Conference: The Romanian Model of Interethnic Relations

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Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2000 19:03:50 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Conference: The Romanian Model of Interethnic Relations

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Original sender: Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center
<[email protected]>

Conference: The Romanian Model of Interethnic Relations


Memo of the Conference on The Romanian Model of Interethnic Relations:
The Last Ten Years, the Next Ten Years

An international conference entitled The Romanian Model of Interethnic
Relation: The Last Ten Years, the Next Ten Years took place between
7-8 July, 2000, in Bucharest. The conference was organized by the
United States Embassy and the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), in cooperation with two non-governmental
organizations from Cluj: the Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center
and the Interethnic Relations Research Center 

The theme of the conference was the Romanian approach to ethnocultural
diversity. The participants were offered the opportunity to review the
results achieved in the field of interethnic relations in Romania, to
place this model in the regional and international context, as well as
to discuss ways of further improvement, based on practices that are
applied in other countries.

The conference was opened by the Romanian Prime Minister, Mr. Mugur
Isarescu, and the American Ambassador in Bucharest, Mr. James C.
Rosapepe.

The presentation of the survey entitled Ethnobarometer constituted an
important moment of the conference. This means of research into
interethnic relations was initiated and elaborated by the
Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center for the purpose of offering a
methodology for periodical research on the situation of national
minorities that live in Romania, as well as for observing the
evolution of dynamics recorded by the main indicators of interethnic
relations in the country. The inaugural edition in a series of surveys
was carried out by the Interethnic Relations Research Center and was
financed by USAID.

The conference benefited from the participation of members of the
United States Congress: Joe Pitts and Benjamin Cardin; the Ambassador
of Switzerland in Bucharest, Mr. Jean-Claude Joseph; Minister of
National Minorities within the Romanian Government, Mr. P�ter
Eckstein-Kov�cs, representatives of political parties: Petre Roman
(the Democratic Party), Teodor Melescanu (Alliance for Romania),
Hildegard Puwak (the Party of Social Democracy in Romania), Gy�rgy
Tokay (the Hungarian Democratic Alliance of Romania), Radu Gheciu (the
Socialist-Democratic Party of Romania), Ioan Muresan (the
Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party), Horia Rusu (the
National Liberal party), Iuliu Furo (the Great Romania Party); as well
as researchers and experts in the field such as: Gabriel Andreescu,
Co-President of APADOR, the Romanian Helsinki Committee, George
Sch�pflin Professor at University of London, Andrew Ludanyi, member in
the Board of Directors of the American Hungarian Coalition, Armand
Scala, President of the Romanian American Congress, Gy�rgy Csepeli,
Professor at the University of Budapest, Dan Oprescu, Head of the
Office for Roma from the Department for the Protection of National
Minorities, G�bor Kolumb�n, Harghita County Concilor, Gheorghe
Sisesteanu, Professor at the University of Oradea. The organizations
of national minorities were represented by Paul Philippi, Honorary
President of the German Democratic Forum in Romania, Dorel Dorian,
representative of the Jewish community in the Romanian Parliament,
Varujan Pambuccian, Head of the Parliamentary Group of National
Minorities in the Romanian Parliament.

The first day of the conference ended with the opening of a
documentary photo-exhibition about the minorities that live in
Romania, entitled Alter-Image. On the same occasion was launched the
album of the exhibition which presents, together with brief
description of each, the 18 national minorities in Romania. The
exhibition was organized and the album was edited by the Ethnocultural
Diversity Resource Center.

In order to offer a retrospective to the governmental and
non-governmental organizations, but also to provide them with a useful
means for their future activities of developing strategies and
policies in the sphere of interethnic relations, the Ethnocultural
Diversity Resource Center will edit and publish the 'White Book' of
the conference.

---------------------
Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center
Cluj, Romania

The EDRC's mission is to contribute to the construction of democracy
in Romania by improving the country's interethnic climate and
promoting principles of ethnocultural peace and justice based on
institutional solutions acceptable both to majority and minorities

email: [email protected] 
http://www.edrc.ro

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