Coalition building among civil society groups, co-operation with governments the focus of OSCE/ODIHR event on countering hate crime and other forms of intolerance

Facilitating collaboration among civil society groups and strengthening co-operation with governments were the focus of a two-day conference organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Vienna, on 18 and 19 November 2015.

The Conference on Advancing Tolerance and Non-Discrimination through Coalition Building and Co-operation, which brought together more than 47 civil society representatives from 16 OSCE participating States, was held in parallel to the annual meeting of National Points of Contact on hate crime. This annual meeting, which brought together 40 government officials from 34 participating states, provided a forum to share good practices and strengthen their co-operation with ODIHR on hate crime data collection. Joint sessions held with the civil society conference facilitated dialogue between civil society participants and government officials. 

"Countering intolerance and discrimination must be a shared priority that brings together governments and civil society," said Cristina Finch, Head of ODIHR's Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department. "Efforts by governments and civil society complement each other, and this conference gives them an opportunity to understand each others’ work and realities in which they operate, and look for successful responses to hate crime and other forms of intolerance."  

In addition to exploring methods for co-operation between states and civil society, the conference examined good practices in civil society coalition building and the best ways for civil society groups to come together and engage governments effectively.

"Building coalitions across the wide spectrum of civil society is an incredibly powerful tool to create the will to counter hate crimes and other acts of bigotry and intolerance," said Wade Henderson, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. "By working in a coalition, we are able to present common approaches and develop effective strategies to meet our common goals."

The civil society conference and the annual meeting of the National Points of Contact follow the publication of ODIHR's annual reporting on hate crime on 16 November 2015, the International Day for Tolerance. More information is available at hatecrime.osce.org.