HERA-Health Education and Research Association along with the Coalition Sexual and Health Rights of Marginalized Populations with support of the Embassy of the kingdom of Netherlands in Skopje organized Conference on Improvement of protection against discrimination, with a focus on sexual orientation and gender identity.

More than 80 participants representing the CSOs, LGBTI CSOs, The ombudsman, The Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, The local self-governments of Stip, Strumica and Kumanovo, the UN agencies and others took part in the panel discussions on improving central and local mechanisms for protection against discrimination.

The main conclusions from the conference are the following:
- To amend the Law for Prevention and Protection from Discrimination in line with the recommendations of the multisectorial working group in the Ministry of Labor and Labor and Social Policy. Among other things this means introducing sexual orientation and gender identity as ground of discrimination, but also to define criteria for selecting members of the Commission for Prevention and Protection from Discrimination and to ensure financial and administrative support for the Commission.
- To strengthen the work of the local mechanisms for protection from discrimination within their obligations by using the example of the newly established Local bodies for protection against discrimination in the municipalities of Stip, Kumanovo and Strumica