(osce.org) - A two-day OSCE conference that will look at teaching tools to educate about the Holocaust and to promote mutual respect and understanding will be hosted by Croatia on 23 and 24 October in the coastal town of Dubrovnik.
The OSCE Tolerance Implementation Meeting forms part of the OSCE participating States' commitment to fight discrimination, xenophobia, intolerance and racism. The meeting will focus on the practical implementation of this goal through educative tools and methods, reports Trend.
Some 250 expected participants will discuss issues such as teacher training and regional education strategies to combat prejudice, hatred and discrimination, approaches to Holocaust education in classrooms, as well as programmes to address and prevent hate-motivated bullying and bias in and outside of schools. They will also talk about what the OSCE and other international organizations can do to further strengthen existing educational programmes and initiatives to promote respect and understanding.
The meeting will be opened by Pierre Chevalier, Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Christian Strohal, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Professor Dragan Primorac,
Croatia's Minister of Science, Education and Sports, and Jadranka Kosor, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Family, War Veterans and Intergenerational Solidarity of Croatia. The event will begin on Monday 23 October at 9.30 a.m. in Hotel Dubrovnik Palace. A press conference will be held on 23 October at 11.00
On Sunday 22 October, there will be a meeting of non-governmental organizations which have direct and practical experience with educational projects in promoting tolerance.
The sessions, including the NGO meeting on 22 October, will be open to the press but due to space limitations in the plenary hall access restrictions for journalists may apply at times. Several side events organized by the OSCE and non-governmental organizations will take place simultaneously to the plenary proceedings in adjacent rooms. These will also be open to the press.