HEADLINES
Decision adopted by PACE to close the post-monitoring dialogue with Latvia From 7 to 10 June 2006, three staff members from the Office of the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights were on a visit to Latvia to assess the progress made by Latvia in defending and promoting human rights after the first Commissioner for Human Rights Alvaro Gil-Robles' visit to Latvia on 5-8 October 2003. The office of the Commissioner for Human Rights carries out visits to all the countries officially visited by the Commissioner with a resulting publication of a follow-up report. On 26 June 2006, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a decision to close the post-monitoring dialogue with Latvia. Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks welcomed PACE's decision by noting: "On ratifying the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, Latvia fulfilled all recommendations and attested once again that the level of protection of human rights in our country complies with international standards." The monitoring procedure or, the monitoring of member states' fulfilment of their obligations commenced in Latvia in September of 1997 and concluded in January of 2001, after the initiation of the post-monitoring dialogue. At the 13 April meeting, the Assembly's Bureau decided to recommend the closing of the post-monitoring dialogue with Latvia, taking account of the letter by the Head of the Latvian delegation in PACE, Andris Berzins, concerning the measures taken by Latvia in fulfilment of the recommendations set out in the report of the Monitoring Committee. The Latvian Foreign Ministry expressed gratitude to the parliamentarians of the Council of Europe for the Monitoring Committee's long-term contribution and the positive assessment of Latvia's progress in societal integration. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Current News (07.06.2006) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Current News (27.06.2006) Representatives of foreign embassies introduced to Latvian policy for promotion of tolerance On 27 June 2006, the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration, Karina Petersone, met with representatives of the American, Swedish, Danish and Netherlands embassies in Latvia who were then familiarised with the Latvian policy for the promotion of tolerance. The participants of the meeting were informed about the promotion of tolerance and societal integration in Latvia, the main directions and tasks of the integration policy in Latvia, paying particular attention to the rights of sexual minorities. The minister also introduced her guests with other integration priorities of Latvia – civic society strengthening, government support to NGOs in the cities and especially in the countryside, which provides incentives for these organisations to operate actively and to become involved in national and municipal administration. The participants also discussed issues connected with the promotion of national minorities integration, including the Roma, as well as concerning support to Latvians living abroad. At the moment one of the most important tasks of the integration policy is promotion of tolerance and prevention of discrimination in its various manifestations. The minister also emphasized that the problems of intolerance must by all means be addressed on the national level and that work at legislation improvement by working out particular norms ensuring equal rights to all societal groups and cultures living in Latvia must be carried on. LETA (28.06.2006)
Public discussions concluded on National Programme Roma in Latvia On 19 June 2006, the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration, Karina Petersone, opened the last seminar of the public discussion of the National Programme Roma in Latvia. At the end of the seminar the Minister presented a letter of gratitude for creative work in vocal youth education to the leader of the Roma children and youth group Taboras Romance, Kaspars Arhipovs. The Minister emphasized that the Roma are part of the Latvia's society and without them Latvia would lose a valuable part of its cultural mosaic. The participants of the seminar were the Chairman of the Roma NGO Nevo Drom Board, Anatolijs Berezovskis, Head of the Discrimination Prevention Department of the Latvian National Human Rights Office, Liga Biksiniece, Director of the European Anti-Discrimination Policy Department of the Secretariat, Deniss Hanovs and representatives of the Roma community. It was acknowledged in the discussion that in order to integrate the Roma community and to diminish discrimination, the Roma must be educated and included in the labour market. Mr Hanovs stressed the importance of education in the development of the Roma community. The programme Roma in Latvia is a medium-term policy planning document which is foreseen for three years. Its aim is to achieve integration of the Roma community into Latvian society, to fight discrimination and to ensure equal rights to the Roma community in education, employment and human rights. In three years time the Secretariat plans to develop a clear social support scheme, to facilitate the possibility of Roma children to attend school and to start negotiations with employers. The programme was worked out by an inter-institutional working group under the supervision of the Secretariat, and with representatives of the Roma NGOs also participating in its development. Roma in Latvia is a serious document on which in the next three years the Secretariat will base the further Roma community integration programme. LETA (19.06.2006) (20.06.2006)
Project: Integration of National Minority Women into Local Society implemented On 2 June 2006, a conference On the Way to Citizenship took place in Riga. The Chairperson of the Business Woman Association Board, Irina Petersone, noted in the conference that during the project Integration of National Minority Women in the Local Society a hundred women had been educated in order to motivate them to exchange with information and to take part in a public life. The aim of the project was to integrate national minority women into the economic, political and public life. Its direct target group was one hundred women from the regions in which the proportion of non-citizens is 50%. The Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration, Karina Petersone, expressed her acknowledgment to the women who participated in the project. The Director of the Latvian Society Integration Foundation, Nils Sakss, considered that the project has succeeded because it had promoted involvement of national minority women in public life. He also expressed his gratitude to the Business Woman Association for their initiative and indicated that this is an excellent example, how with good ideas it is possible to gather a lot of people together and to create an effective project. The women participated in a four days long studies programme, in which they learned how to become a citizen and an active builder of their own life. They also had practical lessons, for example, how to write a CV and how to present oneself in a job interview. During the project a handbook was published containing the necessary information on obtaining citizenship. It also includes concise materials on the Latvian history, language etc. LETA (02.06.2006)
Integration Support Centre opened in Jurmala On 12 June 2006, an Integration Support Centre was opened in the City of Jurmala. The task of the centre is to involve the residents of the city in development of the social policy and to unite various groups of residents with common values, interests and needs. The centre provides a possibility for residents to exchange their ideas, opinions and experiences. The duty of the centre is to support co-operation between the residents and state administration institutions, as well as to help with the processing of documents and with attracting EU structural funds. The Integration Support Centre also offers its premises for discussions and meetings to persons who wish to establish a non-governmental organisation. The main task of the centre is to strengthen civic society and to promote its development. BNS (12.06.2006)
Launch of Internet resource devoted to tolerance On 8 June 2006 in the Anglican Church of Riga, the association Dialogi.lv in co-operation with the Soros Foundation - Latvia (SFL) opened an on-line library www.iecietiba.lv devoted to tolerance. The library comprises speeches and fragments of books of tolerance classics, for example, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, translated into Latvian, as well as anti-discrimination documents of the European Commission. The collection is foreseen for social sciences teachers, university lecturers and students for understanding and teaching about tolerance. It is planned that until the end of the project in August already 600 pages of literature translated into Latvian will be available in the tolerance library. Creation of the library is part of the project LED I which is being implemented by the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration and which takes place under the programme of the EU Action Plan against Discrimination. Formation of the library is co-financed by the SFL. LETA (05.05.2006)
Book launch for the book Learning Together with Roma On 27 June 2006, a book launch ceremony for the book Learning Together with Roma and a ceremonial opening of a new inclusive multicultural class and Roma Parents Support Centre took place in the Malta Secondary School No. 2. The book is a result of the contest Learning Together with Roma. Participants and winners of the contest, as well as representatives of the Secretariat of Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration, Education Initiative Centre, Educational Administration, educational establishments and Roma associations took part in the ceremony. The contest Learning Together with Roma was organised as part of the project of the Education Initiative Centre Roma in the Local Society and at School which is in its turn organised under the EU Phare programme Promoting Societal Integration in Latvia, and it took place in all of Latvia from January to May 2006. The book Learning Together with Roma comprises the best of more than 170 works which were submitted during the contest. It includes stories, drawings, paintings, poems, memoires and photos with descriptions reflecting how children of various nationalities, including Roma, live together in Latvian kindergartens, schools, the neighbourhood and in the society. The youngest author of the works published in the book is a five-year old boy and the eldest is a seventy-three year old man. The book not only reflects stories of how successfully Roma children integrate into modern schools, but also is vivid proof that Latvian society is tolerant, friendly and free from prejudices. The beautiful book was presented to all participants of the contest and guests of the book launch ceremony, and the main prize – a digital camera – was given to a pensioner from the Rezekne district for the most colourful reflection of experience in inclusion of Roma children into the school and tolerance towards the Roma people. Three new inclusive classes/groups for 5 to 7 year-old children and three local society support centres were opened as part of the project. The environments of the classes have been arranged according to the requirements of multicultural education, the pedagogues of these classes/groups have been accordingly trained and on 1 September, 11 Roma children will commence their studies together with other children in these groups. The local society support centres have been arranged as a pleasant meeting place with the aim to promote the self-initiative of Roma in the process of integration and in educating their children. BNS (22.06.2006)
Citizenship granted to 1308 persons On 20 June 2006, the government of Latvia granted Latvian citizenship to 1308 persons, including 78 minors, who acquired citizenship through naturalisation. The majority of these persons were of Russian nationality. Latvian citizenship was also acquired by Ukrainians, Belarusians, Lithuanians, Poles and representatives of other nationalities. The persons included in the list of the new citizens comply with all the requirements of the Citizenship Law. In total 110,645 persons have acquired Latvian citizenship through naturalisation, including 6,124 persons this year. LETA (20.06.2006)
For more information:
Newsletter "Societal Integration in Latvia: Towards Mutual Understanding and Cooperation" is a compilation of press releases and news reports drawn from the mass media and official sources. Not all of the views published reflect the official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
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