DAY 2
BREAKFAST MEET-UPS
Day 2 began with the so-called“ breakfast meet-ups” where Denis Roth-Fichet( Senior Lawyer, Council of Europe, European Commission against Racism and Intolerance) presented on“ ECRI General Policy Recommendation Number 15 on Combating Hate Speech” and Peter Kreko( Director, Political Capital Institute) presented on“ Seven Statements on anti-Semitism”.
SESSION 1: OPEN SPACE FORMAT: BUILDING SUCCESSFUL COALITIONS – ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES
Bruno Selun( Founder and Director, Kumquat Consult) welcomed the participants and began the first session by expressing anger at the killing of Jo Cox MP and said it was an attack on all of us. He pointed out that there is a conflict between those who think we can live together in diversity and between those who think we think the opposite. He said that unity was needed and coalitions needed to focus on shared humanity. Rather than putting people into boxes( i. e. feminist, religious etc.) coalitions should work to eradicate such attitudes and work together.
Azra Junuzović( Deputy Head of ODIHR’ S Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department) opened by sharing her personal experience of working in Bosnia and Herzegovina with women who were victims of violence in conflict and what profound impact it had on her life. She pointed out the value of dialogue and the sense of shared humanity in coalition building. She also explained that ODIHR’ s work rests on the premise that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and is guided by a human rights framework to achieve aspirational aims.
Azra Junuzović further explained the nature of ODIHR’ s work in respect of coalition building. ODIHR works closely with civil society organizations to build their capacity to address hate crime, and to raise their awareness on how to address hate crime, intolerance and discrimination. Through this, ODIHR supports the development of broad networks and coalitions. Trainings on hate crime at national and regional level help organizations learn about each other’ s work and how to jointly address issues of common concern. On a regional level, these trainings support the exchange of good practices and build networks between civil society organizations in different countries. ODIHR also serves a platform for exchange by organizing civil society meetings where NGOs come up with recommendations for governments and the OSCE. Finally, through awareness raising and promotion of good practices, ODIHR also promotes the work of civil society and emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive approach to addressing intolerance.
Following the opening, participants were asked to share their examples of coalition building. Anna Lenchovska( Executive director, Educational Center“ Tolerspace”) provided an
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