The Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR), as part of the European Union co-funded project “ECOSYSTEM – Strengthening Public Authorities’ Capacity to Respond to Intersectional Discrimination through Multi-Agency Coalitions”, is organising the Final Conference of the project, which will take place on Friday, 18 September 2026, from 09:00 to 15:00, at Gasholder 1 – Miltiadis Evert Amphitheatre, Technopolis City of Athens.
The Final Conference marks the completion of an important joint effort to strengthen institutional responses to racism, intolerance, hate crimes, and multiple and intersectional discrimination. It aims to present and disseminate the project’s results and deliverables to relevant institutional and civil society stakeholders, while supporting their uptake and integration into broader public policies and practices.
The ECOSYSTEM project is implemented by the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family, together with the Greek National Commission for Human Rights and KMOP – Social Action and Innovation Centre, with a strong focus on promoting a society free from discrimination and exclusion and strengthening cooperation among public authorities, independent institutions and civil society organisations.
Throughout its implementation, the ECOSYSTEM project has contributed, among other things, to the development of the 2nd National Action Plan against Racism and Intolerance, strengthening the capacity of relevant national authorities to respond more effectively to incidents of intolerance, racism, hate crimes and intersectional discrimination, and facilitating victims’ access to services, support organisations and useful information through a dedicated online platform available in ten languages. At the same time, nationwide information and awareness-raising activities were carried out, with a presence on television, public transport and other public spaces.
Focus on the underreporting of racist violence and victims’ access to justice
Particular emphasis in the Conference programme will be placed on the persistent issue of the underreporting of incidents of racist violence and its implications for the effective protection of victims and their access to justice.
The thematic panel “Underreporting of Racist Violence: Institutional Challenges, Access to Justice and Victim Protection” will bring together Michalis Lolis, Hellenic Police Officer; Kalliopi Lykovardi, Deputy Ombudsman for Equal Treatment; Maria Stylianou-Lottides, Commissioner for Administration and Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Cyprus; Adla Sasati, Director of the Greek Forum of Migrants and Founder of Rootes: Migrants Memory Solidarity Collective; Anna Apergi Konstantinidi, Special Advisor/Expert at the Diversity Charter Greece and Member of the GNCHR; and Tomasz Filipiak, Project Officer at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR). The discussion will be moderated by Elli Varchalamas, Second Vice-President of the GNCHR.
The international and European dimension of combating racism, intolerance and discrimination will be the focus of the Conference’s second main thematic discussion.
The panel “International and European Policies to Address Racism, Intolerance and Discrimination” will feature Linos-Alexander Sicilianos, Professor at the School of Law of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, member of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) and former President of the European Court of Human Rights; Tina Stavrinaki, Assistant Professor of Human Rights and International Law at Utrecht University and elected member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD); Marion Lalisse, European Commission Coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred; and Georgios Stamatis, Member of Parliament and General Rapporteur on Roma and Travellers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The discussion will be moderated by Giannis Ioannidis, First Vice-President of the GNCHR.
The Conference will open with welcome remarks by Kostis Papaioannou, Chair of the Board of Directors of Technopolis City of Athens; Katerina Patsogianni, Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family; Professor Maria Gavouneli, President of the GNCHR; and Jenny Lazarou, Institutional and Community Engagement Coordinator at KMOP. This will be followed by a presentation of the ECOSYSTEM project and its key results by representatives of the three implementing organisations.
The Conference will also highlight the contribution of art and cultural expression to making visible experiences of exclusion, migration and discrimination. In this context, the poetic video-dance documentary “Walking in Light”, directed and produced by Elena Zervopoulou, will be screened, featuring unaccompanied minors with experiences of forced migration. During the Conference, visual artist and painter Dimitris Asteriou (ABABA) will also create a live artwork at the venue. The presentation of the two artists and a discussion with the audience will conclude the Conference.
The detailed Conference programme is attached here.
The working languages of the Conference are Greek and English, with simultaneous interpretation.
A certificate of attendance will be provided.
Friday, 18 September 2026 | 09:00–15:00
Technopolis City of Athens
Gasholder 1 – Miltiadis Evert Amphitheatre
100 Pireos Avenue, Gazi, Athens