News
Advancing co-operation in combating hate speech, sexism and other forms of gender-based violence ahead of the presidential election
A round-table organised by the Council of Europe and the European Union in partnership with the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova and UN Women, gathered over 50 participants representing political parties, media, national and local authorities, civil society, as well as...
The European Union and the Council of Europe continue supporting domestic reforms in Georgia through the Partnership for Good Governance
The European Union and the Council of Europe met with representatives from national authorities and beneficiary institutions during the Local Steering Committee of the Partnership for Good Governance. Participants took stock of the programme results achieved in 2023. They exchanged views on...
Personal data protection in constitutional jurisdiction: tailored activities
Two events dedicated to personal data protection in constitutional jurisdiction, were organised on 22 and 23 April 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine in the framework of the EU/Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance. The Round table held on 22 April focused on personal data protection in the case...
Preliminary examination of individual constitutional complaints: working group discussion
On 19 April 2024, a working group brought together staff of the Secretariat of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine to discuss the content and scope of the preliminary examination of applications to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (filtration of the constitutional individual complaints) in...
Peer-to-peer exchange on anti-discrimination practices between institutions from Malta and the Republic of Moldova
Representatives of the national Equality Council and of the Advocate Office of the Republic of Moldova participated in a peer-to-peer exchange with the relevant Maltese counterparts on 16 and 17 April 2024, with the aim to learn from their experience in countering hatred and protecting the rights...
Building a more supportive and tolerant environment for LGBTI children
The international Felis conference 2024, organised by the NGO Genderdoc with support of the EU/Council of Europe joint project “Combating discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Republic of Moldova”, took place on 12-13 April 2024, in Chisinau Moldova. It aimed to raise awareness on...
The European Union and the Council of Europe continue supporting the Armenian authorities to implement reform priorities
The European Union and the Council of Europe together with representatives from the national authorities and beneficiary institutions, held the second Local Steering Committee meeting under the third phase of the Partnership for Good Governance. “Today’s meeting is a proof of excellent...
Improving data collection on hate crimes in the Republic of Moldova
Key stakeholders from the Republic of Moldova responsible to collect data on hate crimes and discrimination gathered in Chisinau, to discuss the latest developments, main challenges, and further steps to improve the national system of data collection in line with European and international...
Fostering Diversity and inclusion with Young European Ambassadors in Armenia
Five Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) visited the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan to discuss ongoing activities and country-specific initiatives in the field of non-discrimination in Armenia. This included an in-depth exploration of the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination in...
Joining efforts with the Young European Ambassadors from the Republic of Moldova in countering hatred and discrimination
“No-hate” Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) from the Republic of Moldova visit the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau to discuss their implication in local work on non-discrimination and create synergies to involve the youth in future actions. This meeting was a follow-up to the series of...
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...
Ensuring diversity and inclusiveness: a coordination meeting in Baku with Young European Ambassadors
Representatives of the Council of Europe Office in Baku, convened a meeting with six Azerbaijani Young European Ambassadors (YEAs), students, young professionals and civil society members, who completed cross-regional online training sessions and an in-person training on promoting equality and...
Staff of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine trained on key elements of jurisdiction and interpretation of human rights
On 21 February 2024, the Council of Europe held a workshop for the staff of the Secretariat and the Patronage Services of Judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on the key elements of jurisdiction and interpretation of human rights by the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of...
Improving data collection on hate crimes in the Republic of Moldova
Throughout February 2024, the Council of Europe held three online information sessions on hate crimes for 82 operators of the Police database in the Republic of Moldova. They aimed to present and discuss the latest developments and practices on disaggregated data collection. An efficient...
First Technical Project Committee Meeting of the PGG Project “Support to development of the constitutional justice in Ukraine”
The project “Support to development of the constitutional justice in Ukraine” held its first technical project committee meeting on 19 February 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Representatives of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and the Council of Europe participated in the discussion. The meeting...
The Council of Europe and the European Union support the introduction of a continuous legal education system for prosecutors in Georgia
On February 23, 2024, the Council of Europe completed a series of capacity development activities for the General Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia to advance its internal training competences. As a result of the four rounds of training, 32 prosecutors gained knowledge about the basic principles,...
New national studies on women's access to justice in the Eastern Partnership countries available
Policy-makers, judges, prosecutors, legal professionals, as well as representatives of academia and civil society can now benefit from updated national studies “Barriers, remedies and good practices on women’s access to justice” for Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. The...
Ombudsperson staff in Ukraine trained on European anti-discrimination and hate speech standards
The staff of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsperson) was trained on European anti-discrimination and hate speech standards through two online sessions held on 14 December 2023 and 25 January 2024. These activities were tailored to respond to the mandate of the...
The European Union and the Council of Europe continue supporting domestic reforms on the path of EU integration for the Republic of Moldova through the Partnership for Good Governance
The European Union and the Council of Europe support the authorities of the Republic of Moldova in the implementation of domestic reforms of importance to the EU integration path of the country and to the benefit of its citizens. The second Local Steering Committee meeting in the Republic of...
Exchange of experience on corruption risk assessment and management between Eastern Partnership countries
The Eastern Partnership countries have advanced substantially in regulating corruption risk assessment and management processes by designing internal tools and legislative frameworks. Though some countries use more advanced tools and have established clear mandates in this field, others have...
Towards ensuring right to legal gender recognition in the Republic of Moldova
The Council of Europe facilitated a common platform for discussion between state authorities and civil society organisations from the LGBTI community, with a focus on ensuring the right to legal gender recognition to persons living in the Republic of Moldova, as well as on the related European...
Young European Ambassadors sending a loud and clear message from Budapest: Say NO to hatred!
More than 50 Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) got introduced to methods on how to effectively address hate speech and discrimination. This will enable the YEAs to make a difference in their communities through the promotion of equality and diversity, ultimately contributing to combating hate...
Video spot on non-discrimination for legal professionals in the Republic of Moldova
A video that tackles through a practical example the difference between hate speech and an offence or an insult is now available online. The video analyses the circumstances for defining whether a discourse can amount to hate speech or not, in the light of six criteria, such as: context, status...
Training on promoting equality and non-discrimination for civil society representatives in Azerbaijan
Civil society representatives, young legal professionals and volunteers from Baku and three regions of Azerbaijan, were trained on standards and tools of the Council of Europe promoting equality and non-discrimination. This training, through a collaborative learning platform for interactive...
137th Plenary session of the Venice Commission: New opinions prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism
At its 137th plenary session (held on 15-16 December 2023), the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe adopted, among others: Armenia Joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe on the Concept Paper...
Annual Court Managers' Forum organised in Georgia
The eighth annual Court Managers’ Forum was organised on 16-17 December, aiming at equipping court managers with practical and organisational skills, resulting to a more efficient court system in Georgia. The event was attended by 24 court managers from all the regions, and it serves as a...
Raising awareness on combating violence against women among law-enforcement officials and judges in Azerbaijan
Police officers, judges, and representatives of local executive authorities in Azerrbaijan, participated in two sessions on international standards for combating violence against women and domestic violence especially looking at protection orders for victims. Protection order for victims of...
Towards a nation-based definition of hate speech based on Council of Europe standards
Georgian stakeholders with a role in combating hate speech took part in a clarificatory workshop on the definition of hate speech. The workshop aimed at initiating discussions among stakeholders about the importance of defining hate speech and incorporating it into the relevant codes of conduct...
Improving the processing of cases of hate speech appearing in the media in the Republic of Moldova
Monitors of the Audiovisual Council, the media national regulatory authority of the Republic of Moldova, improve their capacities on the application of a standard methodology for assessing and processing hate speech in audio-visual media through four practical training sessions. The sessions,...
Judges and prosecutors in Armenia discussed various dimensions of criminal proceedings in absentia and confiscation of property of illicit origin
A series of discussions addressing crucial legal aspects related to criminal proceedings in absentia and the confiscation of property of illicit origin were held under the joint European Union and Council of Europe project “Support to the Justice Reform in Armenia”. In total, 90 specialists from...
Legal professionals from Azerbaijan advocate for zero tolerance on domestic violence
A group of 25 legal professionals in Azerbaijan convened in Baku for the café discussion "Zero tolerance to domestic violence in society". This event takes place during the "16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence" period, which runs from 25 November to 10 December every year. The event...
Ukraine Police exchanges with peers on the role of law enforcement in preventing discrimination and promoting diversity
A peer-to-peer workshop between the Portuguese and Ukrainian police was, organised on 7 December 2023, provided a platform for exchange of experiences on the prevention of discrimination and promotion of diversity in the remit of law enforcement work. At the opening, Erlend Falck, Deputy Head of...
The Council of Europe supports the strengthening of capacities of representatives of Belarusian democratic forces and civil society on promoting equality and non-discrimination
A round-table on equality and non-discrimination, gathering representatives of Belarusian democratic forces and civil society, Council of Europe and European Union Delegation to the Council of Europe was held in Strasbourg on 4-5 December 2023. The aim of the activity was to discuss and review...
Armenian equality body ready to respond to discrimination and hatred
A training programme on combating discrimination adapted to the staff needs of the Human Rights Defender's Office in Armenia, bolstered their capacities to respond to cases of discrimination and hatred in line with European standards, notably those developed by the European Commission against...
Training legal professionals to combat discrimination on religious, ethnic and linguistic grounds in the Republic of Moldova
Legal professionals, including judges, prosecutors, registrars, assistants and counsellors from judicial institutions of the Republic of Moldova, were trained on the latest European and Council of Europe standards and European Court of Human Rights case law on cases of discrimination on...
Empowering diversity through the inaugural session of the Public Council on National Minorities’ Rights in Armenia
The inaugural session of the Public Council on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Persons belonging to National Minorities (the Public Council), adjunct to the Human Rights Defender Office in Armenia, was held on 30 November 2023 in Yerevan. The event is perceived as a milestone,...
Azerbaijani authorities examine techniques to prevent and combat money laundering schemes associated with new payment methods
The landscape of the traditional financial system continues to change with the rise of crypto assets. This drives the crucial need for further enhancement of the investigation and prosecution against the increasingly sophisticated money laundering schemes employed by criminals to obfuscate the...
Supporting the launch of an awareness-raising initiative by the Armenian Ministry of Justice on the protection of whistleblowers
Financial support was provided to the Ministry of Justice of Armenia to launch an awareness raising initiative on the protection of whistleblowers. The Partnership for Good Governance project will work closely with the national authorities of the country, to support the implementation of several...
European standards on hate speech and hate crimes at the centre of training for legal professionals in the Republic of Moldova
Legal professionals from judicial institutions in the Republic of Moldova enhanced their knowledge and understanding of European standards on hate speech and hate crimes through a tailor-made training session. The scope of the activity is relevant to the work of these professionals, ensuring...
Mediation training programme advances skilled mediators in Armenia
The creation of a pool of highly skilled mediators is the aim of the mediation training programme organised for twenty prospective mediators. This is an initiative between the Council of Europe the Ministry of Justice in Armenia and the Arbitration and Mediation Centre of Armenia (AMCA). The...
Enhancing Judicial Data Management in Georgia: training and preparation of a methodology for statisticians
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) organised a training session for court statisticians involved in data collection in Georgian courts. This training was an occasion to present all the issues involved in data collection: ways to harmonise, systematise and check the...
Addressing hate speech issues for youngsters in Armenia
Teachers and youth workers from various regions of Armenia attended a training session that enabled exchanges of ideas on combating hate speech through human rights education. The training promoted Council of Europe tools destined to raise awareness among school children in Armenia on hate speech...
Launching the third cycle of women’s access to justice mentoring programme in Georgia
An event hosted by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia was held to mark the start of the third cycle of the mentoring programme on women’s access to justice for legal professionals. The event also marked the finalisation of the second cycle that resulted in another generation of...
National authorities in Azerbaijan strengthen capacities towards effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions
Targeted financial sanctions are a key tool to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism and proliferation. Azerbaijan has enhanced their efforts in this area, by adopting a new law on targeted financial sanctions and developing guidelines for its effective implementation. With the aim to...
New platform for dialogue on preventing and combating discrimination in the Republic of Moldova
A platform for dialogue and cooperation on preventing and combating discrimination was created among Police and the Equality Council in the Republic of Moldova at the occasion of the workshop “Practical aspects of investigating cases of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Republic...
Combating hate speech through human rights education in Armenia
Two online training sessions on “Combating hate speech through human rights education” for educators and youth workers in Armenia, raised awareness on hate speech and on the importance of promoting a human rights education in their work, both in the formal and non-formal systems. The first online...
Creation of a law enforcement institutions and Civil Society Organisations network to tackle racism and discrimination
A network comprised of law enforcement institutions and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions was launched on 24 October. The creation of this network aims to improve the response of law enforcement institutions to hatred and discrimination,...
Coming Out Day Fest 2023: Changing negative attitudes toward LGBTI persons in the Republic of Moldova
The Coming Out Day Fest, is a thematic event aiming to raise awareness of the human rights situation for LGBTI persons in the Republic of Moldova and combat homophobia, transphobia and biphobia through artistic and cultural events. The fifth edition of the festival was held on 6-11 October. An...
136th Plenary session of the Venice Commission: New opinions prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism
At its 136th plenary session (held on 6-7 October 2023), the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe adopted, among others: Armenia: the joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the draft amendments to the Electoral Code and related legislation Republic of Moldova: the...
Police officers trained on investigation of hate crimes in line with European standards
Hate speech, incitement to violence and discrimination can escalate into further, more severe forms of violence. That is why a prompt and professional intervention of investigative agents and competent legal institutions is vital for preventing and combating the phenomenon of hatred and its...
Combating discrimination and hate speech as law enforcement: a training for the National Police of Ukraine
According to the Committee of Ministers: "member States should make available effective and targeted training programmes for all those involved in preventing and combating hate speech, including the members and staff of law-enforcement services, security forces, prosecution services, the...
The guide “Combating hate speech in the media in the Republic of Moldova” available now in English, Romanian and Russian
An increasing number of cases of hate speech and discrimination in the public space and the media in the Republic of Moldova has been registered according to the monitoring reports of the non-governmental organisation PROMO-LEX Association. The guide “Combating hate speech in the media in the...
Joint efforts in combating hate speech, sexism and other forms of gender-based violence in elections in the Republic of Moldova
Over 60 people, representing electoral management bodies, local authorities, non-governmental organisations, anti-discrimination stakeholders, mass-media and potential voters gathered at a round-table aimed at building a common platform for discussions on the importance of preventing and...
Strengthening dialogue on equality between the Ombudsperson’s Office and civil society organizations in Azerbaijan
Representatives of nine civil society organisations (CSOs) working with and/or representing vulnerable groups in Azerbaijan and the Office of Ombudsperson of the Republic of Azerbaijan exchanged at a working-level meeting to explore possible ways to improve coordination and identify potential...
Second visit of CEPEJ experts to pilot courts within the court coaching programme in Georgia
The court coaching programme of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) continues with the second visit to the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Rustavi Municipal Court, as well as with the first visit to two other pilot courts: the Zugdidi District Court and the Batumi...
Building a common understanding of the hate speech phenomenon and data collection in Ukraine
An online round table, first from a series of events planned, brought together more than 40 representatives of state institutions, civil society organisations and networks in Ukraine. The participants discussed challenges in defining hate speech, possible actors that should be involved with the...
Listening local needs, ahead of supporting vulnerable groups against hatred at local level in the Republic of Moldova
Hate speech and hate crime are phenomena faced by many individuals and communities, especially the most vulnerable in the society. Hate and incitement to it is spreading throughout Europe, the Republic of Moldova being no exception. Those more vulnerable in the society, such as Roma community...
Advancing prosecution and adjudication of money laundering cases in Azerbaijan
Bilateral meetings were organised with national authorities in Azerbaijan to advance the prosecution and adjudication of money laundering and asset recovery cases. Discussions were held with the Supreme Court, the General Prosecutor's Office, the Anti-Corruption General Directorate under the...
Improving redress against discrimination, notably through joint awareness initiatives, addressed by the key stakeholders in the Republic of Moldova
Main stakeholders and partners of the Council of Europe in the field of anti-discrimination, exchanged views on further actions to prevent and combat discrimination and promote equality at central and local level in the Republic of Moldova. The first part of the meeting gathered the...
Judges, prosecutors and investigators in Azerbaijan trained further in processing money laundering cases
Effectively addressing money laundering and confiscating criminal proceeds was the focus of the two-day workshop organised for judges, investigators, prosecutors, and financial intelligence practitioners. This workshop supports the training programme for judges and prosecutors at the request of...
Launch of a hybrid learning activity on combating hate speech based on Council of Europe’s standards
The Council of Europe launched a hybrid training course with representatives from different state institutions, Public Defenders office and civil society organisations on ECRI General Policy Recommandation No. 15 on combating hate speech. The opening session of the course took place on 12...
Third mentoring programme cycle on women’s access to justice launched for legal professionals from the Eastern Partnership countries
The year-long mentoring programme for legal professionals on women’s access to justice was initiated with a training in Budapest on 5-7 September, with 24 mentors from the Eastern Partnership countries. Over the course of three days, judges, prosecutors and other legal professionals from Armenia,...
Human Rights narratives to counter hate speech in Georgia
The Council of Europe organised a training course on Human Rights narratives in response to hate speech, gathering representatives from different state institutions, Public Defenders office and civil society organisations. The course aimed at building the competencies of multipliers communication...
Young European Ambassadors in the forefront of the fight against hate speech
The new generation of the Young European Ambassadors continues to play a fundamental role in the fight against hate speech in the Western Balkan and the Eastern Partnership regions. In a series of online workshops, more than 50 Young Eurоpean Ambassadors completed the training programme on...
Internal practices for assessment and management of corruption risks in state institutions discussed in Azerbaijan
National authorities of Azerbaijan advanced in their policy reforms to introduce internal practices for the assessment and management of corruption risks in state institutions through the support provided by the project. Framing a corruption risk assessment and management methodology as part of a...
Marking the 2023 Council of Europe week in the Republic of Moldova
Gallop with us against discrimination and hatred!
As a part of series activities marking the 28th anniversary of the country's accession to the Council of Europe and cooperation in the field of democracy, human rights and rule of law, the joint European Union and Council of Europe project “Combating discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in...
The impact of hatred on the victims’ life was addressed at the Living Library on the thematic of discrimination
A thematic event on raising awareness and combating discrimination was carried out in the context of Council of Europe week in the Republic of Moldova on 12 July 2023 in the format of Living Library - the storytelling sessions that reflected cases and situations of discrimination and hatred...
New joint projects for Ukraine presented by the European Union and the Council of Europe under the third phase of the Partnership for Good Governance
New projects aimed at countering economic crime and hate speech, promoting equality and non-discrimination, advancing women’s access to justice and combating violence against women, were presented on Tuesday 27 June, 2023, in Kyiv as part of the third phase of the joint EU/Council of Europe...
High-Level Conference on Prosecutorial Independence and Accountability Held in Yerevan
The Council of Europe in collaboration with the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Armenia organised a two-day high-level conference "Prosecutorial Independence in Upholding the Rule of Law". The aim of the conference was to facilitate a cohesive dialogue among main actors in the...
Marking the international day to counter hate speech with equality body representatives
The International Day for Countering Hate Speech (18 June) is an opportunity to raise awareness of the risks posed by hate speech to human rights, democracy and the rule of law and take collective action to implement the principles of the Council of Europe Recommendation on Combating Hate...
Collaborative efforts to better tackle racism in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions: key stakeholders meet in Albania to discuss EU and Council of Europe support
A two-day seminar took place in Vlorë, Albania, to address the critical issue of combating racism and racial discrimination in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions. The event aimed for representatives of both regions , in particular Beneficiaries on their path to EU membership, to...
Round Table Discussion Explores Strategic Directions for Judicial and Legal Reforms in Armenia
A round table discussion that explored strategic directions of the Judicial and Legal Reforms in Armenia and the essential role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in driving the reform process, was held on 2-3 June. The round table's primary objective was to foster a more active involvement of...
JUSTAT AIS a tool that will help Moldovan authorities to improve efficiency and transparency of courts
The launching of the JUSTAT Automated Information System (AIS) took place on 26 May 2023 in a public event to present this new tool, with the participation of the representatives of the national authorities, partners in charge of developing the tool, and the CEPEJ experts, Rado Brezovar...
Court coaching programme in pilot courts in Georgia launched
The court coaching programme of European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), organised in the framework of the project “Support to the modernisation of court management in Georgia”, will begin with the experts visit from 23 to 25 May 2023 to two pilot courts: the Supreme Court of...
10 years of promoting and protecting equality in the Republic of Moldova
The international conference “Equality bodies: new standards, new challenges” marked the 10th anniversary and presented the main achievements of the Equality Council throughout a decade of its activity in the Republic of Moldova. The event brought to discussion the recent developments and...
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