Back Young European Ambassadors sending a loud and clear message from Budapest: Say NO to hatred!

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 speech and discrimination online and offline.

YEAs from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions participated in the “Promoting equality and non-discrimination and combating hate speech” training held at the premises of the European Youth Centre in Budapest. As a continuation of the online training held in 2023, the YEAs continued their journey in learning about key concepts of human rights, non-discrimination, combating hatred and creating counter-narratives to hate speech, assisted by Council of Europe and European Union staff and experts.

The work of the Council of Europe and its bodies, most notably the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) was presented. The YEAs were given tips on human rights related language which they could use in their communication work. The work done in the field of non-discrimination and combating hate speech by the previous generation of YEAs in the Western Balkans was presented to inspire participants from the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans regions. Since 2020, an initial group of YEAs joined the “Block the hatred. Share the love”, an awareness-raising initiative implemented in the framework of the Horizontal Facility programme, as well as other important work on combating hate speech and discrimination conducted as part of earlier phases of the regional programmes.

The programme “Young European Ambassadors” is an initiative of the European Union, to create and develop a network for sharing skills, ideas and promote EU values and opportunities among youth. In this context their role in supporting the fight against hate speech and developing counter-narratives in line with European values and standards is fundamental in the process of advancing equality and diversity in the Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership regions.

The YEAs will continue supporting and being vocal against hate speech and discrimination, using counter-narratives to say NO to hatred and discrimination, and YES to human right and equality, making their communities more diverse and equal.

This event is part of the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” and the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans”, which are part the joint European Union and Council of Europe programmes “Partnership for Good Governance” and “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.

Budapest, Hungary 17-19 January 2023
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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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