FUEN President Hans Heinrich Hansen in Vienna: “the basic principles for successful minority policy are equality and genuine dialogue among equals”

FUEN President Hans Heinrich Hansen participated in the high-level conference in Vienna, organised by the High Commissioner on National Minorities of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) last Thursday and Friday.

The main aim of the conference was to take stock of the situation in Europe, 25 years after the adoption of the Copenhagen Document, which laid down important principles for minority protection in Europe. The Vienna Implementation Conference analysed the international legal and political documents and recommendations and also the status of implementation in the different states. A particular emphasis was given to two recommendations from the High Commissioner: the Bolzano/Bozen Recommendations on National Minorities in Inter-State Relations and the Ljubljana Guidelines on Integration of Diverse Societies.

FUEN was the only European non-governmental organisation represented on the panel.
FUEN President Hans Heinrich Hansen spoke about his experiences in the German-Danish border region and explained the backgrounds of the process moving the region from a very difficult situation to a status of togetherness based on equivalence between minority and majority. “Dialogue among equals, equality and respect for one another, that is what it is all about. FUEN can help, and show good examples and solutions based on our experiences and our network”, said Hans Heinrich Hansen, summarising the commitment of FUEN.

Unfortunately, it was obvious that there are relatively few good examples in Europe; in many countries majority and minority are far away from a situation of partnership and trust. There are tensions and mistrust, as was shown from the interventions from representatives of minorities and states from Greece, the Baltic States, Georgia and also from Ukraine and Russia.

In her concluding statement, Astrid Thors, the High Commissioner on National Minorities, referred to the contribution made by FUEN: “I think it is worth noting what President Hansen said about dialogue: we cannot honestly have dialogues if the majority is not ready to have the dialogue between them. Minorities also can serve as building bridges between states and I am glad to mention that the incoming German chairmanship will give this topic more attention in the future.”

On Monday 2 November 2015 FUEN President Hans Heinrich Hansen participated in a conference in preparation of the German OSCE chairmanship organised by the German Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Centre for International Peace Missions in Berlin.

Photos:
President Hans Heinrich Hansen as part of the panel; President Hans Heinrich Hansen, High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors, Schleswig-Holstein Minority Commissioner Renate Schnack and FUEN Legal/Policy Advisor Frank de Boer in Vienna; Participants of the Implementation Meeting.

More information:

Speech by FUEN President Hans Heinrich Hansen

Press release OSCE: Peace and stability in Europe impossible without protecting and promoting human rights, including rights of persons belonging to national minorities, say participants at OSCE meeting

OSCE Implementation Meeting: Homepage with the programme, statements

Programme of the OSCE Implementation Meeting

Ljubljana Guidelines

Bolzano/Bozen Recommendations

Copenhagen Document