The Council of Europe organised a two-day training course for media professionals on addressing hate speech in public discourse. The course took place on 15–16 September in Lviv and was co-organised with the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine.

The training brought together 30 participants from regional media outlets and journalism associations. They enhanced their understanding of the manifestations and risks of hate speech, with a focus on its impact in the Ukrainian context, as well as ways to promote responsible journalism and human rights–based narratives.

The programme introduced the Council of Europe’s standards and tools on combating hate speech, including the 2022 Committee of Ministers Recommendation, which highlights the importance of non-legal measures such as education and awareness-raising, as well as ECRI’s General Policy Recommendation No. 15 (GPR 15), which provides guidance on both preventive and reactive measures to combat hate speech.

As a follow-up, the training will contribute to strengthening professional capacity of Ukrainian media to recognise and address hate speech, and to foster ethical and inclusive communication in line with European standards.

The training is part of the Council of Europe programme Supporting the reform of the national minority legal framework and the resilience of national minorities and Roma in Ukraine.