OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities to mark 20 years of preventing ethnic conflict

THE HAGUE, 25 February 2013 – An event to mark the 20th anniversary of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities will take place in The Hague on 7 March.

The event will be held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and opened by the High Commissioner, Knut Vollebaek; the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara; the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Frans Timmermans; and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier.

Three foreign ministers - Carl Bildt of Sweden, Miroslav Lajčák of Slovakia and Iurie Leancă of Moldova – will discuss achievements and future challenges for the HCNM in a panel discussion moderated by the Economist International Editor, Edward Lucas.

A 10-minute film about the High Commissioner’s ten years of project activities in Georgia will be shown, and will later be available on the OSCE website and available to the media.

The institution of the High Commissioner on National Minorities was established to provide “early warning” and, as appropriate, “early action” at the earliest possible stage “in regard to tensions involving national minority issues which have not yet developed beyond an early warning stage, but, in the judgement of the High Commissioner, have the potential to develop into a conflict within the OSCE area”. The office opened on 1 January 1993.

Since then, the three successive High Commissioners have worked to address ethnic tensions directly with the governments and minorities concerned and to identify and address the root causes of ethnic conflict.

Journalists are invited to cover the event, which starts at 15:30 on Thursday, 7 March at the Societeit De Witte, Plein 24, The Hague.

For accreditation and further information, including a full programme and to request interviews, please contact Lars Hansen:

Lars Hansen, Personal Adviser to the High Commissioner and Media Contact

Tel: +31 (0)70 312 5503
Mobile: +31 (0)64 185 0315
Email: Lars.Hansen@hcnm.org