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In recognition of the conflict prevention mandate of the High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE HCNM), as well as numerous obligations and pledges made at the United Nations[1] to increase socio-economic inclusion for national, ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities, a roundtable event entitled “Promoting Conflict Prevention through the Socio-Economic Inclusion of Minorities” will be held on 15 November 2023 to address the effective participation of minorities in social and economic life as a key strategy for conflict prevention.

Supported jointly by the OSCE HCNM and the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, this roundtable serves as a continuation of an earlier joint endeavour undertaken by both institutions in 2021. The latter culminated in a high-level event entitled "The Effective Participation of Minorities in Economic Life as a Strategy for Conflict Prevention" on 21 November 2021 at the UN Office at Geneva[2]. The objective on that occasion was to convene esteemed experts and representatives from international organizations to better understand how to create fair policies that effectively tackle social and economic challenges experienced by minority communities.

As a follow-up to the aforementioned event, the OSCE HCNM subsequently undertook numerous initiatives, including the preparation of a new set of HCNM thematic recommendations that focus on ways to increase the social and economic participation of national minorities[3]. This upcoming roundtable will discuss the relevance of the measures and policy approaches envisaged in this document, in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other UN frameworks that could prevent the escalation of social and inter-ethnic tensions. A specific focus will be given to the socio-economic inclusion of minority youth and women.

More specifically, the event aims to better understand the challenges in this regard and to reflect on how to achieve a more inclusive socio-economic-cultural balance in the future, leaving no one behind. Panelists will discuss lessons learned and best practices, especially in the post-pandemic setting, and propose relevant approaches for inclusive socio-economic policies. The panel debate and the subsequent Q&A session are designed to encourage participants to discuss positive actions to counter the economic marginalization and exclusion of minorities, in line with the relevant SDGs, as well as recommendations and guidelines developed by the OSCE HCNM[4].

The event will be livestreamed on UN Web TV platform:  https://media.un.org/en/webtv

Register here.

Programme

Introductory Remarks:

  • Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva
  • Ms. Nada Al-Nashif, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights  
  • Ambassador Kairat Abdrakhmanov, High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Moderator: Iryna Ulasiuk, Head of CIS and Baltics Section, HCNM

Roundtable:

  • Ms. Tatiana Molcean, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
  • Ms. Nathalie Chuard, Ambassador, Director, DCAF – Geneva Center for Security Sector Governance
  • Mr. Patrick Eba, Deputy Director in the Division of International Protection, UNHCR
  • Mr. Hernan Vales, Chief, Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section, OHCHR
  • Dr. Fernand de Varennes, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues (2017-2023)
  • Dr. Jennifer Jackson-Preece, Associate Professor in Nationalism, European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science

Discussion

Moderator: Elzbieta Kuzborska-Pacha, Senior Legal Adviser, HCNM

 
[1] Including the Recommendations of the Forum on Minority Issues adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2011, focusing on minorities’ effective participation in economic life.
[4] A full list of the OSCE HCNM guidelines and recommendations is available at: https://www.osce.org/hcnm/thematic-recommendations-and-guidelines
The Lund Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Public Life (1999, OSCE HCNM) specifically aim to facilitate the inclusion of minorities within the public sphere of a State.