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Minority rights

Ethnic conflict is one of the main sources of large-scale violence in Europe today. The OSCE's approach is to identify - and seek early resolution of - ethnic tensions and to set standards for the rights of persons belonging to minority groups.

A special focus is to advance the political rights of Roma and Sinti in the OSCE area, to prevent acute crisis and to manage crisis in post-conflict areas of South-Eastern Europe as well as to foster and support civil society development among Roma communities in the Balkans.

OSCE Institutions supporting minority rights:

Features

OSCE High Commissioner helps build young friendships through multicultural education in Kyrgyzstan

Girls in national costumes have fun at the award ceremony for 'The Colours of Friendship' drawing competition held by the HCNM-supported Centre for Multilingual and Multicultural Education, Osh, Kyrgyzstan, 1 June 2008. (OSCE/Dildora Khamidova)

The HCNM is helping to bring children and teachers from the country's various ethnic groups together to deepen their appreciation of each other's languages and cultures.
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OSCE helps civil servants in Moldova's Gagauzia region to master state language

Civil servants from Moldova's southern Gagauzia region, who are studying the state language as part of a project by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, pictured in Comrat, Moldova, 3 June 2008. (OSCE/Ivana Radenkovic)

A language-learning initiative by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities is helping the Gagauz people of southern Moldova to play a more integrated role in society.
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Travelling through space and time to meet Georgia's minorities

Making a news programme in Marneul. In Georgia's predominantly Azeri region of Kvemo Kartli, the HCNM has been helping to boost the capacity of communities to broadcast news in their native language, one of many projects aimed at integrating minorities. (Internews Georgia)

Professor Piotr Dutkiewicz travelled to Georgia's predominantly Azeri region of Kvemo Kartli with a small team from the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities to evaluate HCNM-led projects.
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Pipers during a Gorani wedding ceremony in Restelica, South Kosovo, July 2000. (Lubomir Kotek/OSCE)

Pipers during a Gorani wedding ceremony in Restelica, South Kosovo, July 2000. (Lubomir Kotek/OSCE)