On February 23rd, 2023, representatives from Albanian local and central institutions convened in Korça to discuss concrete measures to address segregation in schools and advance the integration of Roma and Egyptian children in education, with support from the European Union and the Council of Europe. This meeting was organised in response to a recent judgement of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) that found discrimination based on ethnicity and a failure of national authorities to implement desegregation measures in a school in the Korça region.
During the meeting, the State Advocate, Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination, relevant ministries, and local authorities actively discussed and commented on the measures to be undertaken to support the implementation of the ECtHR judgment. The discussions focused on maintaining inter-institutional synergies throughout the process and ensuring sustainable solutions to prevent segregation in schools in the future. The cooperation between institutions and stakeholders demonstrated a commitment to the rule of law and human rights in Albania.
The meeting was an essential step forward in fulfilling Albania's obligations under the ECtHR judgment and better protecting human rights in the country. Following the meeting's outcomes, the Albanian State Advocate will finalise the action plan, which will guide relevant national authorities to execute the judgment effectively.
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The activity was organised in the framework of the actions “Improving the protection of the right to property and facilitating executions of ECtHR judgements and facilitating the execution of ECtHR judgements in Albania” and “Advancing the protection from discrimination in Albania” under “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye III”, and in cooperation with the EU/CoE joint programme JP “Promoting good governance and Roma empowerment at local level”, initiatives co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.
