News on combating discrimination
Addressing hate speech in Montenegro: findings from second round of group interviews with civil society organisations, media, and government representative
An open discussion and group interviews involving various stakeholders among which civil society organisations, media, and government representative, took place in Podgorica on 15 March. As a follow up of the first round held in October 2023, this round of interviews has expanded the number of...
Lawyers and legal professionals complete the HELP course on Combating Hate Speech and Hate Crime in Macedonian Language
43 lawyers and legal professionals from North Macedonia successfully completed the HELP course on combating hate speech and hate crime in Macedonian language. The translated HELP course in Macedonian language on combating hate speech and hate crime was launched for the first time last year in...
Schools and pedagogical institutions working together on establishing resource centers for democratic school culture
The final joint capacity building session for representatives of pedagogical institutions and pilot schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) who are part of the first cycle of the development of resource centers for democratic school culture took place on 29 February 2024 in Banja Luka. The...
MEDIA ADVISORY: Attitudes of citizens and of representatives of public authorities towards discrimination in Serbia in focus of an event on Wednesday in Belgrade
Presentation of the reports “Attitudes of citizens towards discrimination in Serbia” and “Attitudes of the representatives of public authorities towards discrimination in Serbia”, prepared with the support of the joint European Union and the Council of Europe action "Combating discrimination and...
Advancing regional co-operation to bring forward equality reforms for the protection of LGBTI community
A regional peer exchange on tackling equality reforms and focusing on the protection of LGBTI persons, took place in Podgorica, Montenegro. Following the regional LGBTI conference on “Addressing the rising anti-gender movement” organised in Pristina“ in November 2023, the two-day event organised...
Call for applications for grants to support activities on combating hate speech in North Macedonia
Within the framework of the joint European Union/Council of Europe Horizontal Facility programme and its action on “Combating Hatred and Intolerance in North Macedonia”, the Council of Europe is launching a call for applications for grants scheme “Support to local self-governments and/or CSOs...
Assisting the Government of Montenegro in assessing the effectiveness of the 2019-2023 LGBTI Strategy
The report on the Montenegro's LGBTI National Strategy 2019-2023 was presented at the Europe House in Podgorica on 5 March 2024. The presentation took place at the presence of representatives from national authorities, including the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, the Ombudsperson, the...
Strengthening ties with the LGBTI community in Serbia: facilitating cohesion among civil society organisations
The preliminary findings of surveys on the attitudes of citizens and representatives of public authorities towards LGBTI persons, run in co-operation of the European Union and the Council of Europe with the Commissioner for the protection of equality (CPE), were presented to representatives of...
Increasing awareness on gender equality on International Women’s Day
The joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Fostering women's access to justice in Türkiye” contributed to the “Conference on Women’s Human Rights” organised at the Ankara University Faculty of Law in co-operation with several universities. Women in family law, women’s physical...
Towards better identification of victims of human trafficking: workshop on conducting forensic interviews held in Serbia
A workshop on conducting forensic interviews with presumed victims of trafficking in human beings for the staff of the Centre for Human Trafficking Victims’ Protection (Centre) was organised on 5-6 March 2024 in Vrdnik, Serbia. The participants upgraded their knowledge on how to better...
Schools are a driving force for democracy, concluded educators from the Western Balkans region
In an effort to foster democratic education across the region, educators from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia gathered at the conference "Schools as driving force for democracy" held under the joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Quality education for...
The State Commission on Compensation for Victims of Violent Crimes constituted in North Macedonia
The State Commission on Compensation for Victims of Violent Crimes was established in North Macedonia aiming to support victims of violent crimes including victims of trafficking in human beings by awarding a state compensation of up to 5,000 euro for the injustice suffered. This constitutes an...
MEDIA ADVISORY: Schools as driving force for democracy: conference in Herceg Novi on Tuesday
The regional conference „Schools as a driving force for democracy” organised as part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe action "Quality education for all", will be held on 5 and 6 March 2024, starting from 09:30 in Herceg Novi. The opening remarks will be given by: Anđela Jakšić-...
Supporting inclusive education, combating hate speech, and ensuring improved health and social services for Roma community in North Macedonia
A workshop for community facilitators from 15 municipalities in North Macedonia was organised in Skopje with the objective to increase their skills and capacities in their daily work with the vulnerable communities. This initiative supported by the EU and Council of Europe transferred valuable...
Nis në Shqipëri java “Thuaj Jo Diskriminimit'
Projekti i përbashkët i Bashkimit Evropian dhe Këshillit të Evropës “Fuqizimi i mbrojtjes nga diskriminimi në Shqipëri” po mbështet aktivitetet në kuadër të “Javës kundër Diskriminimit”, një nismë e Komisionerit për Mbrojtjen nga Diskriminimi. Nën sloganin “Thuaj Jo diskriminimit!”, një sërë...
Representatives from Serbian and European universities met to discuss how to integrate competences for democratic culture into higher education programmes
A pivotal expert meeting took place on 21-22 February in Belgrade as part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Quality education for all”, focusing on further improving educational standards in Serbia. The event, specifically targeting higher education institutions, focused...
Addressing challenges of combating technology- facilitated human trafficking in Serbia
The criminal landscape of trafficking in human beings has significantly changed with the increasing availability of technology and access to the Internet and social media. Traffickers use technology for recruiting, exploiting, and controlling victims, without being near to the place where the...
Anti-trafficking actors in North Macedonia increase their capacities to prevent and combat human trafficking for labour exploitation
The crime of human trafficking for labour exploitation remains largely under detected, which in turn deprives its victims from protecting their rights under the European Convention on action against trafficking in human beings. The inter-institutional co-operation of the anti-trafficking actors...
Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture included in the Rulebook in Serbia
The authorities of Serbia have developed and introduced a new Rulebook on performing socially useful work, (i.e. humanitarian) in educational institutions. It details the conditions, methodology, content and other matters of importance for this type of work in education and training institutions...
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Council of Ministers ensures its commitment to quality education for all
Authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) continue to support the implementation of the Policy Recommendations with a Roadmap for Improving Inclusive Education developed jointly by relevant ministries at state level, entity ministries of education and 10 cantonal ministries of education in...