08-06-2011

ECMI takes part in roundtable in Minsk on "Promotion of Interethnic Dialogue: Contemporary European and Belarusian Experience"

On 1 June 2011, Dr Alexander Osipov, ECMI Senior Research Associate of the Justice & Governance Cluster, took part in the roundtable on minority issues convened by the Belarusian Republican Centre for Nationalities’ Cultures (RCNC).

The roundtable held in the RCNC premises was attended by the local research community, the representatives of the minority organisations and the Chair of the Consultative Inter-Ethnic Council, the representative of the Nationalities Unit under the office of  representative of the   the Plenipotentiary on Religious and Nationalities Affairs;  the “Radzima” Society (National Association  for Belarus Diaspora), the Association of UNESCO Clubs, the Society of Friendship and  the Belarus Helsinki Committee. Alexander Osipov introduced the ECMI – its mandate and activities and presented ECMI’s Belarus programme. The participants shared their visions of the priorities and directions for future research and public discussions on minority issues in Belarus. The participants agreed that the ECMI Belarus programme touched upon a real need to start a dialogue with European institutions and scholars on minority issues. The need to raise awareness of the Belarusian NGOs and governmental officials about other countries’ achievements in minority protection,  and to invest in the development of expert community on minority issues in Belarus  was in particular  related to such issues as minorities’ participation in public life, functioning of consultative mechanisms, and promotion of tolerance.

The future activities of ECMI in Belarus were also discussed with the Plenipotentiary on Religious and Nationalities Affairs, the major governmental body in charge of minority issues in Belarus, with the director of the Republican Centre of Nationalities’ Cultures, and with civil society organizations.

 

Place and Date:  Minsk, 2 June 2011

For further information, please contact: Alexander Osipov at  osipov[@]ecmi.de