TOLERANCE AND NON-DISCRIMINATION
ODIHR delivers training workshops on how civil
society can identify, monitor and respond to biasmotivated incidents and work together with the
relevant authorities.
In 2013, ODIHR provided training on responding to hate crimes to more than 130 civil society
representatives. Activists from Bulgaria, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro
and Ukraine increased their knowledge and skills
on the topic and were also able to establish contacts
with other organizations and exchange experiences.
ODIHR also conducted a regional workshop for people with disabilities and policymakers in Oslo. More
than 20 participants from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden were introduced to the concept of
hate crime against people with disabilities and to
monitoring and reporting mechanisms. A particular
focus was collaboration between civil society organizations, government officials and national human
rights institutions.
As part of its project to increase the capacity of
people of African descent to combat hate crimes, racism and xenophobia, ODIHR awarded five grants
for small-scale projects to civil society organizations from Austria, Hungary, Poland and Sweden.
The projects aim to raise awareness about the intolerance and discrimination faced by people of African
descent. In November, ODIHR organized a study visit
to Washington, D.C. for 17 civil society representatives. During the visit, the participants met with
representatives of the White House and State Department and a wide variety of civil rights activists.
Responding to Anti-Semitism
ODIHR closely followed the security challenges faced
by Jewish communities across the OSCE region.
An expert meeting, co-organized by the Ukrainian Chairmanship of the OSCE, brought together
more than 100 governmental and Jewish community
experts from more than 20 participating States to discuss obstacles to the safety of Jewish communities
and to exchange good practices. The meeting, which
took place on 13 and 14 June in Berlin, was opened by
the German Federal Minister of the Interior and the
Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office
on Combating Anti-Semitism. Participants recommended that governments and Jewish communities
co-operate closely through dialogue, sharing information and other confidence-building measures.
ODIHR also focused on raising awareness about
anti-Semitism, especially through educational activities. Teaching materials on contemporary and
historical manifestations of anti-Semitism have
been developed in 15 participating States. In May,
ODIHR gathered 18 experts who have promoted
these teaching materials to exchange experiences,
discuss challenges and share effective educational
approaches. The participants discussed, among
other topics, how to motivate teachers to address
the issue of anti-Semitism. Experts from Austria and
Denmark, Hungary and Sweden presented recent
developments related to the use of the teaching
materials.
ODIHR also continued its co-operation with the
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance to
assist participating States in promoting Holocaust
remembrance and education.
Responding to Intolerance against
Muslims
ODIHR, the Council of Europe and UNESCO co-organized a roundtable on the promotion of the Guidelines
for Educators on Countering Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims on 5 July in Strasbourg. The
event, which was the third in a series, focused on
challenging anti-Muslim prejudice and promoting
mutual respect in multicultural societies through education. Government representatives and educational
experts from 13 participating States attended. Participants concluded that educators need additional tools
to address intolerance against Muslims.
ODIHR delivered two training workshops for
Muslim community leaders and civil society representatives dealing with intolerance against Muslims.
Twenty-two civil society representatives from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden attended the
training on 3 and 4 May in Copenhagen. A training
session for Muslim community leaders from 20 participating States took place from 9 to 11 November
in Warsaw. During these workshops, participants underlined the need to enhance relationships
between Muslim communities and law-enforcement
agencies.
Raising Awareness about Intolerance
against Christians
ODIHR took part in a conference in Rome in November organized by the Personal Representative of the
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Racism and Xenophobia, also focusing on Intolerance against Christians
and Members of other Religions. The 60 participants
highlighted that the lack of information from participating States and civil society remains an obstacle
ODIHR Annual Report 2013 / 57
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