Combating Hatred and Intolerance in North Macedonia

Back Advancing Multiculturalism, Antidiscrimination and Equal Opportunities in Schools in North Macedonia

Irena BABUSHKOVSKA

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Advancing Multiculturalism, Antidiscrimination and Equal Opportunities in Schools in North Macedonia

The Council of Europe emphasises the vital importance of advancing multiculturalism, antidiscrimination and promoting equal opportunities within schools as a cornerstone for building inclusive, democratic societies. In support of these principles, the Agency for Community Rights Realisation in North Macedonia, in co-operation with the EU and the Council of Europe joint antidiscrimination action, hosted a round table to discuss pressing needs and development priorities in efforts to foster greater inclusion and equity in education

As part of this activity, the Agency conducted a comprehensive survey on targeting schools which have curriculum on education in mother tongue of various ethnic communities across various municipalities. The research sought to identify current conditions, challenges, and best practices, and to propose concrete measures for the further improvement of the educational process. Special emphasis was placed on strengthening inter-ethnic integration, antidiscrimination policies and ensuring equal opportunities for every student.

Thirty-five principals from primary schools in 26 municipalities attended the event, representing key institutions responsible for implementing the curriculum in community languages either as regular or optional subjects. Their participation was recognised as essential, given their direct impact on the educational process at the local level.

This event marked a significant step forward in building an inclusive society where every child has equal access to quality education, regardless of language or ethnic background. During the discussions, it was emphasised that open dialogue, co-operation, and exchange of experiences between various actors, are key to building a more inclusive educational system, fostering interethnic cohesion and tolerance.

This initiative was supported by the action "Combating hatred and intolerance in North Macedonia", under the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme "Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Türkiye".

Skopje, North Macedonia 24 April 2026

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This action offers assistance in improving the record of fighting discrimination, hate speech and hate crime in North Macedonia Combating discrimination and hate speech are essential in protecting human rights and are also very closely connected to the EU assession processes. This action offers unique approach to tackling these areas and supports the strengthening the capacity of the key beneficiaries and stakeholders to better address issues related to anti-discrimination, combating hate speech and protecting rights of LGBTI persons in line with the standards and recommendations set by the Council of Europe – especially those of the European Commission on Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), as well as to support North Macedonia's alignment to European standards in the field of fundamental rights.

What are the objectives of the action?

The main objectives of the action are:

To support institutions’ efforts and reforms to develop harmonised institutional approach to tackle discrimination and hate speech
To increase the awareness of the general population in North Macedonia regarding the dangers of hate speech and the different tools that can be used to prevent and combat it

Who benefits from the action?

Public institutions and related actors in the field in North Macedonia will benefit from the technical assistance and raising awareness initiatives, so they can contribute towards improving the anti-discrimination policies, and policies addressing hate speech and hate crime, as well as its redress mechanisms.

The action final beneficiaries are the people of North Macedonia and the vulnerable communities such as LGBTI, smaller ethnic groups, etc., whose protection of human rights will be improved.

How will the action work?

The action builds on the work done and results achieved under the previous phase of the Horizontal Facility programme in line with the focussed points in the field of racism and intolerance in Europe as outlined in the Annual Reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).

The action provides capacity building initiatives adapting existing tools and methodologies of the Council of Europe, technical support as part of North Macedonia’s EU accession process, and awareness raising on combatting discrimination and promoting diversity towards youth and the general population

The action is working with Government representatives in charge of combating discrimination and hate speech; Commission for Prevention and Protection against Discrimination; law enforcement officials, judiciary and legal professionals and civil society organizations and youth activists.

What do we expect to achieve?

Public institutions improve their record of reforms to combat discrimination, hatred and racism in line with European standards
Equality Bodies and relevant institutions in North Macedonia improve their capacity in combating discrimination in line with ECRI standards and recommendations and EU anti-racism action plan.
North Macedonia’s central and local level institutions improve the fight against hate speech and hate crime and strengthens victims’ protection
The people in North Macedonia and in particular vulnerable groups are more aware of the dangers of hate and racism to cohesion of societies and the way to address them.

What is the budget of the action?

The total budget of the actions is 450,000 Euros.

The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe)

About the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye

The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe that enables the Western Balkans Beneficiaries and Türkiye to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with the European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.