FUEN speaks at the Kiev Dialogue

Tomorrow the eleventh Kiev Dialogue will start (12 and 13 October 2015). The title this year is “Between crisis and reforms – human rights and justice in Ukraine” and accordingly the situation in Crimea, the conflicts in the South East of Ukraine, the refugee problem and minority issues are on the agenda.

FUEN is represented by FUEN Vice President Bernhard Ziesch, who will be part of a panel on the rights of minorities and the conflict in the South East of Ukraine.

The aim of the conference is to elaborate recommendations on how to improve the human rights situation in Ukraine and more specifically in Crimea.

FUEN is actively working for the more than 20 national minorities in Ukraine; 7 minority organisations are member of the largest European umbrella organisation. 

Several minorities in Ukraine, including member organisations of FUEN, are present at the Kiev Dialogue, such as the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and the Council of the Germans in Ukraine.

The Kiev Dialogue is a non-partisan, independent initiative, which developed from the German and Ukrainian civil society. The “Kiev Dialogue” is based on the idea of an undivided, open, democratic and free Europe. The objective is to deepen and strengthen the dialogue between the opinion-forming elites of the two societies in order to make a contribution to European unity where the peoples of Europe live peacefully and democratically together.  

FUEN is represented by FUEN Vice President Bernhard Ziesch, who is also the director of Domowina, the Federation of Lusatian Sorbs. As a regular participant in the monitoring and reporting procedures of the Council of Europe for the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, he is an expert on the legal and practical possibilities of minority protection in Europe. Since the nineties Ziesch has been organising the Seminars of the Slavic Minorities in Europe, in which also regularly minorities from Ukraine are participating.

More information:

Homepage of the Kiev Dialogue

Programme (English)
Programme (Ukrainian)
Programme (Russian)