Web Resources on Ethnic
Conflict and Minority Rights
in Post-Communist
Updated by Dr. Robert M. Jenkins (rjenkins@email.unc.edu),
I. General News Sources
Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a private, international
communications service to Eastern and
RFE/RL has a variety of useful information. RFE/RL Newsline® provides short synopses each weekday of key events in various countries and are available on the web site and by email. Feature articles provide more in-depth coverage of current topics. Reports and specials offer details and analyses on a variety of countries and issues. This is an invaluable web site!
BBC
BBC World Service provides international news, analysis and information in English and 42 other languages. Stories are timely and reference earlier material on the BBC web site. External links are very useful. A variety of programs can be heard through audio streaming.
For those with specific European (including post-communist
CNN
The CNN web site offers breaking news from throughout the world. News stories are often supplemented with streaming video. Referencing to past stories is not as consistent as on BBC. There is also an international edition with more extensive coverage of international affairs.
Special reports can be valuable, offering mixed media images and timelines.
Particularly valuable in my teaching has been the Cold War Series. There are 24 episodes on eight video tapes. These show valuable historical footage and have insightful interviews with key political and diplomatic figures. The web site has full transcripts from the episodes and other useful information, including ideas for classroom activities.
For other ongoing coverage
of daily news events, a number of newspaper web sites are valuable:
The
International Herald Tribune
The
Financial Times European Edition
II. European Institutions
for Protection of Minority Rights
The COE is
• defend human rights, parliamentary democracy and the rule
of law
• develop continent-wide agreements to standardize member countries' social and
legal practices
• promote awareness of a European identity based on shared values and cutting
across different cultures
COE Minority Rights Initiatives
Two key European legal initiatives:
Framework Convention on National Minorities (1995)
European
Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (1992/1998)
Organization
for Security & Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
is the largest regional security organization in the world with 55 participating
States from
The Organization employs about 3,000 staff in 18 missions
and field activities located in South-eastern
High Commissioner
on National Minorities
The Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National
Minorities was established in 1992 to identify and seek early resolution of
ethnic tensions that might endanger peace, stability or friendly relations
between OSCE participating States.
The European Union (EU) is a family of democratic European countries, committed to working together for peace and prosperity. Its Member States have set up common institutions to which they delegate some of their sovereignty so that decisions on specific matters of joint interest can be made democratically at European level.
The Copenhagen Criteria established the conditions for
enlargement of the EU and provide protection for minority rights – ‘membership requires that the
candidate country has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing
democracy, the rule of law, human rights and the respect for and protection of
minorities’.
EU Annual Reports on Human Rights
EU
Annual Reports on Relations with South East European States
III.
The
European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)
conducts practice-oriented research, provides information and documentation,
and offers advisory services concerning minority-majority relations in
Minority
Rights Group International (MRG) works
to secure the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous
peoples worldwide, and to promote cooperation and understanding between communities.
The European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) is an international public interest law organization which monitors the human rights situation of Roma and provides legal defense in cases of human rights abuse.
MIRIS--Minority
Rights Information System
The MIRIS database includes the most important legal texts relating to minority rights by concentrating upon relevant national legislation and case-law. So as to obtain a more impartial insight into the relevant issues, such texts have been put together by reports compiled not only by minority groups but also through opinions of experts, e.g. the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention. In addition to this, specific documents on minority groups (covering, for example statistical data and history) as well as relevant international treaties and agreements of the UN, Council of Europe and the OSCE are available for examination. The evaluation of the situation of minority groups is supported by further texts that are to include case studies, comments and in depth analyses.
The
International Crisis Group (ICG) is
an independent, non-profit, multinational organization, with 90 staff members
on five continents, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy
to prevent and resolve deadly conflict.
European
Stability Initiative (ESI)
is a non-profit research and policy institute, created in recognition of the
pressing need for independent, in-depth analysis of the complex issues involved
in promoting stability and prosperity in South Eastern Europe. ESI was founded
in July 1999 by a multi-national group of practitioners and analysts with
extensive experience in
Human
Rights Watch is the largest human rights organization based
in the
The Project
on Ethnic Relations (PER)
is dedicated to preventing ethnic conflict in Central and