15 years working together to tackle hate crime in South-Eastern Europe

Hate crimes remain a threat to security and social cohesion, particularly in post-conflict and transitional societies. At a side event of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and six OSCE field operations marked 15 years of efforts to address this challenge through regional co-operation in South-Eastern Europe.

The event, organized with OSCE field operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Skopje, Serbia, Albania and the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, showcased progress and good practices in responding to hate crimes across the region.

“An effective hate crime response is an important pillar for safeguarding security and stability in South-Eastern Europe,” said Halisa Skopljak, National Legal Officer at the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. “With the support of ODIHR, OSCE Missions have drawn on our countries’ shared experiences to facilitate strengthened responses to hate crime in the region.”

Coordinated, cross-border approaches remain vital to tackling hate crime effectively and ensuring safer, more inclusive societies in South-Eastern Europe. The cooperation among OSCE field operations and ODIHR has paved the way for national authorities to engage in dialogue, build trust with affected communities and strengthen hate crime responses.