OSCE tolerance meeting wraps up with calls for more youth initiatives and diversity education at schools

DUBROVNIK, Croatia, 24 October 2006 - The important role of youth education in the fight against xenophobia and intolerance and the increasing interest among OSCE participating States in promoting youth initiatives were the focus of an international two-day meeting that ended in Dubrovnik today.

"A comprehensive approach to human rights needs to incorporate anti-discrimination education," said Anastasia Crickley, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, in her closing remarks.

"I don't want to be tolerated, I want to be respected," she added. Ms Crickley appealed to the OSCE participating States to take up the idea of introducing a Holocaust memorial day and urged them to renew their commitment to engage in anti-discrimination efforts.

"Action speaks a lot louder than words," she told the participants, and recalled that any comprehensive approach needed to include civil society actors and should include youth initiatives.

Participants at the event highlighted possible crisis prevention initiatives the OSCE could develop in combating issues such as bias and hate-motivated bullying at schools, to avoid that such incidents could eventually become the root of more violent conflicts. In this context, they pointed to the particular importance of education about the Holocaust.

The event was attended by officials from OSCE participating States and civil society representatives. They discussed issues such as teacher training, curricula development, tools to educate about the Holocaust and conflict prevention in and outside of classrooms.

In addition, an interdisciplinary university curriculum for human rights and democratic citizenship was presented, as well as an assessment report prepared by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The report included information from OSCE States on diversity education and potential future assistance projects by the Organization. The ODIHR also presented teaching material on anti-Semitism.

Participants agreed that direct contact with the victims of hate crimes, especially Holocaust survivors, is an effective tool to raise awareness on intolerance and racism. They also concluded that, since xenophobia and intolerance affected everyone individually, every individual had a responsibility to take action.

On 9 and 10 November, the OSCE will hold in Vienna a third experts meeting, focusing on the data deficit regarding hate crimes. The results of the three implementation meetings in 2006 of Almaty, Dubrovnik and Vienna, will feed into discussions at the next OSCE Ministerial Council meeting, to be held on 4 and 5 December in Brussels.