Minorities in the Western Balkans meet in Skopje, North Macedonia to discuss hate speech and education

How can minorities address the widespread problem of hate speech? What can children from the Western Balkan countries learn about minorities in schools? These are some of the topics to be discussed at the second conference of FUEN`s project Minorities in the Western Balkans.

Envisioned as a series of constructive and action-oriented dialogue regarding existing challenges to minority rights in the Western Balkans region and possible mechanisms to address them, engaging all levels of stakeholders, the project kicked off in the summer of 2023, with a very successful conference organised in Osijek*Eszék, Croatia.

This year’s conference, organized between Thursday, 6 March and Saturday, 8 March, in cooperation with FUEN's member organisations in North Macedonia and NALAS - Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe, will reunite minority organisations, local authorities and government representatives in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. The key topics of this year’s event, as decided together with the interested Member Organisations, will be addressing hate speech, minority education and education about minorities. The event will be a good possibility to enable the FUEN Member Organisations to exchange views and experiences, as well as to foster their active engagement in the future FUEN activities in the region.

Our goal is fostering the cooperation among the FUEN member organisations and the cooperation between the minority institutions, the local and national authorities, and international organizations.

By identifying possibilities for further cooperation and provision of support to local authorities and national governments, attracting the attention of the international community to the issues identified by the stakeholders and enhancing the possibilities for efficient mobilization of support at all levels will help to get closer to our common goals in minority protection.

If you are interested in joining the Minorities in the Western Balkans conference 2025, please contact us at info@fuen.org

Background

The FUEN project “Minorities in the Western Balkans” is dedicated to promoting the rights and improving the living conditions of the autochthonous minorities in the region. Through initiatives like conferences, workshops, and political dialogues, the project addresses topics such as education, political participation, discrimination, as well as hate speech and antiziganism. 

Previous events, such as the conference “Minorities in the Western Balkans: Opportunities and Perspectives” held in Croatia in 2023, brought together representatives of numerous minorities to develop sustainable solutions for shared challenges. The establishment of the Minority Commissioner’s Office in Bijeljina (Bosnia and Herzegovina) further underscores FUEN’s commitment to the region.