The project seeks to improve access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech through non-judicial redress mechanisms; to strengthen the capacity and cooperation of Equality bodies/Ombudsoffices with NGO’s partners; to raise awareness towards non-discrimination and to increase the visibility of national redress mechanisms; and reinforce the fight against hate speech in the region.
It intends to achieve this impact by:
- Improving the alignment of anti-discrimination policies to European standards in order to increase access to non-judiciary redress mechanisms and strengthen mandate of the Equality bodies and/or Ombudsoffices.
- Strengthening the capacities of Equality bodies/Ombudsoffices and NGOs to assist men and women from vulnerable groups in pursuing discrimination complaints through relevant non-judiciary redress mechanisms.
- Increasing awareness raising efforts to promote the work of Equality bodies/ Ombudsoffices and related redress mechanisms, including non-judiciary, among women and men from vulnerable communities as well as NGOs and as general public.
- Increasing the national coordination and networking among state and non-state entities that have a role in combating hate speech in line with human rights standards.

This project is funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in their Partnership for Good Governance II (2019-2022).

The specific objective of the project is to ensure access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech through non-judicial redress mechanisms is strengthened in the Eastern Partnership countries

Specific objectives are as follows:

- National stakeholders from the Eastern Partnership countries align anti-discrimination policies to European standards related to non-judicial redress mechanisms for male and female victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech.
- ‘Equality bodies’/Ombudsoffices and NGOs have increased capacities to assist men and women from vulnerable groups in pursuing discrimination complaints through relevant non-judicial redress mechanisms and work together in this process.
- ‘Equality bodies’/Ombudsoffices and NGOs carry out awareness raising to promote their work and related redress mechanisms, including non-judicial, among women and men from vulnerable communities as well as general public.
- National stakeholders, (Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine) in cooperation with international organisations, will run projects that mobilise and equip different sectors of society with the necessary competences to address hate speech in line with human rights standards. A national platform is established to coordinate efforts of the different national stakeholders to address hate speech and streamline implementation of their respective projects.

Under Specific objective 1:

- Expertise is provided towards drafting (revised) laws, by-laws, regulations and policies to improve redress for female and male victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech, in particular in regard to the mandates and independence of the ‘equality bodies’/ombudsoffices. (Armenia, Belarus, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, complemented with regional interventions for all 6 EaP countries).

- National stakeholders are capacitated on the implementation and monitoring the implementation of anti-discrimination laws, particularly on data collection mechanisms on discrimination, hate crime and hate speech. (Armenia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, complemented with regional interventions for all 6 EaP countries).

Under specific objective 2:

- Staff of ‘equality bodies’/Ombudsoffices are trained to apply European standards on redress of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in their daily work.

- Staff of NGOs are trained to refer to European standards on redress of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in their work and advocacy for implementation of these standards by Equality bodies and relevant authorities.

- ‘Equality bodies’/Ombudsoffices staff are trained to work with victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech from vulnerable communities.

- Regional information exchange between the 'equality bodies'/Ombudsoffices is established.

Under specific objective 3:

- 'Equality bodies'/Ombudsoffices and NGOs are capacitated to develop awareness raising initiatives and information materials to inform men and women from vulnerable communities and the general population how to approach ‘equality bodies’/Ombudsoffices, their rights and available redress for discrimination, hate crime and hate speech cases. (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine).

- ‘Equality bodies’/Ombudsoffices, NGOs, public authorities and the judiciary are supported to cooperate and streamline access to redress mechanisms for men and women of vulnerable communities who are victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech (covers Azerbaijan, Belarus and Ukraine, complemented with regional interventions for all 6 EaP countries).

Under specific objective 4:

- National stakeholders are trained to understand what a comprehensive approach to address hate speech in line with European standards means in the Armenian, Georgian and Ukrainian contexts.

- National stakeholders will become aware of the existing problems with regards to hate speech in their national context, how members of society are impacted and the redress available to them. The stakeholders better understand the roles and responsibilities of the different actors in addressing hate speech and have identified challenges and opportunities to strengthen them (Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine).