
Promotion of positive interethnic relations toward peace building, development and integration in multiethnic regions of West, Central East and South East Serbia GENDER AND MINORITY OVERVIEW IN SERBIA 2005 English version Belgrade – Niš 2006 The Project is cofinanced by the European Union in the framework of the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights and COOPI. This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Community. The views expressed herein are those of Coopi and FER and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of European Commission. CONTENTS • Introduction Claudia Iacovacci, COOPI…………………………………………………...2 • Brief overview of the training course “Local leaders on new democratic minority policy” Forum for Ethnic Relations …………………………………………………5 • GENDER AND MINORITY OVERVIEW IN SERBIA: From institutional framework towards the implementation Danijela Nenadić……………………………………………………………..8 2 Introduction The three years project “Promotion of positive interethnic relations towards peace building, development and integration in multiethnic region of the West, Central East and South East Serbia” has been funded by the European Union and COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale - in the framework of European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights1. From 2003, we have been working in 16 municipalities2 in Sandžak, Central and South East Serbia with our Serbian Partners, in the field of post conflict confidence building strategies with different models to facilitate dialogue, tolerance and maintain and further improve multiethnic community equilibrium, involving both local institutions and local civil society, since we believe that local level is an important pillar of democracy building3. The improvement of participation of ethnic minorities and other vulnerable groups to public life and the enhancement of the cultural, linguistic and religious rights is pursued by our project through: 1. Promotion of diversity at cultural, linguistic, religious level through original theatre and social research techniques and the implementation of artistic events (realization of murals and painting workshops, radio programs lead by children on fairy tales and different cultural traditions, multiethnic days, photo exhibitions, theatre plays, international youth camps, social history trainings and researches). 2. Implementation or strengthening of the mechanism of monitoring of discrimination and of violation of rights of minorities and other vulnerable groups. With this regards, the project affords the training of cultural mediators and human rights monitoring activities and is calling for further implementation of the local ombudsmen system. 3. Raising awareness on minorities’ issues, supporting the education to non violence and peaceful resolution of conflict and interethnic coexistence. The “Local Leaders Training Course on New Democratic Policy” that has been held all along 2004 and 2005 in ten municipalities belongs to these two last groups of activities and has proved to be relevant not only to train local leaders, NGO activists, media professionals and local public officers but also to facilitate discussion, exchange views, problems of local communities and to look for common solution to several shapes of discrimination, and reinforce the implementation of human rights and minorities rights monitoring systems. 1 This program has been created in 1994, putting together different budget lines which previously dealt with human rights issues, to support democratization and ensure protection of human rights. It is not merely a financing instrument but also a policy one which underpin EU’s common Foreign and Security Policy in the fields of human rights, democratization and conflict prevention. 2Central East Serbia- Kladovo, Negotin, Knjazevac, Zaječar ; South and South East Serbia:Pirot, Bosilegrad, Niš, Dimitrovgrad, Vranje, Leskovac; Sandžak, Raška, Novi Pazar, Prijepolie, Priboj, Nova Varos, Sjenica 3 The European Charter of Local Self-Government is the first multilateral legal instrument to define and safeguard the principles of local autonomy, one of the pillars of democracy which it is the Council of Europe's function to defend and develop. 3 With these training courses lead by FER we approached institutions and local authorities that are to face problems and needs of vulnerable groups. Their results are interconnecting with other project’s partners’4 efforts to give opportunities to the people of the selected municipalities to improve their capacities of participation in local public life. Art and creativity have been used to make people meet each other, exchange opinions, reflect and explore new possibilities for their own life and for the life of the local community to which they belong. We strongly believe that common participation in artistic and training activities, which have been led by pedagogues and professionals, is a useful way to express concepts and free energies that, because of social and economic conditions, recent events and general situation and the feeling of isolation, have been neglected or used to promote intolerance and distance. Young people and children showed great enthusiasm, enormous talent and an outstanding capacity to express and elaborate their personal and collective discomfort in a society which is looking for a way to reconstruct itself. With our work, we wish and mean to influence local and national authorities to take these capacities and energies into consideration, to further protect and lead them in a positive way. 4 The other project’s partners are Center for Peace and Development of Democracy; MOST; CEDEUM, (Center for Art and Drama in Education), Dobro Drvo. 4 Brief overview of the training course “Local leaders on new democratic minority policy” The training course “Local leaders on new democratic minority policy” carried out by FER in the framework of the project “Promotion of positive interethnic relations towards peace building, development and integration in multiethnic region of the West, Central East and South East Serbia” in ten Serbian municipalities took place in Zaječar, Knjaževac, Kladovo and Bosilegrad during the first year of the project and in Dimitrovgrad, Pirot, Novi Pazar, Prijepolje, Raška and Priboj during the second year. The idea was to inform people about their citizen rights and duties, introduce and inform about their local self- governament system and institutions, educate about the legal framework for protection of their human rights and possibilities for selfhelp. The training course was designed to educate and train these local leaders thus consequently improving and strengthening the position and participation of ethnic minorities and indiginous people in Serbia. As a follow up of this work, the training course intended to train monitors of minorities’ situation. This activity was planned for the most dedicated trainees. The idea was to provide them with the necessary tools for sucessfull monitoring, ability to identify risks, adress and mediate tensions and report on cultural and ethnic conflict in their communities. This activity was the basis for the work that came about on two nondiscriminatory Regional Reports that cover the regions of Serbia where this project was implemented.5 It could be said that the idea of this project’s activities is twofold, on the one hand it is the training of people competent to face the challenges in combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination in their own communities. This project is providing all essential tools for people who are redy and willing to protect and promote diversity. On the other hand, this project could be described as support to the efforts of an engaged citizenry capable of influencing public policies and contributing towards the creation of accountable and responsive institutions. The main goal was to create space and opportunity for local activists from various municipalities of Serbia to understand the importance of local leadership and participation. After more than fourteen years of our existance and work we at the Forum continue to take pleasure in working with members of different communities and with diverse ethnic, cultural and religious background. Our work is aimed at assisting them not only to overcome petty prejudices about the others, but also to realize that diversity is our asset. We are gratefull for having the opportunity to meet all of the people who participated in this project during the previous two years. It has been a real encouragement for us to know that there are a number of people willing to make an effort and take a step forward in ordrer to diminish the existing distances among their fellow citizens. We strongly believe that projects such as this one will help us realize the advantages and the opportunities of Serbia as a multiethnic and a multicultural state. This project was one of the unique possibilities for people who are members of different ethnic and religious groups to work, debate and exchange opinions. It was interesting to follow the way in which behavior of certain groups participating in the project gradually evolved from hostile towards tolerant and cooperative. It is our strong conviction that the dialogue and exchange of opinions through out the entire project helped towards 5 Both of these reports can be downloaded from the website of the Forum for Ethnic Relations at www.fer.org.yu. Reports are available in Serbian and English language. 5 decreasing stereotypes and minimizing certain existing ethnic
Details
-
File Typepdf
-
Upload Time-
-
Content LanguagesEnglish
-
Upload UserAnonymous/Not logged-in
-
File Pages20 Page
-
File Size-