OSCE/ODIHR helps strengthen Georgian civil society coalition against discrimination

Enhancing the capacity of a civil society coalition campaigning against discrimination and hate speech in Georgian politics and media was the focus of a workshop organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Borjomi, Georgia on 5 and 6 March 2019.

The workshop brought together 19 participants (11 men and eight women) from the 13 civil society groups that form the "No to Phobia!" coalition. The participants reviewed the coalition's goals and explored ways to broaden its strategies in light of the institutional, social and legal changes that have taken place since the coalition's creation in May 2017.

“No to Phobia’s mission to counter expressions of discrimination and support political unions in creating interparty mechanisms to help eliminate discrimination in the political sphere is admirable,” said Christie Edwards, Deputy Head of the ODIHR Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department. “Advocacy tools must be as dynamic as the discriminatory practice they seek to address. We are proud to help coalitions bring together groups with different skills, experiences, resources and connections, which is a proven mechanism for building more tolerant societies.”

Lev Samovski, Member of the European Jewish Parliament and Head of the Center for Combating Anti-Semitism, said: “While Georgia’s diverse society is generally tolerant, problems in upholding human rights and building the capacity of democratic institutions persist. ODIHR provides great support to Georgia in this regard. This training is of great importance because it enables the sharing of best practices for building coalitions and provides participants with practical guidance on how to build and increase the capacity of coalitions promoting more tolerant and peaceful societies. It is also encouraging participants to be more active in promoting freedom and democracy, as well as providing them with knowledge about how to recognize and respond to hate crimes.”

The workshop was part of ODIHR's efforts to support civil society in the OSCE region. ODIHR carried out a needs assessment mission in Georgia in August 2018, the results of which informed the contents of the workshop. The format of the workshop and the strategies explored and adopted by its participants drew on ODIHR's practical guide Coalition Building for Tolerance and Non-Discrimination.