Presentation of Package of Recommendations on Implementation of The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities was Held

Yesterday the presentation of the package of recommendations concerning the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities was held at Courtyard Marriott Hotel. The package of recommendations was elaborated for various state bodies and mass media by the Public Defender Council for Ethnic Minorities. 

The process, substantiated by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and European Center for Minority Issues (ECMI), was coordinated by the Public Defender Tolerance Center with the participation of local and international experts.

The presentation organized with the support of UNDP and ECMI was attended by the representatives of the Georgian Government, human rights institutions and the Council of Europe. 

The recommendations set out in the document imply improving the teaching of the state language of Georgia in the regions where national minorities make up the majority of population, protection of the culture and traditions of national minorities and ensuring their participation in the decision-making processes.

Some recommendations are intended for media, the document underlines the fact that media often demonstrates ethnic intolerance and xenophobic attitudes, therefore a special monitoring procedures must be set up in order to reveal such instances.

The Council for National Minorities also demands on the expansion of the coverage area of Georgian TV channels to cover the territories populated with national minorities. The Council also notes that the TV stations should produce special programming that will target National Minorities while the runtime of the existing programs of this kind should be expanded.

Georgia joined the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities on October 13, 2005. The Convention entered into force on April 1, 2006.

Source: Media.ge