Staff members of the Ombudsman Office participated in online meeting with the representatives of the COE

Staff members of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan participated in online discussion, supported by the European Union (EU) and organized by the Council of Europe (COE).
The discussions were held within the framework of the regional project titled “Strengthening access to justice through non-judiciary redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in Eastern Partnership countries”.

The aim of the online meeting was to conduct discussions with the Azerbaijani Ombudsman institution on enhancing the awareness raising work on anti-discrimination, analyzing national legislation and learning relevant international experience.

During the meeting staff members of the Office briefed the COE representatives about the provisions of the national legislation on guarantees of equality, as well as the Commissioner’s activity in this area. It was noted that the respect to equal rights is one of the national-moral values of the Azerbaijani people and Azerbaijan has always been a place where various national-ethnic groups and people with different religions lived together in peace and tranquility. This was added that multiculturalism turned to be both a lifestyle and state policy in Azerbaijan, which can be deemed as an example of tolerance.

During the online meeting the significant role of the Ombudsman institutions in combating discrimination was noted; the relevant cooperation of the Azerbaijani Ombudsman with the UN, COE and other field organizations was highly evaluated. This was also pointed that improving knowledge and skills of the staff members of the Office by study of international experience in the field of anti-discrimination also enhances the efficiency of the Ombudsman’s relevant activities.