The Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje actively aims to engage youth in its initiatives and thus, reflect their needs and perspectives in its daily work. The responsibility to continue protecting human rights and to preserve democratic heritage for the generations to come rests with today’s youth. In this framework, the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje, hosted 18 students from the American High School in Skopje, who were eager and curious to learn more about the Council of Europe’s legal instruments, in particular, the European Convention on Human Rights, and its enforcement mechanism – the European Court of Human Rights.
“Human rights belong to everyone: they are universal standards which allow us all to live our lives in dignity. Defending human rights is at the heart of the mission of the Council of Europe.”, said Oleg Soldatov, Head of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje, welcoming the students. He presented the mission of the Council of Europe in the protection of human rights and focused his intervention on the impact of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, especially regarding online freedom of speech.
During discussions, the importance of equal access to justice and free legal aid was highlighted. The students were also informed about different activities and initiatives implemented in the field of anti-discrimination, including trainings with judiciary and law enforcement, and they heard more specifically about the youth related activities from the “Block the Hatred. Share the Love” campaign.
An important component of the discussion involved the importance of local democracy promoted by the Council of Europe, through its Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. Young girls and boys from North Macedonia learned about key competencies that the grass root level of government executes for the benefit of the people.
They were also acquainted with the anti-trafficking activities implemented under the European Union and Council of Europe joint action “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in North Macedonia”, targeting young people. This action supports and implements public awareness initiatives, in order to prevent human trafficking in children. Young people expressed a significant interest for the theatrical and radio play entitled Vicious circle-Radio Drama, as well as for the illustrated booklets, warning children about the perils of child trafficking in accessible way, adjusted to their age and their level of maturity.
The actions “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in North MacedoniaStrengthening anti - trafficking action in North Macedonia”, “Towards a Consolidated and More Efficient Free Legal Aid (FLA) System in North Macedonia” and Combating Hatred and Intolerance in North Macedonia” are part of the of the European Union and Council of Europe joint initiative “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.
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