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New initiative towards an effective asset recovery system in Azerbaijan

The project on “Strengthening anti-money laundering and asset recovery in Azerbaijan” launched a new initiative to support the development of an effective asset recovery system in Azerbaijan. The first phase in this support consists in assessing the existing legal and institutional framework for asset recovery and providing actionable recommendations for its improvement in line with international standards and best practices.

Following a detailed desk review and preliminary consultation of key national institutions through a comprehensive questionnaire, an official launching event for this exercise was organised online on 11 January 2021, including a high-level meeting between the Council of Europe, the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the European Union Delegation, followed by a multi-stakeholder workshop to introduce and discuss the initiative with all relevant national actors.

Following the launch, in-depth bilateral consultations were conducted with representatives of 12 national entities playing a role in different aspects of the asset recovery process, over 3 days, on 11, 14 and 19 January 2021. Concerned institutions included the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Anti-Corruption General Directorate under the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Financial Monitoring Service, the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Finance, State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, State Security Service, State Customs Committee, State Service on Property Issues under the Ministry of Economy, the Supreme Court and Court on Serious Crimes. These thorough consultations helped to obtain a better understanding of how the legislation and institutional framework is constituted and functions in Azerbaijan. They are expected to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the technical paper and action-oriented recommendations to be produced.

Support in the area of asset recovery is one of the two main components of this ongoing project against economic crime in Azerbaijan. The ultimate goal of this important undertaking is to assist the national authorities in elaborating a coherent policy framework and coordinated approach supported by an operational action plan on strengthening the asset recovery system in the country, towards a more comprehensive and effective system for recovering and managing proceeds from crime, in line with international and European standards.

These activities are part of the project “Strengthening anti-money laundering and asset recovery in Azerbaijan” funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in their Partnership for Good Governance (2019-2021).

Azerbaijan 11 January 2021
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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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