Arlington, VA — Mine operators should train miners on recognizing highwall hazards and following procedures for their safe control, the Mine Safety and Health Administration advises in a recent safety alert.

Argonne National Laboratory researchers to showcase leading-edge work in high performance computing, AI and more at SC24 international conference.

[Politics] :
President Yoon Suk Yeol said his first official trip to Latin America carries great significance for the expansion of South Korea’s vision as a “global pivotal state” toward the Latin American region. The president, who is set to depart for Peru and Brazil to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic ...

[more...]

Tesoro says it’s been planning for a strike and will continue operating two of the effected refineries, including one in Carson.; Credit: Getty Images

More than 800 workers walked off the job early Sunday at an oil refinery in Carson because of a labor dispute, joining workers at eight other refineries around the country. 

National strikes have been rare in the refining business. The last one happened in 1980, and it took three months to resolve. If this dispute lasts that long, analysts say gas prices could rise.

“It’s very possible we may have seen the last of two dollar gasoline in the near term,” said Carl Larry director of oil and gas at consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. “Without production from these refineries, we’re going to see tighter supply and higher prices."

Making matters worse, many refineries are switching over to summer blend gas, which is cleaner burning, but also more expensive.

Jim Burkhard, Managing Director at IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates, cautions that it is too soon to know what the effect of the strike will be, and even though the steelworkers have 64 percent of U.S. oil output in their hands, there’s still a lot of other supply.

 “Remember the oil market overall is very well supplied right now,” said Burkhard. "There's plenty of refining capacity around the world, you would just have some modification of trade flows."

The Carson refinery processes 363,000 barrels per day at peak capacity and employs 1,450 workers. Tesoro Corporation, which operates the plant, says it’s been planning for a strike and will continue operations.

"Tesoro is confident that the Company can continue to safely operate the refineries and meet customer commitments until resolution is reached with the [United Steel Workers]," Tesoro said in a written statement.

The USW represents workers at 65 U.S. refineries. It says the facilities where workers have not walked out will continue operating under a rolling 24-hour contract extension. 

“This work stoppage is about onerous overtime; unsafe staffing levels; dangerous conditions the industry continues to ignore; the daily occurrences of fires, emissions, leaks and explosions that threaten local communities without the industry doing much about it; the industry’s refusal to make opportunities for workers in the trade crafts; the flagrant contracting out that impacts health and safety on the job; and the erosion of our workplace, where qualified and experienced union workers are replaced by contractors when they leave or retire,” USW International Vice President Gary Beevers said in a written statement.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

An aerial photograph of the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California.; Credit: Bruce Perry, Department of Geological Sciences, CSU Long Beach; Courtesy National Park Service

A friend who has one of those cabins in the San Gabriels that you have to ride a mule into sent Off-Ramp a note about an event for fans of L.A.'s mountains ... which is pretty much everyone:

"The Sierra Madre Historical Preservation Society and First Water Design present the finest assembly of experts of our magnificent mountains and their impact on our history, culture, and way of life." It's a long list of historians, authors, and others who've spent their lives studying and writing about the mountains.

• John Robinson: "The San Gabriels," "Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels," "Sierra Madre’s Old Mount Wilson Trail"
• Michele Zack: "Southern California Story: Seeking the Better Life in Sierra Madre," "Altadena: Between Wilderness and City"
• Elizabeth Pomeroy: "John Muir: A Naturalist in Southern California," "San Marino: A Centennial History"
• Nat Read: "Don Benito Wilson: From Mountain Man to Mayor," "Los Angeles 1841 to 1878"
• Michael Patris:  "Mount Lowe Railway"
• Glen Owens: "The Heritage of the Big Santa Anita"
• Paul Rippens: " The Saint Francis Dam"
• Willis Osborne: "A Guide to Mt. Baldy & San Antonio Canyon"
• Christopher Nyerges: "Enter the Forest"
• Norma Rowley: "The Angeles Was Our Home"
• Chris Kasten: cartographer and former manager of Sturtevant Camp

The event takes place on Saturday, Jan. 24, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m, at Pritchard Hall at the Sierra Madre Congregational Church, 170 West Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024.

And it's free! Email Jeff Lapides for more info, or call him at 626-695-8177.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Black Box Ltd, Essar's technology arm, has unveiled an ambitious growth strategy focused on India, aiming to position itself as a strategic partner for global technology companies expanding into the region.

Yamato will display its high speed, fragile product handling combination weigher at Pack Expo Chicago 2012, Booth N-4726. 

Ross Vacuum-rated High Speed Dispersers are a family of tank-mounted and raisable mixers featuring a laser-cut saw-tooth blade that runs to approximately 5,000 ft/min. 

Designed for automatic ingredient additions and high-speed mixing, the pictured Solids/Liquid Injection Manifold (SLIM) Mixer is piped to a 400-gallon jacketed tank and mounted on a compact skid. 

Hauppauge, NY, January 27, 2014 – The Ross PreMax is a batch-style rotor/stator mixer designed for ultra-high shear conditions and vigorous flow, an ideal combination that supports high-speed production of fine dispersions and emulsions. 

Hauppauge, NY, January 13, 2014 – The Ross MegaShear Ultra-High Shear Mixer is designed for homogenizing dispersions and disintegrating large solid particles or droplets suspended in liquid. 

Accurately weigh 0.5 to 50 gram portions at up to 120 per minute using the new Ishida Micro multihead weigher from Heat and Control, Inc.

Giant Lottos Celebrates 20 Years of Trusted Service and Highlights Positive Customer Experiences on Trustpilot

J. Martinez & Company offers an explanation of the differences between Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee and High Mountain.

Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2024 3:00pm
Location: Industrial and Operations Engineering Building
Organized By: Industrial & Operations Engineering

About the speaker: Courtney Paquette is an assistant professor at McGill University and a CIFAR Canada AI chair, MILA. She was awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship in Computer Science in 2024. Paquette’s research broadly focuses on designing and analyzing algorithms for large-scale optimization problems, motivated by applications in data science. She is also interested in scaling limits of stochastic learning algorithms. She received her PhD from the mathematics department at the University of Washington (2017), held postdoctoral positions at Lehigh University (2017-2018) and the University of Waterloo (NSF postdoctoral fellowship, 2018-2019), and works 20% as a research scientist at Google DeepMind, Montreal.


Abstract: Given the massive scale of modern ML models, we now only get a single shot to train them effectively. This restricts our ability to test multiple architectures and hyper-parameter configurations. Instead, we need to understand how these models scale, allowing us to experiment with smaller problems and then apply those insights to larger-scale models. In this talk, I will present a framework for analyzing scaling laws in stochastic learning algorithms using a power-law random features model, leveraging high-dimensional probability and random matrix theory. I will then use this scaling law to address the compute-optimal question: How should we choose model size and hyper-parameters to achieve the best possible performance in the most compute-efficient manner?

Mickey and Minnie Head Out On The Highway by Disney Chilmark is a(n) Chilmark Studios. The Edition is Limited to Limited Edition of 950 pcs

Today's consumers are much more likely to focus on changing their snacking habits in order to achieve weight loss success.

• New York Fed's Williams speaking Thursday - Kugler, Barkin also (Powell too!)
• Australian jobs report recap - "remains in relatively solid health"
• Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Mann is speaking again on Thursday
• People's Bank of China has more work to do to support the yuan
• European Central Bank President Lagarde and VP de Guindos speaking Thursday, Schnabel too
• Federal Reserve Chair Powell is speaking on Thursday
• GBP traders heads up - Bank of England Governor Bailey is speaking late Thursday
• China’s annual production of new energy vehicles surpassed 10 million units on Thursday
• PBOC sets USD/ CNY reference rate for today at 7.1966 (vs. estimate at 7.2326)
• ICYMI: Ex-Mr Yen Kanda said Japan will act appropriately against excess FX movements
• AUD/USD little changed after the October employment report showed a steady jobless rate
• Australian October unemployment rate 4.1% (vs. 4.1% expected)
• UBS maintain a US$2900 target for gold
• RBA Bullock says rates are restrictive enough, staying there until confident on inflation
• USD/JPY above 155 - Citi wary of intervention risk
• Investment bank bullish on Fed rate cuts; inflation concerns linger
• Oil - private survey of inventory shows headline crude oil draw vs build expected
• New Zealand data - FPI -0.9% in October (prior +0.5%)
• Forexlive Americas FX news wrap 13 Nov: US CPI comes out as expected. USD continues rise
• Trade ideas thread - Thursday, 14 November, insightful charts, technical analysis, ideas

The continuing US dollar uptrend … continued.

USD/JPY traded, above 156.00, to a high not seen since July. EUR/USD, meanwhile, dropped under 1.0550 to a low not seen in a year. AUD, NZD, GBP, CHF, CAD, yuan all moved lower. As did hapless gold. BTC/USD dropped back from above US$93.5K, but this thing is a beast, it gets a free pass ;-) .

On the data front the release of note was Australia’s job report for October. Job growth slowed down and the unemployment report steadied at 4.1%. It was a solid report without being spectacular. Slowing wage growth (data released yesterday) and a steady job market leaves the Reserve Bank of Australia to focus on bringing inflation down. RBA Governor Bullock spoke during the session. Bullock was not dovish, signalling that rates are restrictive enough but will not be coming down imminently.

The People’s Bank of China once again set the USD/CNY reference rate weaker (stronger for CNY) than estimates indicated.

• Eurostoxx +0.6%
• Germany DAX +0.7%
• France CAC 40 +0.3%
• UK FTSE flat
• Spain IBEX +0.3%
• Italy FTSE MIB +0.4%

It's still early in the day but European indices are at least hoping to recover some poise after the fall earlier in the week. US futures are also seen flattish at the moment, after having been down earlier in the day. So, that's at least helping with the broader market mood. But again for Europe, the outlook remains challenging considering all the recent developments with regards to German politics and the US election result.

The Bank of Canada looks likely to keep on cutting rates faster than the Federal Reserve. This is one factor in the strength of USD/CAD. I hope the yen bulls are taking note ;-)

USD/JPY is extending its gains.

So far no intervention type comments out of Japan - rapid, speculative, excess volatility .... blah, blah, blah. Nope, nothing. Yet at least. I thought we would haves seen some open mouths by now.

PODGORICA, 3 May 2016 – On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Janina Hrebickova, stressed the media’s crucial role in building and sustaining democracy.

 “Free, independent, and professional media are an indispensable resource in any democratic society,” Hrebičkova said. “Members of the media must be able to perform their duties in a free and safe manner. The Mission expresses its support to all journalists in Montenegro, in their efforts to practice independent and professional journalism.”

This year's World Press Freedom Day is dedicated to the right of access to information.

“Access to information is a fundamental freedom and human right. It allows members of the media to seek and receive information on issues of importance to the public,” Hrebičkova said.

Related Stories

• OSCE Mission to Montenegro marks World Press Freedom Day: Public Service Broadcaster hosts televised debate on media freedoms
• OSCE Mission to Montenegro clarifies role with regard to upcoming elections
• OSCE Mission to Montenegro-supported campaign on benefits of composting kicks-off in Pljevlja

THE HAGUE, 20 April 2016 - Education is in many ways the space where issues of equality, national identity and the concept of nationhood are being negotiated, said OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors today as she opened a high-level conference to mark 20 years of The Hague Recommendations Regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities.

Underlining how education can contribute to preventing conflicts and to peace-building efforts, Thors said it is crucial that governments and education ministries analyse and anticipate tensions that may arise from competing demands placed on the education system such as questions on the language of instruction. These tensions often reflect the widespread societal debates about the place of national minorities as a whole, she added.   

Thors was addressing the start of a two-day conference, which brings together 180 government representatives, experts, teachers, education professionals, non-governmental actors and other local and international stakeholders active in the field of education, conflict prevention and peace-making to discuss the challenges in adapting education systems to ethnically diverse societies.

Gernot Erler, Special Representative of the Federal Government of Germany for the 2016 OSCE Chairmanship, highlighted how challenges in this area have evolved in the two decades since The Hague Recommendations were launched.

“Today, we should realize more and more how crucial the right treatment of minorities by ensuring equal rights, tolerance and cross-border dialogue, is for preventing conflicts,” he said.

In his keynote speech, Fernand de Varennes, Dean of the Law Faculty of the University of Moncton in Canada underlined that the first HCNM recommendations - The Hague Recommendations - are the building block, the foundation upon which latest, The Ljubljana Guidelines on integration, must be understood. When it comes to education in minority language, he pointed out that to an increasing degree it is already perceived as an internationally recognised human right.

During a panel discussion, Srđan Verbić, Minister of Education, of Serbia, Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, First Deputy State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality of Georgia as well as leading human rights academics, Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark and Jan de Groof discussed what role education should have when building stable multi-ethnic societies. .    

At the margins of the conference, HCNM premiered its film charting the story of the founding of the Bujanovac Department of Economics as the first multilingual and multi-ethnic higher education institution in southern Serbia. The Department has been supported by the HCNM since its inception. To learn more about the project, watch the film here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsiKoZKtZhU

HCNM also screened the winning entries from its first-ever video contest, “Our school, our diversity” during the conference. School pupils across the OSCE region were invited to shoot and script a video of no longer than 60 seconds illustrating why diversity matters in the classroom. Having received 101 submissions from 15 OSCE participating States, HCNM carefully reviewed each entry to select the winning films. Watch the movies at: www.osce.org/hcnm/234801

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors visited Washington DC and New York City from 25 to 29 April 2016, where she explored opportunities to strengthen co-operation in conflict prevention, implementing early action policies and in fostering inclusion within diverse societies.

Thors met with officials from the United States and representatives of international organizations, including the United Nations Secretariat, Funds, Programmes and Agencies, as well as members of the academia, think tanks and human rights organizations.

During her visit, Thors welcomed the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of the Resolution 2282 (2016) on the Review of United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture as renewed meaningful support to conflict prevention worldwide. In discussions, it was also noted that the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the data provided during their implementation are very relevantpertinent for building just and inclusive societies.

“I am pleased with the strengthened partnerships with the wider international community achieved during my trip, in particular in thematic areas such as access to justice and education, both highly relevant to national minorities and conflict prevention,” Thors concluded.

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors visited Croatia from 9 to 10 May 2016. During her visit, Thors focused on promoting the effective implementation of the Constitutional Act on the Rights of National Minorities, in particular the provisions regarding languages and scripts; on education matters; and, on issues pertaining to national minorities and good neighbourly relations.

Concerned that marginalizing or stigmatizing national minorities poses a threat to the cohesion of society and to bilateral relations, Thors urged the systematic condemnation of discriminatory rhetoric or conduct.

“Divisive rhetoric has proven a dangerous path. The more diversity, the richer a society is, as different cultures are the shared wealth of all,” Thors said. “It is crucial to foster a sense of belonging for all members of society in order to effectively promote the integration process,” she added. Thors called for ensuring the protection of the rights of national minorities whilst avoiding polarization of the society along ethnic lines, consistent with The Ljubljana Guidelines on the Integration of Diverse Societies, published by HCNM in 2012.

The High Commissioner also emphasized the need for a renewed dialogue between all political and social actors to overcome difficulties, including those related to the protection of minority rights, in a consultative manner. In this context, Thors welcomed the thorough process of the curricular reform and reiterated her support to teaching of a common curriculum, regardless of the instruction language, as an effective way to integrate diverse societies and provide for common points of understanding.

Thors was encouraged by the prospect of further co-operation with Croatian institutions. She also welcomed the attention given to the existing joint bilateral inter-governmental commissions. “Co-ordination of efforts with neighbouring countries in this field and the active role played by all ministries under the auspices of the State Office of Croats Abroad could consolidate the shared European aspirations in the neighbourhood,” Thors noted.

The High Commissioner met a variety of key interlocutors in Zagreb. These included Zdravka Bušić, Deputy Foreign Minister; Dubravka Jurlina Alibegović, Minister of Public Administration; Predrag Šustar, Minister of Science, Education and Sports; Furio Radin, Milorad Pupovac, Ivan Radić, and Marko Sladojev, Chairperson and members of the Parliamentary Committee on Human and National Minority Rights, respectively; Aleksandar Tolnauer, President of the Council for National Minorities; Lora Vidović, Ombudsman; Branko Sočana, Director of the Government Office for Human Rights and Rights of the National Minorities; and Zvonko Milas, Head of the State Office for Croats Abroad.

Related Stories

• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Astrid Thors visited Moldova from 23 to 25 May 2016 to discuss issues including the draft integration strategy developed with HCNM’s assistance to the Bureau for Interethnic Relations, relations between Chisinau and the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia, and the education of national minorities. The High Commissioner also visited Tiraspol.

In Chisinau, the High Commissioner discussed the draft integration strategy with Prime Minister Pavel Filip and other interlocutors and encouraged the Government to fulfil without delay its commitment to adopt the strategy. “Adoption of the integration strategy will underscore the Government’s commitment to promoting an inclusive, diverse society,” said Thors. “Even more important will be the strategy’s implementation. I am ready to assist the Bureau for Interethnic Relations in this process.”

The High Commissioner praised the parliamentary decision in November 2015 to establish a permanent joint working group between the Moldovan Parliament and the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia. She discussed the functioning of the working group with its co-chairs, Member of Parliament Elena Bacalu and People’s Assembly Member Gheorghii Leichu, Speaker of Parliament Adrian Candu, and the Bashkan of Gagauzia Irina Vlah. Thors encouraged the working group to be fully utilized as the primary platform for discussing issues related to the functioning of the autonomy so that questions that may contribute to tensions can be successfully addressed.

With Minister of Education Corina Fusu, the High Commissioner discussed implementation of the Education Code and the effect of education reforms on schools teaching in minority languages, including optimization of the school network and new procedures for the selection of school directors. “Having heard from national minority representatives that education is a primary concern, I encouraged the Minister to ensure that national minorities are consulted when implementing reforms,” she said. The High Commissioner noted with interest the adoption of a new programme to improve teaching of the State language in minority-language schools, remarking that it provides an opportunity to expand multilingual education as a tool for integration.

The High Commissioner met members of the Council of Ethno-Cultural Organizations in Chisinau and with the Transdniestrian de-facto authorities and civil society representatives in Tiraspol. She visited the Theoretical Lyceum Alexandru cel Bun in Bender and learned about the practical difficulties the school faces in maintaining its operations as a Moldovan-administered school teaching in the Latin script. Thors welcomed the active efforts of the OSCE Mission to Moldova and the German Chairmanship of the OSCE to find sustainable solutions for the Latin-script schools among other issues as part of the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, and noted the anticipated resumption of talks in the 5+2 format, which she discussed with Deputy Prime Minister on Reintegration Gheorghe Balan and Transdniestrian Chief Negotiator Vitaly Ignatiev.

The High Commissioner also met with Deputy Prime Minister on Social Issues Gheorghe Brega, Director General of the Bureau for Interethnic Relations Oleg Babenco, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lilian Darii, and representatives of civil society and the international community.

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

Addressing the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 2 June 2016, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors described country engagement and highlighted the disturbing increase in hate speech.

The statement covered the High Commissioner’s activities since her last statement to the Permanent Council in November 2015. During this period Thors visited Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova.

The High Commissioner expressed concern about the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities. Thors called for renewed efforts to tackle hate speech in order to prevent tensions and to promote integration with respect for diversity.

Thors also informed the Permanent Council about the work her institution is doing together with researchers to identify best practices that highlight the bridge building potential of national minorities in diverse societies.

The full statement can be found here.

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• OSCE High Commissioner encourages inclusive approach to integration and education issues in Moldova and welcomes joint working group on Gagauzia

During her visit to Kosovo from 7 to 10 June 2016, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors focused on education, implementation of the framework of language rights and access to justice.

The High Commissioner continues to urge for the adoption of the Strategy for the Protection and Promotion of Language Rights, contending that it will make the implementation of legislation more efficient and improve the quality and the consistency of different language versions of legal acts. “When in place, the strategy will lead to positive results quickly,” said Thors.

The visit included Prishtinë/Priština, Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, Prizren, Janjevë/Janjevo and Gračanica/Gracanicë where Thors met with ministers, local authorities, media representatives, judges, university professors and students, as well as representatives of the international community. The High Commissioner was joined in several meetings by the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Jean-Claude Schlumberger.

Thors commended the recent adoption of an administrative instruction of the Ministry of Education Science and Technology, which will make it easier for members of non-majority communities to pursue studies at universities in Kosovo as it, among others issues, improves the functioning of the existing quota system.

Whilst visiting the University of Prizren, the High Commissioner expressed concern that courses taught in Turkish and Bosnian have not yet received official accreditation for the next academic year. Such courses cater to the fundamental needs of non-majority communities in Kosovo. “I encourage relevant authorities to take urgent measures so that these options remain available also the next academic year,” said Thors.

High Commissioner Thors discussed extensively with a number of stakeholders the prospective establishment of the Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities as well as ways to overcome the current stalemate in the process. She heard views on the need to respect the relevant legal framework but also to meet the expectations of concerned communities, in north Kosovo as elsewhere. Thors also noted the concerns expressed by Serbs living outside Serb majority municipalities, as well as non-Serb non-majority communities, who fear they will not benefit from the process.

In several meetings Thors pointed to the need to improve access to justice for all non-majority communities, to thoroughly follow up on crimes targeting them, as well as to fully enforce their property rights. “When such crimes are investigated and prosecuted, it sends a powerful and reassuring message to non-majority communities that their rights will be effectively protected by the authorities.”

On the last day of her visit, Thors attended a class of Serbian language instruction for Kosovo Albanian officials from the municipality of Prishtinë/Priština, part of a flagship partnership project on language acquisition by municipal officials sponsored by the Office of the Language Commissioner and the HCNM, with German funding, and implemented by the ECMI Kosovo.

The visit served to underline the importance attached by the High Commissioner to language learning as a key building block for integrated societies: “Speaking more than one language is beneficial, both for the person who speaks them and for society as a whole; it is even more important for local government officials, who regularly engage with members of public, to be able to communicate with every person in their community.”

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities calls for renewed dialogue between all political and social actors in Croatia
• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

THE HAGUE / TBILISI, 1 July 2016 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier today awarded a certificate of participation to eight interns from Georgia’s national minority communities in Tbilisi. The certificate recognizes the immersive and proactive involvement of the young professionals in their mid-twenties in the day-to-day life of Georgia’s political parties during an intensive one-month internship programme in May-June 2016.

This programme is part of a two-year project, jointly implemented by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) and the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, which aims to encourage the participation of minority communities in mainstream politics and to promote multiparty dialogue.

“All diverse societies face the immense challenge of involving ethnic communities fully in the political arena. Engaging young people from national minority communities in the day-to-day work of political parties gives them a deeper insight into political life. The inclusion of minority communities in political life and their fair and equal representation in the public sector is a key ingredient for the successful integration of diverse societies,” said Steinmeier.

Now in its final phase, the Multiparty Dialogue – Strengthening the Participation of National Minorities in Political Life project has been in operation since its launch in September 2014 to encourage and support the involvement of national minorities in politics as a conflict prevention measure to make Georgia a more cohesive, integrated and resilient State. At the same time it has also helped to strengthen the Georgian political system in its efforts to reach out to, and engage with, national minorities.  

This pioneering project − the first of its kind in Georgia – provided young people from regions of Georgia with significant ethnic Armenian and ethnic Azeri populations with a unique opportunity to have first-hand experience of the work involved in running a political party. Furthermore, in addition to giving parliamentary and non-parliamentary parties the chance to work closely with young people from national minority communities, it also provided them with the necessary tools and insights to develop their own Action Plans on Minority Participation. These plans are now being finalized in time for preparations for the parliamentary elections in October 2016. Television also played an innovative role in this project, culminating in the production of five topical talk shows related to essential issues that affect national minorities such as integration and political participation. In addition, four policy papers will be published in August 2016.

Following on from her visit earlier this year to Tbilisi, High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors said: “The project activities in Georgia are an inspiring example of the effective promotion of the HCNM Lund Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Public Life. In this regard, I hope our project has helped to encourage these interns to actively participate in political life and also encourage others of their generation to do so.” 

Related Stories

• Urgent steps needed towards full respect for ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, says OSCE Chairmanship Special Representative and Chief Monitor
• OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Steinmeier, in Moldova, calls for swift and full implementation of confidence-building measures
• OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Frank-Walter Steinmeier to visit Moldova on Tuesday

A week-long regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education was held from 10 July to 16 July 2016 in Cholponata in Kyrgyzstan - the fifth regional summer school organized as part of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities’ (HCNM) Central Asia Education Programme.

Organized by the HCNM in co-operation with Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Education and Science, UNICEF and the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights in Kyrgyzstan, the summer school brought together 86 participants representing education institutions of the Central Asian States and of the wider region, including teacher trainers, methodological experts, university and pilot school managers and teachers, as well as international experts.

The summer school was aimed at providing practical expert support to further develop the capacity of education authorities and practitioners within multilingual and multicultural education.

Opening the summer school, Deputy Minister of Education of Kyrgyzstan Toktobubu Ashymbaeva highlighted the important role of the teacher in multilingual education programmes.

During the week, participants discussed pre-service and in-service teacher training, as well as facilitating the implementation of multilingual education programmes. Participants also developed training materials aimed at monitoring and evaluating multilingual and multicultural education programmes. As a result, eleven thematic materials were developed with the aim to further adapt them for practical use within the education institutions of the region.

Flera Saifulina, Head of the National Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation, found that the diverse forms of activities enabled participants to express their opinions, raise concerns and receive comprehensive answers from fellow experts. She also expressed satisfaction to see how education is used for the integration of societies in the Central Asian countries.

Tatiana Aderikhina, Co-ordinator of Education and Child Protection Issues at UNICEF Kazakhstan, said: “I am glad that the cooperation between HCNM and UNICEF Kyrgyzstan continues as it brings synergies and benefits the target country.”

Zaiyrbek Ergeshev, representative of the Department of the Ethnic and Religious Issues of the Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan, concluded that multilingual and multicultural education is an important factor for forming a civic identity.

Since 2012, the High Commissioner has been implementing the Central Asia Education Programme, aimed at promoting multilingual and multicultural education and developing bilateral and multilateral co‑operation in the region to improve the education of national minorities and promote the integration of society.

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities supports conference on education in multilingual and multicultural contexts in Central Asia
• High Commissioner on National Minorities visits Bosnia and Herzegovina and calls for quality inclusive education for all
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors

DUSHANBE, 26 July 2016 – The Parents Against Terrorism training series, organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, started yesterday in Kulyab in the country’s Khatlon region with the aim of enhancing the knowledge and understanding of the local population about Violent Extremism and Radicalization that lead to Terrorism (VERLT) in order to build the community’s resilience to this phenomenon.

The trainees came from different layers of society, representing local government bodies, law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, as well as the local population. The course was led by local trainers from civil society, the Ministry of Labour, Migration, and Employment, and the Committee on Religious Affairs.

“The government of Tajikistan is seriously concerned about the growing threat of global terrorism and violent extremism,” said Khurshed Kenjaev, a representative of the Security Council under the President, in his opening remarks. “It is taking solid preventative measures to tackle this phenomenon, since it cannot be the sole responsibility of law enforcement agencies to deal with the threat.” 

Ivan Ene, OSCE Field Officer in Kurgan Tyube, said: “Countering violent extremism and radicalization that may lead to terrorism requires a holistic approach. The intervention of law enforcement agencies to dissolute the problem of violent extremism and terrorism is effective to only a certain extent, therefore, if we want to apply more effective measures to fight this phenomenon, we need to engage and use the capacity of local communities and parents.”

The course focuses on the role of mothers as “positive agents of change” within Tajik culture. They are informed about the early signs of violent extremism and radicalization that may lead to terrorism. The training participants were also briefed on the violent extremist groups that are believed to be active in Tajikistan.

In the coming days, similar training sessions will be held in Kurgan-Tyube and Shaartuz. A similar activity was organized across Tajikistan in 2015 and recently held in Sughd region. 

Related Stories

• OSCE Office in Tajikistan donates audio-visual material to enhance interactive teaching at Police Academy
• OSCE Office in Tajikistan support Garm’s local authorities in strengthening referral mechanisms for protecting domestic violence victims
• OSCE Office in Tajikistan organizes workshop on verifying the authenticity of security documents

Serbia’s legal framework for governing elections to the High Judicial Council and the State Prosecutors’ Council is fairly comprehensive although there are a few minor issues with implementing the laws and regulations, partly as a result of gaps in the law. This is the conclusion of a joint Report launched on 24 May 2016 by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The OSCE Mission and ODIHR followed the elections of judges and prosecutors to the High Judicial Council and the State Prosecutors’ Council throughout Serbia in December 2015, in partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM), a local civil society organization. The election processes were conducted without any major irregularities observed.

The Report makes a number of recommendations, largely similar for both the judicial and prosecutorial councils, including amending and further developing the legal framework regarding the election process for the judicial and prosecutors’ councils, the candidates’ nomination process, and procedures for resolving disputes and providing effective remedies.

The findings and recommendations resulting from the election monitoring will help inform the public about the ongoing judicial reform process in Serbia. The relevant state institutions and justice stakeholders will also have an objective assessment to assist them in further strengthening the independence, accountability and efficiency of the Serbian judiciary.

The Report is available at: https://www.osce.org/odihr/242346

The OSCE Mission to Serbia and ODIHR stand ready to continue supporting the legal reform efforts of the Serbian authorities in line with the recommendations of this report and OSCE commitments.

Related Stories

• More than 1,000 local inspectors in Serbia successfully complete OSCE-supported online training course
• OSCE Mission to Serbia supports public consultations on implementation of UN SCR 1325 – Women, Peace and Security (2016-2020) National Action Plan
• Regional Conference on Legal Remedies in Criminal Proceedings: Laws in the Region and Their Application

BISHKEK, 3 June 2016 – Wrapping up a two-day visit to Kyrgyzstan, which has included meetings with the Speaker of the Parliament, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and officials at the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Special Representative for Central and Eastern Asia and Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Christine Muttonen spoke to students today at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek on conflict prevention and peace-building, noting the strengths of the OSCE’s approach, as well as areas for improvement.

Muttonen’s visit this week – her first to Kyrgyzstan since her appointment as Special Representative in January – has served as an opportunity to discuss confidence-building in the region and developing co-operative approaches to common challenges such as energy security, water management and border co-operation. In her meetings with Speaker of Parliament Chynybay Tursunbekov and Minister of Foreign Affairs Erlan Abdyldaev, Muttonen noted the importance of continuing to build trust and dialogue through the OSCE.

“There is a need to develop ways of countering the lack of trust and promoting co-operation between countries in the region,” she said. “The OSCE is our common organization, an inclusive organization in which all of its members have an equal voice, and we need to work effectively together within this forum.”

Discussions in Bishkek also focused on promoting follow-up on OSCE/ODIHR election-related recommendations and on the importance that Kyrgyzstan attaches to the OSCE and its Parliamentary Assembly. Muttonen expressed appreciation for the fact that Kyrgyzstan intends to send a full delegation to the OSCE PA’s 25th Annual Session in Tbilisi, Georgia, next month.

In meetings with staff of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Muttonen was briefed on the situation in the country and heard about the Centre’s ongoing projects, notably in the spheres of early warning and conflict prevention, as well as youth-oriented and parliamentary development projects. There was also discussion on the possibility of holding future OSCE PA events in the country.

In her lecture at the OSCE Academy, she highlighted the early warning capabilities of the OSCE – including through its field operations such as the Centre in Bishkek – but regretted that sometimes political considerations hamper effective implementation of early warning mechanisms. Discussing the OSCE’s consensus-based decision-making procedure and the non-binding character of its decisions, Muttonen pointed out the OSCE is only as strong as its participating States allow it to be.

Nevertheless, she said, the OSCE’s response to the crisis in and around Ukraine has served as an example of its ability to engage in conflict prevention and peace-building. “The Ukraine conflict has shown that the OSCE is well-placed and equipped to engage in conflict prevention and support mediation and peace-building,” said the PA Vice-President. “Through its unanimous vote principle, the OSCE and its participating States can formulate strong political agreements, even if the process may be slow.”

She noted that OSCE parliamentarians have been active in supporting the Central Asian countries’ peace-building efforts, notably through fact-finding missions.

Muttonen’s speech at the OSCE Academy concluded a week-long visit to Central Asia, which included meetings with government officials, parliamentary leaders and representatives of civil society in Astana, Almaty, and Bishkek.

In her mandate as Special Representative, she is tasked, inter alia, with encouraging active participation in the PA by parliamentarians from Central Asia, as well as liaising with and supporting the work of the OSCE field operations in the region.

To watch a recent interview with the Special Representative, in which she discusses her priorities, please click here. Photos of her visit this week to Central Asia are on Flickr. Her full remarks to the OSCE Academy are available here.

Related Stories

• Christine Muttonen of Austria elected OSCE PA President, Vice-Presidents and Committee Officers also elected
• OSCE parliamentarians in Tbilisi adopt wide-ranging Declaration on human rights, security and the environment
• OSCE parliamentarians consider resolutions on security, economic and environmental concerns and human rights

THE HAGUE, 20 April 2016 - Education is in many ways the space where issues of equality, national identity and the concept of nationhood are being negotiated, said OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors today as she opened a high-level conference to mark 20 years of The Hague Recommendations Regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities.

Underlining how education can contribute to preventing conflicts and to peace-building efforts, Thors said it is crucial that governments and education ministries analyse and anticipate tensions that may arise from competing demands placed on the education system such as questions on the language of instruction. These tensions often reflect the widespread societal debates about the place of national minorities as a whole, she added.   

Thors was addressing the start of a two-day conference, which brings together 180 government representatives, experts, teachers, education professionals, non-governmental actors and other local and international stakeholders active in the field of education, conflict prevention and peace-making to discuss the challenges in adapting education systems to ethnically diverse societies.

Gernot Erler, Special Representative of the Federal Government of Germany for the 2016 OSCE Chairmanship, highlighted how challenges in this area have evolved in the two decades since The Hague Recommendations were launched.

“Today, we should realize more and more how crucial the right treatment of minorities by ensuring equal rights, tolerance and cross-border dialogue, is for preventing conflicts,” he said.

In his keynote speech, Fernand de Varennes, Dean of the Law Faculty of the University of Moncton in Canada underlined that the first HCNM recommendations - The Hague Recommendations - are the building block, the foundation upon which latest, The Ljubljana Guidelines on integration, must be understood. When it comes to education in minority language, he pointed out that to an increasing degree it is already perceived as an internationally recognised human right.

During a panel discussion, Srđan Verbić, Minister of Education, of Serbia, Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, First Deputy State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality of Georgia as well as leading human rights academics, Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark and Jan de Groof discussed what role education should have when building stable multi-ethnic societies. .    

At the margins of the conference, HCNM premiered its film charting the story of the founding of the Bujanovac Department of Economics as the first multilingual and multi-ethnic higher education institution in southern Serbia. The Department has been supported by the HCNM since its inception. To learn more about the project, watch the film here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsiKoZKtZhU

HCNM also screened the winning entries from its first-ever video contest, “Our school, our diversity” during the conference. School pupils across the OSCE region were invited to shoot and script a video of no longer than 60 seconds illustrating why diversity matters in the classroom. Having received 101 submissions from 15 OSCE participating States, HCNM carefully reviewed each entry to select the winning films. Watch the movies at: www.osce.org/hcnm/234801

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• Preservation, inspiration and dialogue: Twenty years of The Hague Recommendations Regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities
• Our school, our diversity

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors visited Washington DC and New York City from 25 to 29 April 2016, where she explored opportunities to strengthen co-operation in conflict prevention, implementing early action policies and in fostering inclusion within diverse societies.

Thors met with officials from the United States and representatives of international organizations, including the United Nations Secretariat, Funds, Programmes and Agencies, as well as members of the academia, think tanks and human rights organizations.

During her visit, Thors welcomed the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of the Resolution 2282 (2016) on the Review of United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture as renewed meaningful support to conflict prevention worldwide. In discussions, it was also noted that the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the data provided during their implementation are very relevantpertinent for building just and inclusive societies.

“I am pleased with the strengthened partnerships with the wider international community achieved during my trip, in particular in thematic areas such as access to justice and education, both highly relevant to national minorities and conflict prevention,” Thors concluded.

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors visited Croatia from 9 to 10 May 2016. During her visit, Thors focused on promoting the effective implementation of the Constitutional Act on the Rights of National Minorities, in particular the provisions regarding languages and scripts; on education matters; and, on issues pertaining to national minorities and good neighbourly relations.

Concerned that marginalizing or stigmatizing national minorities poses a threat to the cohesion of society and to bilateral relations, Thors urged the systematic condemnation of discriminatory rhetoric or conduct.

“Divisive rhetoric has proven a dangerous path. The more diversity, the richer a society is, as different cultures are the shared wealth of all,” Thors said. “It is crucial to foster a sense of belonging for all members of society in order to effectively promote the integration process,” she added. Thors called for ensuring the protection of the rights of national minorities whilst avoiding polarization of the society along ethnic lines, consistent with The Ljubljana Guidelines on the Integration of Diverse Societies, published by HCNM in 2012.

The High Commissioner also emphasized the need for a renewed dialogue between all political and social actors to overcome difficulties, including those related to the protection of minority rights, in a consultative manner. In this context, Thors welcomed the thorough process of the curricular reform and reiterated her support to teaching of a common curriculum, regardless of the instruction language, as an effective way to integrate diverse societies and provide for common points of understanding.

Thors was encouraged by the prospect of further co-operation with Croatian institutions. She also welcomed the attention given to the existing joint bilateral inter-governmental commissions. “Co-ordination of efforts with neighbouring countries in this field and the active role played by all ministries under the auspices of the State Office of Croats Abroad could consolidate the shared European aspirations in the neighbourhood,” Thors noted.

The High Commissioner met a variety of key interlocutors in Zagreb. These included Zdravka Bušić, Deputy Foreign Minister; Dubravka Jurlina Alibegović, Minister of Public Administration; Predrag Šustar, Minister of Science, Education and Sports; Furio Radin, Milorad Pupovac, Ivan Radić, and Marko Sladojev, Chairperson and members of the Parliamentary Committee on Human and National Minority Rights, respectively; Aleksandar Tolnauer, President of the Council for National Minorities; Lora Vidović, Ombudsman; Branko Sočana, Director of the Government Office for Human Rights and Rights of the National Minorities; and Zvonko Milas, Head of the State Office for Croats Abroad.

Related Stories

• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Astrid Thors visited Moldova from 23 to 25 May 2016 to discuss issues including the draft integration strategy developed with HCNM’s assistance to the Bureau for Interethnic Relations, relations between Chisinau and the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia, and the education of national minorities. The High Commissioner also visited Tiraspol.

In Chisinau, the High Commissioner discussed the draft integration strategy with Prime Minister Pavel Filip and other interlocutors and encouraged the Government to fulfil without delay its commitment to adopt the strategy. “Adoption of the integration strategy will underscore the Government’s commitment to promoting an inclusive, diverse society,” said Thors. “Even more important will be the strategy’s implementation. I am ready to assist the Bureau for Interethnic Relations in this process.”

The High Commissioner praised the parliamentary decision in November 2015 to establish a permanent joint working group between the Moldovan Parliament and the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia. She discussed the functioning of the working group with its co-chairs, Member of Parliament Elena Bacalu and People’s Assembly Member Gheorghii Leichu, Speaker of Parliament Adrian Candu, and the Bashkan of Gagauzia Irina Vlah. Thors encouraged the working group to be fully utilized as the primary platform for discussing issues related to the functioning of the autonomy so that questions that may contribute to tensions can be successfully addressed.

With Minister of Education Corina Fusu, the High Commissioner discussed implementation of the Education Code and the effect of education reforms on schools teaching in minority languages, including optimization of the school network and new procedures for the selection of school directors. “Having heard from national minority representatives that education is a primary concern, I encouraged the Minister to ensure that national minorities are consulted when implementing reforms,” she said. The High Commissioner noted with interest the adoption of a new programme to improve teaching of the State language in minority-language schools, remarking that it provides an opportunity to expand multilingual education as a tool for integration.

The High Commissioner met members of the Council of Ethno-Cultural Organizations in Chisinau and with the Transdniestrian de-facto authorities and civil society representatives in Tiraspol. She visited the Theoretical Lyceum Alexandru cel Bun in Bender and learned about the practical difficulties the school faces in maintaining its operations as a Moldovan-administered school teaching in the Latin script. Thors welcomed the active efforts of the OSCE Mission to Moldova and the German Chairmanship of the OSCE to find sustainable solutions for the Latin-script schools among other issues as part of the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, and noted the anticipated resumption of talks in the 5+2 format, which she discussed with Deputy Prime Minister on Reintegration Gheorghe Balan and Transdniestrian Chief Negotiator Vitaly Ignatiev.

The High Commissioner also met with Deputy Prime Minister on Social Issues Gheorghe Brega, Director General of the Bureau for Interethnic Relations Oleg Babenco, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lilian Darii, and representatives of civil society and the international community.

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

Addressing the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 2 June 2016, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors described country engagement and highlighted the disturbing increase in hate speech.

The statement covered the High Commissioner’s activities since her last statement to the Permanent Council in November 2015. During this period Thors visited Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova.

The High Commissioner expressed concern about the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities. Thors called for renewed efforts to tackle hate speech in order to prevent tensions and to promote integration with respect for diversity.

Thors also informed the Permanent Council about the work her institution is doing together with researchers to identify best practices that highlight the bridge building potential of national minorities in diverse societies.

The full statement can be found here.

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• OSCE High Commissioner encourages inclusive approach to integration and education issues in Moldova and welcomes joint working group on Gagauzia

During her visit to Kosovo from 7 to 10 June 2016, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors focused on education, implementation of the framework of language rights and access to justice.

The High Commissioner continues to urge for the adoption of the Strategy for the Protection and Promotion of Language Rights, contending that it will make the implementation of legislation more efficient and improve the quality and the consistency of different language versions of legal acts. “When in place, the strategy will lead to positive results quickly,” said Thors.

The visit included Prishtinë/Priština, Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, Prizren, Janjevë/Janjevo and Gračanica/Gracanicë where Thors met with ministers, local authorities, media representatives, judges, university professors and students, as well as representatives of the international community. The High Commissioner was joined in several meetings by the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Jean-Claude Schlumberger.

Thors commended the recent adoption of an administrative instruction of the Ministry of Education Science and Technology, which will make it easier for members of non-majority communities to pursue studies at universities in Kosovo as it, among others issues, improves the functioning of the existing quota system.

Whilst visiting the University of Prizren, the High Commissioner expressed concern that courses taught in Turkish and Bosnian have not yet received official accreditation for the next academic year. Such courses cater to the fundamental needs of non-majority communities in Kosovo. “I encourage relevant authorities to take urgent measures so that these options remain available also the next academic year,” said Thors.

High Commissioner Thors discussed extensively with a number of stakeholders the prospective establishment of the Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities as well as ways to overcome the current stalemate in the process. She heard views on the need to respect the relevant legal framework but also to meet the expectations of concerned communities, in north Kosovo as elsewhere. Thors also noted the concerns expressed by Serbs living outside Serb majority municipalities, as well as non-Serb non-majority communities, who fear they will not benefit from the process.

In several meetings Thors pointed to the need to improve access to justice for all non-majority communities, to thoroughly follow up on crimes targeting them, as well as to fully enforce their property rights. “When such crimes are investigated and prosecuted, it sends a powerful and reassuring message to non-majority communities that their rights will be effectively protected by the authorities.”

On the last day of her visit, Thors attended a class of Serbian language instruction for Kosovo Albanian officials from the municipality of Prishtinë/Priština, part of a flagship partnership project on language acquisition by municipal officials sponsored by the Office of the Language Commissioner and the HCNM, with German funding, and implemented by the ECMI Kosovo.

The visit served to underline the importance attached by the High Commissioner to language learning as a key building block for integrated societies: “Speaking more than one language is beneficial, both for the person who speaks them and for society as a whole; it is even more important for local government officials, who regularly engage with members of public, to be able to communicate with every person in their community.”

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities calls for renewed dialogue between all political and social actors in Croatia
• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

A week-long regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education was held from 10 July to 16 July 2016 in Cholponata in Kyrgyzstan - the fifth regional summer school organized as part of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities’ (HCNM) Central Asia Education Programme.

Organized by the HCNM in co-operation with Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Education and Science, UNICEF and the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights in Kyrgyzstan, the summer school brought together 86 participants representing education institutions of the Central Asian States and of the wider region, including teacher trainers, methodological experts, university and pilot school managers and teachers, as well as international experts.

The summer school was aimed at providing practical expert support to further develop the capacity of education authorities and practitioners within multilingual and multicultural education.

Opening the summer school, Deputy Minister of Education of Kyrgyzstan Toktobubu Ashymbaeva highlighted the important role of the teacher in multilingual education programmes.

During the week, participants discussed pre-service and in-service teacher training, as well as facilitating the implementation of multilingual education programmes. Participants also developed training materials aimed at monitoring and evaluating multilingual and multicultural education programmes. As a result, eleven thematic materials were developed with the aim to further adapt them for practical use within the education institutions of the region.

Flera Saifulina, Head of the National Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation, found that the diverse forms of activities enabled participants to express their opinions, raise concerns and receive comprehensive answers from fellow experts. She also expressed satisfaction to see how education is used for the integration of societies in the Central Asian countries.

Tatiana Aderikhina, Co-ordinator of Education and Child Protection Issues at UNICEF Kazakhstan, said: “I am glad that the cooperation between HCNM and UNICEF Kyrgyzstan continues as it brings synergies and benefits the target country.”

Zaiyrbek Ergeshev, representative of the Department of the Ethnic and Religious Issues of the Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan, concluded that multilingual and multicultural education is an important factor for forming a civic identity.

Since 2012, the High Commissioner has been implementing the Central Asia Education Programme, aimed at promoting multilingual and multicultural education and developing bilateral and multilateral co‑operation in the region to improve the education of national minorities and promote the integration of society.

Related Stories

• Preservation, inspiration and dialogue: Twenty years of The Hague Recommendations Regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

Individuals from Montverde and Circle Christian won 1A golf individual state titles with the Eagles also winning the girls team title. In boys soccer, Carson Travieso had 2 goals for Oviedo in a victory, while Lyman and Winter Springs also won games.

Tesla is recalling Cybertrucks again.

U.S. 550 reopened after it was closed in both directions Wednesday morning because a boulder crashed onto the highway near Ouray overnight.

Upsets happen all the time in prep football. But in regards to these matchups, we’ll go with “highly unlikely” the underdog wins.

No team has bumped, set, and spiked in recent years with more authority than Class 1A Merino.

Olympic gold medalist Dame Flora Duffy will defend her title against 54 other athletes on July 31 at the women’s individual triathlon, with World Triathlon highlighting her and her competition ahead of the event. A World Triathlon story said, “At 8am on Wednesday 31 July, 55 athletes will line up in Paris for only the […]

Check out the greatest moments and plays in this matchup between the Le Moyne Dolphins and the Connecticut Huskies.

Victor Wembanyama had a career-high 50 points and the San Antonio Spurs rolled to a 139-130 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

Cryptocurrency markets are trading higher as meme coins Pepe and Dogwifhat were listed for trading on Coinbase COIN. Notable Statistics: - IntoTheBlock data shows large transaction volume increased by 18.7% and daily active addresses growing by 7.8%. Transactions greater than $100,000 are up from…