Înapoi Ensuring implementation of reforms in the antidiscrimination domain in Ukraine, in line with European standards

Ensuring implementation of reforms in the antidiscrimination domain in Ukraine, in line with European standards

Partners from Ukraine gathered together with the Council of Europe and the European Union, taking stock of the previous years of cooperation in the anti-discrimination domain and its results. The event also enabled discussions about the prospect of reforms in the field of combating discrimination and hatred, as well as to protect rights of national minorities, and the future support needed by partners in these areas.

More than 50 representatives of central and local level institutions, as well as civil society organizations active on combating discrimination and protecting rights of vulnerable groups agreed on joint actions, expressing their commitment and motivation to ensure the advancement of Ukraine in the human rights domain.

Participants shared the willingness to bring forward the EU accession perspective of Ukraine as per the requirements set by European institutions in summer 2022. This means concrete work to ensure not only reforms in these areas advance at the legal and policy level, but can also have tangible effect on the life of all citizens and people living in Ukraine. 

Participants agreed on the role of the Council of Europe, as the leading pan-European human rights organisation, in supporting Ukraine in delivering such reforms considering the standards and monitoring developed in the field of national minorities, combating discrimination, hate speech and hate crime. The cooperation initiatives set as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026 ensure standards and recommendations are included in reform efforts at national level adapting to circumstances. 
On the second day, technical project committee meetings took place, confirming the activities agreed upon and proposing adaptation to latest developments for the workplans of the project “Support the reform of the national minority legal framework and the resilience of the national minorities and Roma in Ukraine” and of the joint EU/Council of Europe project “Combating hate speech in Ukraine”.

The event was organised in the framework of the Council of Europe project “Support the reform of the national minority legal framework and the resilience of the national minorities and Roma in Ukraine” and the project “Combating hate speech in Ukraine”, implemented under the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe. 

Warsaw 29-30 March 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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