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The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities: The Role in Conflict Prevention

The fundamental changes after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the break-up of Yugoslavia required new approaches to international security, including the ability to prevent possible inter-ethnic tensions within and between states from developing into conflict. For almost two decades, the High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) has been active in conflict prevention based on the mandate established by OSCE participating states to provide early warning and early action in situations of tension involving national minority issues, if in the judgment of the High Commissioner these have the potential of developing into conflict, affecting pace, stability and relations between participating states.

Date & Time

Wednesday
Apr. 13, 2011
2:00pm – 3:00pm ET

Overview

Ambassador Knut Vollebaek, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities

The fundamental changes after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the break-up of Yugoslavia required new approaches to international security, including the ability to prevent possible inter-ethnic tensions within and between states from developing into conflict. For almost two decades, the High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) has been active in conflict prevention based on the mandate established by OSCE participating states to provide early warning and early action in situations of tension involving national minority issues, if in the judgment of the High Commissioner these have the potential of developing into conflict, affecting pace, stability and relations between participating states. Such intervention can only be judicious and effective if it is based on the collection of reliable information on the ground, adequate analysis of the conflict potential and risk, and engagement with all relevant parties in a non-public manner. This is the framework for the HCNM approach, which involves both short-term and long-term perspectives on the prevention of conflict.

The High Commissioner issued an early warning on Kyrgyzstan last June, but has been most active in the early action part of the mandate, including through the promotion of respect for minority rights and finding a sustainable balance between legitimate interests of the majority and minorities. Examples of HCNM involvement in the Caucasus include the region Samskhe-Javakheti in Georgia, where Armenians, a national minority in the state, are a local majority and where the proficiency in Georgian and contacts with the central authorities in Tbilisi were weak. In the Balkans, the High Commissioner continues working with the situations with actual or potential ethnic tensions. In these cases and others, HCNM has given expert advice on legislation and policies and has supported projects that promote the integration of society and are targeted at addressing root causes of potential conflict.

The event took place in the 4th floor conference room.

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Global Europe Program

The Global Europe Program addresses vital issues affecting the European continent, US-European relations, and Europe’s ties with the rest of the world. We investigate European approaches to critical global issues: digital transformation, climate, migration, global governance. We also examine Europe’s relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Our program activities cover a wide range of topics, from the role of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE to European energy security, trade disputes, challenges to democracy, and counter-terrorism. The Global Europe Program’s staff, scholars-in-residence, and Global Fellows participate in seminars, policy study groups, and international conferences to provide analytical recommendations to policy makers and the media.  Read more

Cold War International History Project

The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program.  Read more

History and Public Policy Program

The History and Public Policy Program makes public the primary source record of 20th and 21st century international history from repositories around the world, facilitates scholarship based on those records, and uses these materials to provide context for classroom, public, and policy debates on global affairs.  Read more

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