OSCE Chairmanship Conference on Tolerance and Diversity

The conference will be opened by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and General Music Director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin State Opera), Daniel Barenboim.

Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR); Lotte Leicht, EU Director at Human Rights Watch; Anastasia Crickley, Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; and Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe will take part in the panel discussion after the opening.

“The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, will participate as one of the panelists in a panel on “Combatting Hate Speech and Discrimination on the Internet”.

The promotion of open, diverse and tolerant societies, respect for human rights and the willingness to change are essential elements of the response to the challenges that governments and societies in the OSCE area are facing. The conference will explore issues of tolerance and diversity and their contribution to stable and peaceful societies based on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It will discuss policy tools and provide examples of good practice. A particular focus will be on topics such as:

Respect for Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms as a Basis for Tolerance and Social Cohesion
Education for Diversity and Tolerance: encouraging commonality and combating discrimination
Tolerance and Freedom of Speech: Countering Hate Speech and Combating Discrimination on the Internet

The conference is directed towards representatives from government, media, businesses, and civil society from the OSCE participating States and Partners for Cooperation.

Civil society plays an important role in promoting tolerance and diversity. The contribution of civil society actors will be the focus of a civil society pre‑conference on Wednesday, 19 October where discussions will focus on the role of state and non‑state actors in promoting tolerance and diversity, interrelations between combating hatred in social media and freedom of opinion and expression, how to effectively safeguard against discrimination, and what alliances can be formed for joint advocacy. The results of these discussions will then be presented by civil society representatives at the conference on 20 October.

For further information please contact the conference team at tolerance-osce2016@diplo.de