The Commission for Prevention and Protection against Discrimination has taken an important step forward to advance Strategic Planning for Combating Hate Speech and Discrimination in North Macedonia, during the public meeting with the participation of around 20 members and technical staff of the Commission. The event organised in Veles during 15-17 April, was supported by the European Union and the Council of Europe as part of our ongoing co-operation to strengthen North Macedonia’s efforts to tackle hate speech and discrimination. This programme was designed to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of public officials to identify, address, and prevent hate speech and discrimination, in line with European best practices and European Court decisions.

The seminar was also an excellent opportunity to work on strengthening the inter-institutional communication and strategic planning of the Commission in their daily work with the goal of adopting a more effective approach towards anti-discrimination policies and activities. During this activity, members and technical staff of the Commission attended interactive lectures that addressed distinctions between freedom of expression, hate speech and defamation, and civil versus criminal liability for hate speech and discrimination. Participants also discussed and analysed landmark cases from the European Court of Human Rights, with the aim of practical implementation in North Macedonia’s context.

The seminar concluded with strategic planning sessions focused on developing effective, actionable strategies for the Commission’s efforts to combat hate speech and discrimination. Participants also took part in practical group exercises, jointly drawing conclusions and preparing recommendations for strengthening institutional responses and preventive mechanisms.

The seminar was part of the Action "Combating Hatred and Intolerance in North Macedonia," part of the “Horizontal Facility”  for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” cooperation initiative co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe. The action aims to help public institutions and society at large to systematically tackle hate speech and discrimination, promote diversity and equality in the society.