MINORITIES FOR PEACE INITIATIVE PRESENTED AT UNITED NATIONS FORUM ON MINORITY ISSUES
News from the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association
2 December 2024
Geneva, Switzerland – Natalia Sineaeva-Pankowska, a representative of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association and OHCHR Minority Fellow, was among the speakers at the 17th session of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, held in Geneva on 28-29 November. During the session, she presented the ‘Minorities for Peace: Enabling Dialogue through Positive Peace and Mediation for Indigenous and Minority Communities in Eastern Europe’ initiative. The project is supported by Rotary International through the Rotary-Institute for Economics and Peace Partnership and is being carried out by ‘NEVER AGAIN’ in cooperation with Exult! Solutions, Rotary Positive Peace Activators, and other partners.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is the leading UN entity on human rights. It has a unique mandate provided by the UN General Assembly to promote and protect all human rights for all people.
The Forum, held at the prestigious Palais des Nations, brought together representatives from minority communities around the world, alongside delegations from member states and international organizations. The Minorities for Peace project was met with enthusiastic support from participants, underscoring its timely and significant contribution to peacebuilding efforts in Eastern Europe.
The Minorities for Peace initiative aims to foster a culture of peace by empowering leaders from minority and indigenous communities in Eastern Europe – focusing specifically on refugees from war-torn Ukraine and exiles from Russia – as agents of peace and dialogue. The region, with its complex history of both peaceful coexistence and violent conflict, continues to suffer the devastating consequences of war, particularly affecting its minority populations.
Integrating the frameworks of Dealing with the Past and Positive Peace, the initiative focuses on developing skills in mediation and dialogue. The project includes online trainings, in-person seminars in Poland and Moldova, publications, and recommendations designed to promote the pillars of Positive Peace as a foundation for preventing the recurrence of atrocities.
- ‘We believe that through education, we can equip minorities with the tools to become effective mediators, fostering peace and dialogue across entrenched divisions. With their multiple identities and intercultural competencies, they are uniquely positioned to serve as powerful messengers of peace, even in deeply divided societies, in ways that others cannot. Mediation, as a learned skill, is essential for preventing violence, promoting accountability, and fostering reconciliation. It addresses historical injustices, rebuilds trust, and promotes lasting peace, with the pillars of minority rights ensuring the dignity and rights of minorities are safeguarded throughout the process. The pillars of Positive Peace are deeply interconnected with the pillars of minority rights. We urge the international community to support initiatives that empower minorities as agents of peace,’ said Natalia Sineaeva-Pankowska in her speech at the Forum.
The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association is an independent civil society organization founded in Warsaw in 1996. It has campaigned against racism, antisemitism, and xenophobia, for peace, intercultural dialogue and human rights across the world. It has actively participated in civil society networks, including the Global Alliance Against Digital Hate and Extremism (GAADHE), the International Network Against Cyber Hate (INACH) and the Alliance Against Genocide. It takes part in international projects to counter hate speech, Get The Trolls Out and SafeNet: Monitoring and Reporting for Safer Online Environments.
Natalia Sineaeva-Pankowska on ‘Minorities for Peace’ project of the NEVER AGAIN Association, the 17th session of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, Geneva, 28.11.2024:
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