High Commissioner on National Minorities

The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Knut Vollebaek delivered a statement to the 920th Plenary Meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on 12 July 2012.

Vollebaek announced his plans to launch a new set of HCNM guidelines on integration in the autumn, which will join the previous six sets of recommendations and guidelines issued by his office.

Supporting the efforts of majority and minority communities to bridge divides and build integrated and stable societies is at the core of the HCNM’s long-term conflict prevention work, and his office has accumulated considerable practical experience in dealing with inter-ethnic relations over the past 20 years.

“The challenge is to find a careful balance between policies of integration and inclusion and those of recognition and accommodation of diversity. I want to assist participating States with finding this balance,” Vollebaek said.

The High Commissioner also gave an overview of the countries he has been working with and the issues he has been engaged with since his last statement to the OSCE Permanent Council in November 2011.

The full text of his statement can be found here: http://www.osce.org/hcnm/92334