Council of Europe urges Ukraine to strengthen protection of Roma and LGBTI people against discrimination

The findings are set out in ECRI’s new report on Ukraine, published in Strasbourg on October 21, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Since the adoption of ECRI’s fifth report on Ukraine on 20 June 2017, progress has been made and good practices have been developed in many areas,” the executive summary states.

Among the positive developments, the experts highlighted increased activity by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, expanded police training in investigating hate crimes, and the adoption of strategies for Roma inclusion. The report also notes a significant improvement in public attitudes towards LGBTI people.

At the same time, Roma and LGBTI people remain particularly vulnerable to hate speech.

“Many cases of hate crime continue to be misclassified and prosecuted as ordinary offences, including hooliganism,” the report states.

The report contains 15 recommendations for the Ukrainian authorities, two of which have been identified as priorities. The first calls for public awareness campaigns against hate speech, particularly targeting LGBTI people and Roma, to be conducted in cooperation with civil society.

The second calls for the establishment of a working group to identify Roma people who need identity documents and help them obtain them, including by simplifying administrative procedures. ECRI will assess implementation of these two recommendations through an interim follow-up review no later than two years after the report’s publication.

The commission also recommends tackling anti-LGBTI bullying in schools, improving access to healthcare, ensuring quality education for Roma children, and providing the Ombudsman with adequate human and financial resources.

The report covers the period from June 2017 to March 2026 and takes into account the exceptional circumstances caused by Russia’s war of aggression. It does not cover the situation in temporarily occupied territories or that of Ukrainians who have been forced to flee abroad, as ECRI examines the latter as part of its monitoring of other countries.

As reported, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset presented the main priorities of the organisation’s 2027–2030 Action Plan, “Democratic Security for Ukraine”, which aims to strengthen democratic resilience, the rule of law and judicial independence, and support reforms required for European integration.