Facing Racism and Intolerance
29 October 2013 – A high-level Pan-European meeting on Combating Racism and Intolerance took place in Armenia last week at which also the INGO Dialogue Toolkit was being presented.
“Racism, xenophobia and the various manifestations of intolerance and discrimination have been the downfall of Europe in the past. We must not underestimate their power to damage our continent today”, this was the message delivered by Secretary General Jagland in Yerevan, Armenia.
The event was an initiative of the Armenian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. High ranked representatives from CoE Member states and CoE major bodies, as well as from international organizations – UN, OSCE, European Union and Arab League visited Yerevan for that purpose.
The President of the INGO Conference of the Council of Europe, Mr. Jean-Marie Heydt, spoke at this event and reported at length about the Dialogue Toolkit, the initiative of the body he presides, offering it as an implementing measure to move polarized situations to a culture of participation.
Just four days after the Yerevan event, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) emphasized that European countries need to come to terms with their multicultural identity. This statement came out as its annual report was published. ECRI also calls for states to pursue a constructive dialogue with representatives of Muslim communities and the media.
Sources include: CoE Press Unit