Back Activities to combat hate speech and support to anti-discrimination reforms in the focus of the Fourth Steering Committee meeting

Activities to combat hate speech and support to anti-discrimination reforms in the focus of the Fourth Steering Committee meeting

Beneficiaries and partners attended the Fourth Steering Committee meeting of the European Union and Council of Europe joint action ‘Promotion of Diversity and Equality in North Macedonia’. The meeting was a great opportunity for beneficiaries and partners to discuss the activities of the action, the achievements and the results so far, as well as the future initiatives that are planned for the upcoming period.

The members of the Steering Committee, including beneficiaries from the institutions, our partners from the EU Delegation in Sкopje, as well as representatives of the NGOs, shared their thoughts and ideas regarding the improvement of the coordination and raised the possibility for new cooperation opportunities. The members tackled the importance of focusing more on the outreach, making sure that the results of the activities are being shared to as many people as possible, considering the relevance and of the organised activities which may be helpful, important and interesting for the citizens. During the meeting, participants had also the opportunity to discuss about the results from the National LGBTI Helpline, supported by the Action, with around 115 calls from 60 people.

Important discussions between partners and beneficiaries were focused on the possibilities to strengthen the co-operation and coordination and to make joint efforts aimed at combating hate speech and support to the anti-discrimination reforms. This will include raising awareness and capacity building activities.

During the 4th Steering Committee meeting the project team highlighted the most important activities that are underway, such as: the support to the harmonisation of the anti-discrimination legislative framework; the launching of the national campaign against hate speech: Block the Hatred. Share the Love; the HELP online course on anti-discrimination with the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors as well as the preparation of the Anti-Discrimination manual, which is being consulted with several different beneficiaries and partners.

The action ‘Promotion of Diversity and Equality in North Macedonia’ is part of the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”, a co-operation initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe, implemented by the Council of Europe, which aims at assisting beneficiaries in the Western Balkans region and Turkey to comply with the Council of Europe standards and European Union acquis in the framework of the enlargement process, where relevant.

SKOPJE 8 October 2021
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goals
  • Strengthening the capacity of national and local 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)
  • Supporting North Macedonia's alignment to European standards in the field of fundamental rights
How will the Action work ?
  • Legal and strategic support to institutions
  • Capacity building activities
  • Peer-to-peer exchanges with regional and European partners
  • Awareness raising campaigns and public discussions on selected anti-discrimination topics
  • Support to civil society organisations and local authorities by small grant schemes, to enhance their capacities to tackle discrimination and reach out to the people
Expected results
  • 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 is enhanced
  • Awareness of citizens on their rights and mechanisms to defend them is strenghtened
  • Contribution to achieve better protection of human rights for the citizens of Montenegro and to build a more diverse, equal and tolerant society

 

In the framework the programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey II”, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) co-organised a round table in Skopje on 14 November 2019 to discuss the follow-up given by the authorities to the recommendations of the ECRI 2016 report on North Macedonia, including the efforts to combat hate speech in the country in the framework of good practices and European standards.

project at a glance

Duration: 43 months (May 2019 to December 2022)

Beneficiaries :

► Citizens of North Macedonia

► Public authorities, including the law enforcement agencies

► Education professionals
► Civil society organisations engaged in promoting and protecting human rights

Funding: The European Union and the Council of Europe

Budget: 320,000.00 Euros

"Share the love" campaign


 

leaflet
ENG
LGBTI Helpline

The Action Promotion of Diversity and Equality in North Macedonia supported the launching of the first ever National LGBTI Helpline in North Macedonia as part of supported activities from the Small grants for anti-discrimination activities during COVID-19. The National LGBTI Helpline is implemented by the NGO Subversive Front in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy.

 

 

 

 

project team

Marija Andreeva, Project Officer, Skopje

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