On 3 September 2026, the Council of Europe brought together around 50 representatives of national institutions, civil society, media and thematic experts in Kyiv for the first high-level meeting aimed at establishing a National multi-level and multistakeholder platform to monitor, prevent and combat hate speech in Ukraine.
The meeting provided a space to discuss existing mechanisms for addressing hate speech, identify key gaps and priorities, and explore ways to strengthen cooperation between institutions and civil society. Participants focused in particular on regulation and response, monitoring and data collection, education and counter-narratives, with the aim of moving towards a more coordinated national approach.
The event brought together representatives of the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting, the National Police of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Ministry of Justice and the National School of Judges, as well as civil society organisations, media and youth representatives, among others.
The meeting was opened by Hilde Haug, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, who highlighted the importance of connecting existing expertise and initiatives and making cooperation on preventing and combating hate speech more systematic. The Council of Europe’s Recommendation on combating hate speech, highlights that co-operation and co-ordination on national and international level are needed to ensure coherence in its implementation as well as policies, strategies and action plans put into place to prevent and combat hate speech. Such co-ordination contributes to a common understanding amongst relevant legislative, executive and judicial actors. The co-ordination and co-operation process should pay particular attention to the voices and needs of those targeted by hate speech, with a view to ensuring that hate speech is comprehensively and effectively addressed.
The meeting marked a first step towards building a multistakeholder platform for cooperation between public authorities, independent institutions, civil society and media in preventing, monitoring and responding to hate speech in Ukraine.
