Citizens in Prilep and Kumanovo, actively engaged in learning about effective protective mechanisms against discrimination, empowering themselves to foster inclusivity and equality in their local communities. The discussions tackled the legal framework and highlighted key interventions conducted to raise awareness and advocate the protection of the rights of communities in North Macedonia.

These workshops, supported by the joint EU and Council of Europe anti-discrimination action in North Macedonia, were initiated by the Agency for Community Rights Realisation in co-operation with the Commission for Prevention and Protection against Discrimination and reached out citizens, local organisations and people from the local self-government units. Participants exchanged and discussed about the efforts to promote protection of the rights of different ethnic communities that live in North Macedonia. A particular focus was on the work of the Commission for Prevention and Protection against Discrimination to identify and react to cases of discrimination.

The Mayors of Prilep Borche Joveski and the Mayor of Krushevo - Tomi Hristoski joined the workshop in Prilep and shared their commitment to support this initiative, highlighting the importance of working to build equal societies and improve the life of the citizens.

In Kumanovo, Ivana Gjorgievska, the President of the Council of Kumanovo spoke about local initiatives to fight discrimination, including the fact that the sessions of the Council of Kumanovo are held in 4 languages (Macedonian, Albanian, Roma and Serbian language).

The participants discussed the state of play regarding the fight against discrimination in different municipalities and shared important proposals how to further improve the conditions of different ethnic communities when it comes to the protection of human rights. These meetings were joined by representatives from ethnic communities living in Krushevo, Dolneni and Krivogashtani, providing a broader platform for discussion on how to achieve equality in different regions. 

This initiative was organised by the Agency for Community Rights Realisation in co-operation with the Commission for Prevention and Protection against Discrimination, supported by the action on “Combating Hatred and Intolerance in North Macedonia”, part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility III”  programme.