Back The representatives of the Equality Council of the Republic of Moldova exchanged experience with institutions from Romania on anti-discrimination practices

The representatives of the Equality Council of the Republic of Moldova exchanged experience with institutions from Romania on anti-discrimination practices

The study visit for the representatives of the Council for preventing and eliminating discrimination and ensuring equality of the Republic of Moldova (Equality Council) to institutions in the anti-discrimination field in Romania took place on 13-14 December 2022.

Meetings with National Council for Combating Discrimination of Romania,  the Romanian People’s Advocate and the Constitutional Court of Romania were focused on the relation between the equality bodies and judiciary on anti-discrimination practices, but also on sharing experience in handling cases of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes, and the practice of constitutional instances’ jurisprudence for respecting the principle of equality and non-discrimination.

In addition to peer exchanges and meetings with state institutions, the representatives of the Moldovan Equality Council met the Romanian Association Accept, active in the field of LGBTI rights, and discussed the cooperation between equality bodies and civil society organisations in protecting the rights of vulnerable communities.

This visit enabled participants to share their experiences and opinions, to learn from the experience of Romanian institutions and their examples of good practices in the field. Also, this activity consolidated and enhanced peer-to-peer exchanges, which are relevant for further promotion of equally and anti-discrimination in the Republic of Moldova.

This activity was organised jointly within the European Union and the Council of Europe projects “Strengthening access to justice through non-judicial redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in the Eastern Partnership countries” and  ”Strengthening the capacities of the justice sector actors to deliver justice in line with European standards, in particular to fight discrimination in the Republic of Moldova”, implemented in the framework of the programme “Partnership for Good Governance II, 2019-2022”.

Romania 14 December 2022
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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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