights and migration in the context of natural disasters and emergency situations” was held in Ankara on 11-12 June 2024. The two-day conference was organised within the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe joint action “Strengthening the human...
Law enforcement and civil society organisations from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership region together on combating racism and hate speech in Skopje
In continuation of the joint efforts put in place by the European Union and the Council of Europe to enhance cross-regional collaboration in combating racism in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership countries, a peer-to-peer exchange was organised in Skopje, from 19th to 21st of June....
Marking the no-hate speech day in Serbia: addressing the root causes by promoting dialogue and tolerance
“Hate speech undermines the very foundations of democracy and violates all norms of civilisation. Its damage is much greater than we can imagine, and we must not forget how short the response path of hatred, aggressive communication and open threats to physical violence is”, said Brankica...