News
Fostering collaboration to combat hate speech through a pioneering training for Ukraine’s legal professionals
For the first time, representatives of Ukraine's police, prosecution, and judiciary from various regions participated together in a training programme designed to help them identify, classify, and counteract hate speech in their work. Participants highly valued the opportunity to collaborate...
Police and Equality Council strengthen collaboration during Human Rights week in the Republic of Moldova
In a continued effort to promote equality, dignity and freedom, the Police and the Equality Council of the Republic of Moldova met in Chisinau to reinforce their collaboration. The meeting focused on advancing practices and improving the reporting, analysis, and qualification of cases involving...
Updated online course “Combating hate speech” launched in Azerbaijani
The Council of Europe HELP online course “Combating hate speech” in Azerbaijani is now available in its updated version for free. The translation and adaptation of the course for Azerbaijan was made with the support of the EU and the Council of Europe, as part of the Partnership for Good...
Countering hate speech in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions by enhancing equality bodies’ communication tools
An important mandate of the equality bodies is developing effective communication strategies to combat the pressing issues of hate speech and hate crime. To this end, representatives of equality bodies in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions participated to an online workshop. The...
Strengthening anti-discrimination policies in the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans regions
As part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen anti-discrimination policies in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions, an online workshop was organised to advance anti racism initiatives across these regions. A key highlight of this workshop was the presentation of findings from a...
Empowering legal professionals in the Republic of Moldova to combat discrimination
A tailor-made training for 51 judges, prosecutors, and judicial staff in the Republic of Moldova was organised to support them further in the identification of prejudices and stereotypes, legal practice in handling discrimination cases, as well as working with the victims of hate speech and...
Strategies towards safer environment and spaces for the LGBTI community identified for the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions
LGBTI persons in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions face significant discrimination and abuse, including violence, due to their sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics. The latest Council of Europe Anti-Racism Commission (ECRI) General Policy Recommendation...
Over 400 professionals from four sectors learned how to identify and report money laundering or terrorist financing
Employees from the legal sector, representatives of non-banking financial organizations, those from the real estate sector, accountants and auditors attended four consecutive days of training sessions that will help them to more easily identify and report money laundering or terrorist financing....
Enhancing ethical journalism by training Armenian journalists on combating hate speech
Journalists play a vital role in shaping public opinion and supporting democratic processes. By providing reliable information, they can contribute to promote mutual understanding and a tolerant society. To foster ethical journalism and combat hate speech, a two-day training for 20 Armenian...
Regional co-operation key to tackling discrimination and racism
Law enforcement institutions and civil society organisations (CSOs) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and the Republic of Moldova met in Podgorica on 26-28 September with the aim to address racism, discrimination, and the protection of minority groups, especially the LGBTI community. This...
Equality and non-discrimination training session for Armenian Police Officers
After the first training held in June 2024, Armenian police officers participated to a follow-up training on European standards on equality and non-discrimination. Arpine Sargsyan, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, opened the training, highlighting the importance of...
Building stronger partnerships to combat discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Republic of Moldova
A workshop was held in the country’s northern region aiming to enhance the protection of victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes. Participants (57 in total) included legal professionals, police officers and representatives of national authorities working in the field of equality....
More transparency in the fight against money laundering through a series of tailor-made trainings
Beneficial ownership transparency has become a priority. The misuse of legal entities facilitates tax evasion, corruption, and money laundering. Professionals working in the field need to stay updated, to ensure fiscal transparency, financial stability, and effective law enforcement. A series of...
Non-profit organizations in Armenia discuss protection measures from abuse for terrorism financing purposes
The risks and vulnerabilities associated with terrorism financing through non-profit organizations (NPOs) present significant challenges, as these entities can be exploited to divert funds for illicit purposes. To address this aspect, the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the Financial...
Enhancing compliance with targeted financial sanctions in Armenia as an effective tool to prevent and suppress terrorism financing
International standards require countries to implement targeted financial sanctions regimes relating to the prevention and suppression of terrorism and terrorist financing. The freezing of the assets of those suspected of terrorism financing and those listed in domestic and international...
Armenian Police Officers trained on equality and non-discrimination
A two-day event for police officers in Armenia improved their knowledge and understanding of equality and non-discrimination concepts in accordance with the European standards. The opening part of the training session was attended by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan, by the...
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...
Presenting European standards on national minorities in Armenia
A joint working discussion on the draft law on national minorities, brought together representatives from respective institutions, as well as representatives from various national minorities. This meeting was organised at the initiative of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia and the National...
Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region
Representatives of equality bodies part of a network covering the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans regions met in Strasbourg, France, to discuss best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy,...
Empowering Roma community mediators in the Republic of Moldova to combat discrimination
23 Roma community mediators attended a training that equipped them with the skills and knowledge to tackle discrimination and effectively advocate for Roma rights at both national and local community level. This event was organised in co-operation with the Agency for Interethnic and covered...