OSCE-supported public debate on new draft law on prevention and protection against discrimination held in Skopje

Some 50 representatives of state institutions, civil society, and the international community gathered for a public debate, organized by the OSCE Mission to Skopje and the Labour and Social Policy Ministry, on the new draft law on prevention and protection against discrimination on 23 April 2018 in Skopje.

A summary of opinions on the draft law received from international organizations, including the OSCE/ODIHR, was presented.

“We strongly believe that the new Law on Prevention and Protection against Discrimination will strengthen protection from discrimination and help create a more just society,” said Jeff Goldstein, Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje.

“We welcome the work of all working group members on drafting the new law. We also welcome the comments and the proposals of ODIHR, the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, the United Nations, the European Union, and of civil society organizations. We hope that the Ministry will incorporate these proposals to the extent possible in the draft law,” Goldstein said.

The Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Mila Carovska, said it is important that everyone agrees that this new law is what the country needs: “I believe the law is good. Apart from being in compliance with European legislation and the international conventions that we have ratified, it also represents a real commitment of the government to protecting the citizens from discrimination and generating a policy and practice that will indeed make it possible to prevent discrimination against all citizens and on all grounds.”