Înapoi Online needs’ assessment meetings for the EU-Council of Europe joint action ‘Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan’

Online needs’ assessment meetings for the EU-Council of Europe joint action ‘Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan’

The Programme for Good Governance II (PGGII) is a European Union and Council of Europe joint programme in the Eastern Partnership countries. The Council of Europe is currently implementing the joint action ‘Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan’. The action started in July 2020 and will run until December 2021. 

From 7-10 September 2020, a series of online meetings took place between the project team and several stakeholders in Azerbaijan to assess the specific needs of Azerbaijan in the field of violence against women and domestic violence in this inception phase of the action and to find avenues for future co-operation and synergies.

Meetings were held with the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the Academy of Justice, the office of the Ombudsperson, the Faculty of Law at Baku State University, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as other international organisations, including the European Union delegation in Azerbaijan, the UNFPA, the office of the UN resident co-ordinator, and GIZ, and finally, with civil society organisations working the field of women’s rights and violence against women and domestic violence.

 Project information

Azerbaijan 7-10 September 2020
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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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