MINELRES: Minority Rights Group International: worskhop publications

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Original sender: Catherine Woollard <catherine.woollard@mrgmail.org>


Minority Rights Group International

Press Briefing                          18 August 2003
For immediate release

Inclusive workshops lead the way in action to promote minority rights

Based on meetings held in collaboration with its regional partner
organizations in Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Boznia and
Herzegovina and Bulgaria, Minority Rights Group International (MRG) have
published five workshop reports in July 2003. Leading by example in
their inclusive and participatory approach, the aim of the workshops was
to create platforms for public debate on key areas of minority concern
in the region, and to identify measures to practically improve the
situation of minority communities. These workshops brought together
international and local human and minority rights experts, policy
analysts and relevant decision makers, governmental representatives and
participants from non-governmental organizations and members of the
media.

On the issue of power-sharing, for example, examination and discussion
of case studies within the workshop allowed participants to identify
issues of key importance to minority rights and recommendations to
address these. Issues debated included, decentralization of
administration and decision-making, equitable representation and
effective participation, the role of the international community and
de-ethnicization of the political systems.

Click on the links below to access the full MRG workshop reports

Workshop - Minority Rights and Development Processes in South-East
Europe

In South-East Europe, poverty among minorities is typically widespread
and they experience exclusion from the social and economic life of their
countries. A two-day workshop held in Sofia, Bulgaria, had amongst its
aims the development of strategies to address practical problems
regarding participation of minority communities in all stages of
development projects. Key issues to emerge included the need for
recognition and the right of self-identification, and the need to
address widespread discrimination, such as in access to credit, which
creates crucial barriers to development.

http://www.minorityrights.org/WorkshopReports/work_rep_detail.asp?ID=16

Workshop - Emerging Frameworks of Power-sharing in South-East Europe:
Strengths and Weaknesses

Following bloody conflicts, new forms of power-sharing governance are
being instituted in some countries and entities of former Yugoslavia on
the basis of international agreements. These agreements include the 1995
Dayton Accord and the 2001 UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo)
Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self-government in Kosovo.
Based on a meeting in Tetovo, Macedonia in Spring 2003, this report
identifies the key problem areas regarding the feasibility and
effectiveness of power-sharing systems and develops strategies to
address practical problems facing relevant communities.

http://www.minorityrights.org/WorkshopReports/work_rep_detail.asp?ID=17

Workshop - Minority Rights and Education in South-East Europe

In times of economic hardship or after violent conflicts, education is
seen variously as a tool for betterment, reconciliation and integration.
It is especially important for vulnerable minority communities who feel
their identity is under threat. Education can be a mechanism for
promoting or denying minority rights, and it can reflect wider societal
values by promoting either diversity or mono-culturalism. A three-day
workshop held in March 2003 in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia and
Montenegro brought together minority rights activists, education
professionals and government representatives to explore the challenges
to the education rights of minorities.

http://www.minorityrights.org/WorkshopReports/work_rep_detail.asp?ID=14

Workshop - The Decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and
Herzegovina on the Constituent Status of Peoples and the Process of
Return

http://www.minorityrights.org/WorkshopReports/work_rep_detail.asp?ID=15

Workshop - The Status of Constituent Peoples and Minorities in Bosnia
and Herzegovina
http://www.minorityrights.org/WorkshopReports/work_rep_detail.asp?ID=13

In July 2000, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina ruled
that Bosniacs, Croats and Serbs have the status of constituent peoples
throughout the whole of the state. This important decision clarified
their legal status and, if implemented fully, could encourage the
process of return, improving displaced people's sense of security and
reducing their fear of discrimination in areas where they would be a
non-dominant ethnic group. These MRG workshops held in Sarajevo and
Mostar considers the current situation and future prospects and
recommends full implementation of the Court's decision.

For further information, interviews, or copies of these MRG workshops
contact MRG's press office at: 
379 Brixton Road, London, SW9 7DE 
tel: +44 (0) 20 7978 9498 
fax: +44 (0) 20 7738 6265
minority.rights@mrgmail.org            
www.minorityrights.org

Minority Rights Group International (MRG) is a non-governmental
organization working to secure the rights of ethnic, religious and
linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples worldwide, and to promote
cooperation and understanding between communities