TOLERANCE AND NON-DISCRIMINATION Mohamed Abubaker (l), Detective Inspector with the Swedish National Bureau of Investigation, addressing at an expert meeting on law enforcement measures and hate crimes against Muslims, in Vienna, 28 April. OSCE/ Irine Kurtanidze rights plans and programmes; and development of mechanisms to ensure effective transfer of information from intelligence services to the police to help prevent crimes against Muslims. Following this event, ODIHR organized a focus group discussion for 17 women from 13 participating States on 13 May, in which participants shared their own experiences of hate-motivated violence and discrimination, while highlighting factors that either hamper or facilitate better responses to hate crimes. Many participants reported on good practices and co-operation with the authorities and with other communities. They also identified the need for public officials to send a consistent message stressing the positive aspect of diversity and countering the marginalization of and negative attitudes towards Muslims, or members of any other communities. In collaboration with the Council of Europe, ODIHR co-organized an event focusing on the Guidelines for Educators on Countering Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims: Addressing Islamophobia through Education. The event, held from 17 to 19 September in Budapest, enabled participants to identify challenges and best practices in tackling intolerance against Muslims through education. Responding to Racism and Xenophobia In 2014, ODIHR implemented an initiative to work with people of African descent and counter hate crimes and discrimination from a gender perspective. The unique experiences and challenges confronting women of African descent in the OSCE region was the focus of a two-day workshop organized for women of African descent in Warsaw on 29 and 30 May. The 21 women from 15 OSCE participating States recommended that ODIHR continue its work by reaching out to women of African descent in the OSCE region and by supporting civil society organizations. ODIHR also organized a brainstorming meeting with representatives of people of African descent from Austria, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Malta, Poland and the United Sates on 11 November. Participants at this meeting, held in Berlin, discussed ODIHR’s continued engagement with people of African descent by both encouraging hate crime victims to report their cases to the authorities and encouraging civil society to contribute to ODIHR’s annual hate crime reporting and training initiatives. Intolerance against Christians In 2014, ODIHR continued its work addressing intolerance by supporting the work of Ambassador Alexey Avtonomov, Personal Representative on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, focusing on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians and Members of Other Religions. The Office collaborated with civil society groups active in monitoring data on hate incidents targeting Christians for ODIHR’s annual hate crime reporting website and during civil society training events. ODIHR Annual Report 2014 57