Back The EU Delegation and the Council of Europe presented joint projects for Azerbaijan under the new phase of the Partnership for Good Governance (2023-2027)

The EU Delegation and the Council of Europe presented joint projects for Azerbaijan under the new phase of the Partnership for Good Governance (2023-2027)

On Tuesday 18 April 2023, the Delegation of the European Union and the Council of Europe presented new projects to be carried out in Azerbaijan under the third phase of the EU/CoE “Partnership for Good Governance (PGG III)” programme in 2023-2027. The presentation was a part of the first Local Steering Committee meeting of this new PGG phase for Azerbaijan.  

The new phase of the PGG has the total budget of 2.5 million euros for projects in Azerbaijan. The programme is co-funded by the EU and the Council of Europe and will aim at assisting Azerbaijani authorities with further strengthening institutional capacities to prevent and fight economic crime, at supporting judicial reforms in particular by fostering mediation, promoting equality and non-discrimination, advancing women’s access to justice and combating violence against women.

H.E. Mr. Peter Michalko, Ambassador of the European Union to Azerbaijan, said in his opening remarks: “The EU supports the PGG program that contributes to the good governance reforms which are at all levels fundamental to economic growth, political stability, and security.”

Ms Aysel Yagubova, Head of Department for Co-operation with International Human Rights Institutions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan said: “This initiative has the character of strengthening and completing the reforms implemented in Azerbaijan We believe that this program is also a successful example of co-operation between the EU and the Council of Europe.”

Mr Petr Sich, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Baku, who also spoke in the opening session informed the participants  that a total of 21 projects will be implemented in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine under the PGG III programme. “Four projects are planned to be implemented in Azerbaijan. At the same time, Azerbaijan was invited to participate in three regional projects involving several countries.”.

Fruitful exchanges and discussions about the future co-operation took place during the meeting. Its conclusions will be used to adapt the PGG III activities in Azerbaijan.

 

The “Partnership for Good Governance” (PGG) is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe for strengthening good governance in the Eastern Partnership region.

Baku 18 April 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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