The Council of Europe’s expertise in fighting discrimination

The fight against discrimination, including on grounds of religion or belief, has been at the core of the Council of Europe’s mission from the outset. Various Council of Europe bodies, including the Parliamentary Assembly, the Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance have developed an invaluable level of knowledge and expertise in this field. The Organisation also maintains a long tradition of supporting and contributing to Holocaust remembrance.

At their meeting in Helsinki, (17 May 2019) Council of Europe Ministers underlined “the need to address increasing inequality, racism, xenophobia, hate speech and discrimination on grounds of religion or belief or any other ground”.

ECRI has since decided to revise its General Policy Recommendations No. 5 on hatred against Muslims and No. 9 on antisemitism. The new Steering Committee on Anti-discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI) will reinforce the Organisation’s intergovernmental work in this area.

 Further information

• Read the text of ECRI’s General Policy Recommendations on the fight against antisemitism
• Read the text of ECHR’s General Policy Recommendations on Combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims
• Visit the ECRI web site
• Visit the CDADI web site