Back International conference: Implementing non-discrimination commitments – a path to achieving European human rights standards

International conference: Implementing non-discrimination commitments – a path to achieving European human rights standards

The necessity of strong cooperation between national authorities and civil society, role of lawyers and the use of communication strategies as key tools for preventing and fighting discrimination were the focus of the joint European Union and Council of Europe international conference that took place on 7 November 2019 in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. The conference brought together representatives of the Ombudsperson Offices, equality bodies, state authorities and key local NGOs from the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Belarus, as well as international experts and representatives of international organisations.

The conference was organised in the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance II and its two currently implemented projects: national Moldovan project “Strengthening the capacities of the justice sector actors to deliver justice in line with European standards, in particular to fight discrimination”and the regional project “Strengthening access to justice through non-judiciary redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in Eastern Partnership countries”, funded by the European Union and co-funded and implemented by the Council of Europe.

 

William Massolin, Head of Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, Mr Marco Gemmer, Head of Operations Section, European Union Delegation to the Republic of Moldova, Milica Djunic, Project Coordinator, Eastern Partnership and Russian Federation Unit, Human Rights National Implementation Division, Council of Europe, Menno Etemma, Programme Manager, No hate Speech and Cooperation unit, Anti-Discrimination Department, Council of Europe, and Ian Feldman, President of the Council for Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination and Ensuring Equality addressed the participants during the opening session.

 

The conference served as a forum for an open exchange of experiences and solutions for better protection against discrimination at the national level. Participants discussed a recently conducted assessment of the Effectiveness of the National Equality body/Ombudsoffice as redress mechanism for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in Eastern Partnership countries. The discussion about the importance of efficient communication between all relevant actors in the area of non-discrimination,with the example of the Communication Strategy of the Moldovan Equality Council, was opened and led to useful and practical conclusions.

William Massolin mentioned “Communication strategies and actions are very important for the bodies that deal with cases of discrimination, as it targets the victims, or potential victims of discrimination, who very often are people from vulnerable groups. In this sense, it is crucially important to make people aware of what discrimination is and which are the national remedies for protection against it.”

 

Marco Gemmer said "The EU places great importance on supporting the access of Moldovan citizens to judicial and non-judicial redress for violations of their rights, including for acts of discrimination. To achieve this, the Equality Council and the Ombudsperson need to be endowed with the necessary funding and infrastructure to assist the citizens. The Lawyers also need support in their role as first responders of citizens who became victims of discrimination. The European Union together with the Council of Europe, under the Good Governance programme, will identify shortcomings and ways of improvement. Today's conference covering the Eastern Partnership region is a great opportunity to discuss challenges in addressing discrimination, hate speech and hate crime and how to tackle them through judicial and non-judicial means, for the benefit of the citizens."

 

 Photo Gallery of the Conference 

Chisinau, Moldova 8 November 2019
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The Partnership for Good Governance (PGG) is a joint co-operation initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe for strengthening good governance in the Eastern Partnership region*.

The Partnership for Good Governance provides tailor-made support to beneficiary countries to meet their reform agendas and comply with the European standards in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy. This is also a priority for the EU enlargement process, as relevant for the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine's candidate status and Georgia's European perspective.

The Partnership for Good Governance programme will also continue supporting Armenia and Azerbaijan and is also foreseen to support co-operation with Belarusian democratic forces and civil society.

Find out more about the Partnership for Good Governance programme >>

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* While the Partnership for Good Governance does not include activities with the participation of the Belarusian authorities, in line with the EU policy of non-engagement with Belarusian public bodies and state-owned enterprises enshrined in the European Council Conclusions of October 2020, activities may be organised with the representatives of Belarusian civil society and democratic actors as appropriate, in line with the European Council Conclusions of February 2022 and the Decision of the Council of Europe Ministers’ Deputies of March 2022.

This website has been produced using funds of a joint programme between the European Union and the Council of Europe. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.

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