The concluding session of the training course “Promoting equality and combating hate speech” took place in Kyiv on 27 and 28 February 2024, with more than 30 participants, representatives of regional branches of the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombusperson) and its Department of Monitoring of Observance of Equal Rights and Freedoms, Rights of National Minorities, Political and Religious Beliefs.

This last session aimed at improving the capacity of the Ombudsperson’s team when it comes to dealing with individual cases of discrimination and hate speech and related data collection.

Following online sessions on anti-discrimination and hate speech held in December 2023 and January 2024 the participants further discussed the impact of hate speech on targeted individuals and groups as well as in the society. The event enabled in-depth exchanges about working on individual cases, exchanges of good practice in providing assistance to victims as well as on the importance of a solid methodology and data collection system, relevant for further work of the Commissioner’s team.

Participants actively engaged with the practical parts of the training - in recognising and classifying hate speech, discussing dealing with individual cases of hate speech under the national legislation. The importance of cooperation with other relevant actors in Ukraine was highlighted and further steps for strengthening the role of Commissioner’s Secretariat in preventing and combating hate speech in Ukraine discussed.

This event was organised in cooperation with the Office of Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, as a part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in the framework of the project “Combating hate speech in Ukraine”.