At an informal meeting on 6 December 2021, delegations from the Council of Europe’s 47 member States held an exchange of views with representatives of international civil society organisations active in the area of combatting hate crime. They discussed the challenges of data gathering, reporting, investigation, sanctioning, and the protection of victims.
The aim of the exchange of views was to find out more about the contribution and expectations of these organisations towards improving standards and practice in this area, and to underline the role of civil society and national human rights institutions in the work of the Council of Europe. The exchange of views was part of the follow-up to the decision taken by the Committee of Ministers (Helsinki Ministerial Session, May 2019) to protect and promote civil society more effectively by improving the participation of civil society organisations in the work of the Council of Europe.