News
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...