November 26, 2020

Finnish Supreme Court bans Nordic neo-Nazi organization

The long-awaited ruling, referring to the European Convention on Human Rights and the UN Convention on Civil and Political Rights, states that trying to establish a […]
October 1, 2020

How COVID-19 is compounding inequalities against older persons

In the aftermath of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic we need to look at how decisions were made, we need to draw lessons, and to ensure that in future crises, rights are equally respected regardless of age. Read AGE Platform Europe's take on how older people were affected during Covid and what we can do to tackle ageism in the future.
September 21, 2020
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Equinet at work: The Compendium of Article 14 cases from the European Court of Human Rights and the written observations submitted to the ECtHR

The Equinet Equality Law Working Group has been working during the last year towards contributing to developing the European Court of Human Rights' (ECtHR) jurisprudence, including increased analysis of article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and issues that are at the cutting edge of equality law and theory. This blog post presents the results of this work.
September 16, 2020
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EU Funded Discrimination of Persons with Disabilities in Austria – and elsewhere

The living facilities, as well as the sheltered workshops that were co-funded by the EU, perpetuate the segregation and social exclusion of persons with disabilities in Austria. This is in breach not only of the above mentioned Council Directive 2000/78/EC, but also the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the European Social Pillar and, last but not least, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which was ratified by both the European Union and Austria. Read this blog post to find out more.
September 14, 2020
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Let’s talk about sexual and reproductive health and rights: Not fully implemented before COVID-19 & suspended during the pandemic

This blog post outlines the pre-existing limitations in access to sexual and reproductive health and rights across Europe as well as the further violations we are now witnessing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. By looking at how equality bodies are responding, this article shows the unique role that NEBs play in ensuring access to SRHR.
July 28, 2020

Equality for Roma and Travellers: Time to Deliver

Equality Bodies accord high priority in their work to seeking improvement in the situation and experience of Roma and Travellers. They share a particular concern at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Roma and Travellers and how inequality and disadvantage have left these communities ill-equipped to protect themselves from the pandemic.
July 27, 2020

Why Intersectionality is relevant for a fairer Europe

Initially hailed as the 'great equalizer,' the COVID-19 pandemic has, in reality, exposed the depth of institutional, structural, and systemic discrimination and inequality in our societies. The question for Europe now is not if discrimination and exclusion exist but rather how intersectionality serves as a tool to create a fairer, socially just, and more inclusive Europe for everyone.
June 16, 2020

How can Equality Bodies put equality between women and men at the heart of the response to COVID-19 across Europe?

In April 2020, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) published a policy brief, in which it shed light on the crucial issue that can no longer be ignored – the COVID-19 pandemic is reinforcing existing inequalities in our society and the long-term impacts of the health crisis will disproportionately affect women and girls.
June 12, 2020

The ban on full-face veils and the COVID-19 pandemic

Society has changed enormously in recent months. The world is under the spell of a pandemic. New manners and customs are appearing, such as no physical contact with others, new ways of greeting each other, social distancing and wearing face masks or alternatives is becoming the norm in public spaces. When it comes to this issue, the WHO is clear: wearing a medical mask can limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases, including COVID-19. From a human rights perspective, the latter trend is particularly interesting, especially if we take into account the fact that in some European countries wearing full-face veils in public spaces is prohibited by law and can lead to sanctions (i.e. fines, prison, administrative fines).
April 27, 2021

Annual report 2020 of the Ombudsperson Institution of Kosovo*

The Ombudsperson Institution of Kosovo* has published its annual report for the year 2020 as the fulfillment of the constitutional liability of submitting an Annual Report […]
February 24, 2021

Belgium: Unia takes a stand for getting along together, even in times of corona crisis

The corona crisis that is gripping our country has fuelled mutual distrust among citizens. “We notice that there is a strong tendency to look for culprits […]
February 5, 2021

Tackling age discrimination: Stepping Up our Engagement with Youth

On 1 – 2 March, Equinet organized an online workshop in cooperation with the European Youth Forum (YFJ), building on the outcomes of our seminar in […]
October 1, 2020

How COVID-19 is compounding inequalities against older persons

In the aftermath of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic we need to look at how decisions were made, we need to draw lessons, and to ensure that in future crises, rights are equally respected regardless of age. Read AGE Platform Europe's take on how older people were affected during Covid and what we can do to tackle ageism in the future.
September 10, 2020

Equinet Compendium: Article 14 Cases from the European Court of Human Rights

In order to identify how equality bodies could best contribute to developing European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) jurisprudence, the Equinet Equality Law Working Group monitored Article 14 cases to identify those that are directly relevant to equality and non-discrimination and the work of equality bodies. Read their findings in our Compendium
September 27, 2019

Slovenia: Regular Annual Report 2018

The Advocate of the Principle of Equality for the Republic of Slovenia published its annual report for the year 2018. After its second fully operational year as an independent national equality body, the report looks back at the process of establishing the body in accordance with the Slovenian Protection Against Discrimination Act (PADA) and the activities undertaken to address discrimination in the country.
July 9, 2019

Declaration on the Role of Equality Bodies: 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Equality and non-discrimination are deeply embedded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
July 5, 2019
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Equality Bodies & SDGs: Equinet at the UN High Level Political Forum 2019

Thanks to the support of the Danish Institute for Human Rights, Policy Officer Moana Genevey will be attending the HLPF throughout the week. She will be speaking at 2 events at the UN General Headquarters, and Equinet is a partner in two other events as well.
July 4, 2019

Seminar: Tackling Ageism and Age Discrimination against Older People

Our capacity building seminar entitled "Tackling Age Discrimination against Older Persons: Building Bridges between Equality Bodies & Older Persons’ Organisations”, co-organized with AGE Platform Europe, took place in Berlin on 27-28 June.