GENEVA, 12 November 2021 – “By increasing the economic empowerment of minorities, we also contribute to sustainable development and towards creating prosperous and stable societies throughout the OSCE area and beyond,” said OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Kairat Abdrakhmanov today at an OSCE-UN conference on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Economic Life as a Strategy for Conflict Prevention, held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

“Economic prosperity and stability are a cornerstone of peace and security,” Abdrakhmanov added.

To enhance international co-operation on this issue, the OSCE HCNM, the United Nations office in Geneva (UNoG) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) co-organized the conference, which also aims to increase understanding of the challenges involved in developing inclusive social and economic recovery policies that take into consideration the social and economic vulnerabilities of national minorities in the aftermath of COVID-19.

In her welcoming remarks, Director-General of the UN Office in Geneva Tatiana Valovaya said: “I am convinced that today’s discussion will forge new synergies and build bridges between the United Nations organizations in Geneva and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on various cross-sectorial issues related to the effective participation of minorities in economic life, which helps in reducing poverty and preventing tensions. Multi-stakeholder and cross-sectorial partnerships is a key element in implementing our shared blueprint – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

Abdrakhmanov, High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes addressed the panel on enhancing multilateral efforts on conflict prevention and participation of minorities in public life, including in the economic sphere.

Patrick Eba, Deputy Director of the Division of International Protection for Policy and Law, UNHCR; Dr. Jennifer Jackson-Preece, Associate Professor in Nationalism, European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science; Joshua Castellino, Director of Minority Rights Group; and Professor François Grin,

FTI, Université de Genève, shared effective policies and strategies regarding the participation of minorities in economic issues, including amid the COVID-19 pandemic.