We’ll continue to support students who want changes that lead to a better future, say Jajce school students, winners of 2018 Max van der Stoel Award

THE HAGUE, 9 November 2018 – “We will continue to support not only the students of Jajce, but also any other student who wants changes that will lead to a better future,” said Azra Keljalić, a student and President of the Student Council of Jajce Vocational School, as she accepted the 2018 Max van der Stoel Award on behalf of high school students from Jajce, Bosnia and Herzegovina, at a ceremony in The Hague today.

Addressing some 200 representatives from governments, civil society and international organizations who attended the award ceremony in The Hague, Keljalić spoke of how the students, opposing policies that deepen ethnic divides, had successfully resisted the authorities’ decision to establish a new ethnically segregated school in the municipality in 2016.

“The moral satisfaction of every student lies in the fact that their efforts, work and commitment are recognized and rewarded by an expert and independent jury. This means so much to us and to the youth we represent,” she said.

Keljalić was one of the five students, together with two teachers, who travelled from Bosnia and Herzegovina to The Hague.

Speaking on behalf of the jury, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), Lamberto Zannier, said: “This decision is not only symbolic. It is a sign of the investment the international community should be making in the new generation.”

The students of Jajce were presented with the Award certificate by the Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok. “Reconciliation – to some, it is just a fourteen-letter word. For the people of a war-torn country, it may be the hardest thing in the world,” he said.

Mirsada Čolaković, the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Netherlands, said: “I am proud of these young people who said ‘NO’ to the implementation of the ‘two schools under one roof’ educational system, which was established in certain municipalities after the devastating war in our country. The system was imposed as part of the reconciliation process and at the beginning it was accepted, unfortunately, as a positive approach, but twenty years later it has obviously led to more ethnic division and unacceptable segregation.”

The Max van der Stoel Award - a prize of €50,000 - has been co-sponsored by the HCNM and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs every two years since 2003. It is presented to a person, group or institution, in recognition of their extraordinary and outstanding achievements in improving the position of national minorities across the OSCE countries.

In parallel to the Award ceremony, the event in The Hague also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the appointment of the first OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities. An anniversary photo exhibition was launched by High Commissioner Zannier, which illustrates the legacy of the five successive High Commissioners, the HCNM’s work in the field, its partnership with international organizations, its early warning function, and its thematic recommendations and guidelines “in action”.

“It is thanks to the collective wisdom of successive High Commissioners that some early warning signs of inter-ethnic tension and crisis were detected and early action taken, that inter-ethnic disputes have often been contained, and that States have been encouraged to put in place long-term policies for diversity management. We can be proud of that,” said Zannier.

Welcoming the HCNM’s 25-year long contribution to the OSCE’s efforts on conflict prevention, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger stated that “the HCNM is not only one of the most effective tools in the OSCE toolbox, but also an internationally-recognized example of how preventive diplomacy can work.”

The First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, described the creation of the office of the HCNM as “one of the most innovative projects” of the OSCE in its investment in conflict prevention. Elaborating on the role of the HCNM in Europe, he said that “the HCNM has contributed substantially in lowering tensions, striking compromises and finding solutions for conflicts that otherwise would have spun out of control.”

Speaking about both the HCNM anniversary and the Award, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Bruce Berton, remarked: “The HCNM is dedicated to preventing ethnic conflict and discrimination. The students of Jajce embody these values. Overcoming difficult odds, they succeeded in continuing their studies together. A more deserving group of recipients for this Award could not have been chosen. They should inspire everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina who looks to move beyond ethnic and nationalist politics.”

The HCNM 25th anniversary photo exhibition is open to the public from 12 November to 1 December at the Atrium, The Hague City Hall, Spui 70, 2511 BT The Hague. Entrance is free-of-charge.

Photos from the event are available here. Other event material can be found here.

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