On 10-11 July, the Dialogue event "Protection of the Rights of National Communities of Ukraine in the European Perspective" took place in Ukraine. The dialogue aimed to give a platform for questions and answers for more than 60 representatives of non-governmental organizations, confronting a wide range of civil servants from the Human Rights Commissioner of the Ukrainian Parliament, the State Service for Ethnic Affairs and Freedom of Conscience, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Kyiv State Administration. This Dialogue was the first follow up meeting after the Forum of National Minorities (Communities) of Ukraine ‘European Perspective, Dialogue, Protection of Rights’.
On the first day of the event, representatives of minority rights NGOs presented their work and activities in different regions of Ukraine. This enabled the participants to understand the scope of interaction between the community members of different national minorities, participation in policing and interaction with state administrations. It also provided an opportunity to highlight the common problems faced by national minorities today. In addition, the work of the participants was organised into three thematic areas, namely education and language policy, meeting the cultural needs of national minorities and establishing cultural meeting centres, and protection of socio-cultural and civil and political rights.
On the second day, dialogues were held with representatives of the institutions mentioned above. During the day, the role of national communities in the process of European integration, the protection of human rights and the protection of cultural sites destroyed in the occupied territories of Ukraine were discussed. The main policy developments of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience in the field of social and cultural rights of national minorities were also discussed, with the Deputy Head of DESS Ihor Lossovsky, actively engaging in the discussion.
The two working days of the event ended with a list of recommendations to the state bodies, which will be addressed in the form of a letter of request, including the main concerns and synergies of NGOs and state institutions. This will be a milestone for further cooperation and effective implementation of the Law No. 2827-IX on National Minorities (Communities) of Ukraine and the State Target National and Cultural Programme "Unity in Diversity".
The event was held with the support of the joint project of the Council of Europe and the European Union "Supporting the implementation of European standards on anti-discrimination and the rights of national minorities in Ukraine", in cooperation with the non-governmental organization “Council of National Communities of Ukraine””.
