Over 60 people, representing electoral management bodies, local authorities, non-governmental organisations, anti-discrimination stakeholders, mass-media and potential voters gathered at a roundtable aimed at building a common platform for discussions on the importance of preventing and combating hate speech, sexism and other forms of gender-based violence ahead of electoral campaign for the 5 November 2023 General Local Elections.

At the opening of the event, Falk LANGE, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau highlighted that: “National and local partners, jointly with civil society organizations, media institutions and political actors, need to join efforts to aim for “zero” tolerance towards all forms of discrimination in Moldovan society. In this way we foster the democratic processes in the Republic of Moldova and their alignment with Council of Europe standards and recommendations”.

 Angelica CARAMAN, Chair of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova, stated that:

“Although studies reveal that there have been significant improvements in the population's perception of women's involvement in the public sphere, stereotypes and discriminatory points of view persist that men are more prepared to exercise public offices in the state, women cannot make a proper decision because of their sensitivity and emotionality, or the role of women is rather seen in the kitchen and in the direction of raising children. Women have shown that they are capable of managing institutions and an entire country.”.

At the roundtable, the latest instruments and methodologies developed by the Council of Europe were presented, such as: a Guide on preventing and combatting sexism at the local level in the Republic of Moldova,  Methodology on monitoring sexist speech and behaviour in the traditional and new (online) media in the Republic of Moldova, especially during electoral periods, a Guide for assessing and processing hate speech in media, the revised Code of Conduct for electoral competitors and media outlets, as well as awareness raising materials and videos on the impact of hatred, discrimination, and sexism during the electoral campaign.

The event participants agreed upon the importance of continuing cooperation and joining efforts in order to eradicate discrimination, hate speech, sexism and ensuring equal rights for all, as well as the same visibility, empowerment, responsibility and participation in the election process and beyond – in all spheres of private and public life.

This event was organised by the Council of Europe and UN Women Moldova, in partnership with the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova and financed by the European Union, Council of Europe and Sweden. The roundtable is part of  a joint initiative of the EU/CoE project “Combating discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Republic of Moldova ” (part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme Partnership for Good Governance), CoE project " Improving electoral practices in the Republic of Moldova, Phase III", and CoE Congress project " Reinforcing the culture of dialogue and ethical open local governance in the Republic of Moldova ."

Press release (available only in Romanian)