Event report

The event organized by the Skopje Programme Office of the Council of Europe together with the Embassy of Hungary in Skopje gave insights into the guiding Council of Europe policies and evaluated the implementation of the ongoing and recently closed projects in an online meeting together with 30 representatives of governmental institutions and non-governmental organizations. (Including the representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, National Roma Contact Point of the Cabinet of the Prime Minister, Ombudsman’s Office) and human rights NGO’s (eg. NGO For Happy Childhood, Equal Access, Institute for Human Rights, Foundation Open Society, ROMALITICO, ROMACTED, Network for Prevention and Protection from Discrimination, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights) of the host country.) H.E. Laszlo Dux, Ambassador of Hungary in Skopje presented the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe based on the continuation of consolidating the stability of democratic institutions, seeking to strengthen the political, legal, social and cultural cohesion and combatting the divisive factors constituted by intolerance and discrimination against minorities. Among the five areas of focus of the Hungarian Presidency (protection of national minorities, interreligious dialogue, next generation, technological and environmental challenges) Ambassador Dux highlighted two host-country specific issues: the protection of national minorities and the need of special attention to the future generation, such as children's rights, youth participation, and Roma inclusion. These two priorities harmonize well with the future-oriented approach of the activities of the Skopje Programme Office of the Council of Europe. In the frame of the evaluation of ongoing and recent closed project, Ms Katalin Tamus, Head of Programmes informed on the cooperation agreement with the Iustinianus Primus Law Faculty of the Skopje University in the field of freedom of expression, the series of training courses for experts dealing with children in law processes and in the field of child trafficking, the realization of children-friendly visitor rooms, children corners and library in prisons, the support of the national anti-hate speech campaign of “Block Hatred-Share the Love” and the ongoing work of identifying the needs of the Roma community on local level.