Promotion of diversity and equality in Albania

Retour Combating discrimination and hate speech in the Western Balkans - joining forces with institutions and with civil society

The joint EU/Council of Europe programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022", building on the earlier Actions in the field of minority protection and promotion of rights of LGBTI persons, includes a new component related to promotion of diversity and equality covering the entire Western Balkan region. Throughout September, October and November, the first steering committees took place in Sarajevo, Podgorica, Tirana, Pristina and Skopje, convening relevant beneficiaries and partners and officially marking the start of activities. The projects are set to place at the disposal of the region the expertise and/or recommendations from Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, those stemming from the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and in the field of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

The steering committees and the discussions thereby confirmed the need to continue assisting the beneficiary institutions, central and local ones, to improve their record of protecting discrimination and strengthen related mechanisms and inter-institutional coordination. A strong focus will be put on legal and strategic assistance in responding to hate speech and hate crime, as well as on enhancing rights of LGBTI persons and those of minorities. Accent will be put on involving the civil society and the local institutions, to better reach out to the local level and the citizens, including by means of sub-grants for local actions. When it comes to fighting hate speech, these partnerships should lead to forms of counter-narratives going beyond institutional responses.

The actions will be parallel to a regional one, focusing on common challenges to all Beneficiaries, especially on how equality bodies in the region respond to hate speech and protect victims, and how law enforcement interact with the LGBTI population and NGOs at the central and local level.

Leading partners will be respectively the government bodies in charge of coordinating human rights policies, as well as equality bodies. The actions on ‘Promotion of diversity and equality in the Western Balkans’ will be implemented by the Anti-discrimination Department of the Council of Europe for a total of 36 months, until May 2022, as a part of the joint EU and Council of Europe programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey II.

WESTERN BALKANS 26 NOVEMBER 2019

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Strengthening the capacity of stakeholders to address national minority protection and promotion, protection of LGBTI rights and combating hate speech in line with the standards and recommendations set by the Council of Europe – especially those of the European Commission on Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) and from the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM)
Supporting Albania’s accession negotiations with the European Union in the field of fundamental rights.

At policy and legislative level : supporting the authorities to enhance the compatibility of the legislation
At capacity building level : enhancing the implementation of the relevant laws/strategic documents, their monitoring and the data collection and analysis
Raising awareness of the dangers posed by hate speech
Strengthening cooperation and synergies among Western Balkan equality bodies and/or national human rights institutions, and their interaction with civil society organizations
Ensuring a gender sensitive approach

The record of implementation of anti-discrimination policies and legislation, at the central and local level (especially on protection of the rights of LGBTI persons, and on combating hate speech/hate crime) is improved
Dialogue and cooperation between institutions and civil society organizations in promoting and protecting human rights are enhanced
Awareness of citizens on their rights and mechanisms to defend themselves is strenghened
Better protection of human rights of the citizens of Albania and build a more diverse, equal and tolerant society is achieved

#HateSpeech is dangerous as it incites acts of violence or discrimination, thus undermining respect and safety of individuals, damaging the cohesion of a society. At the same time, everyone has the right to freedom of speech which allows our democracy to develop and progress. In an attempt to draw the line between the importance of freedom of expression and the respect for the equal dignity of all individuals, we invited well-known actors and key figures from public institutions and civil society organisations in Albania to reflect and have their say on the matter.

The National Conference “Freedom Without Hate” held on 20 December 2019, was an opportunity to come together and better address hate speech, but also to firmly stand in support of freedom of expression. The “No Hate Alliance” was established, so that partners join forces to protect freedom of speech while hate speech is no longer tolerated.