Cordoba OSCE Conference on Anti-Semitism and on Other Forms of Intolerance, June 8-9, 2005
The OSCE Conference on Anti-Semitism and on Other Forms of Intolerance convened in Córdoba, Spain, from June 8-9, 2005.
The conference, the third since the Helsinki Commission’s 2002 groundbreaking hearing on “Escalating Anti-Semitic Violence in Europe,” was well attended with many participating States represented by senior-level officials.
Specific sessions were held on:
– Fighting anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination, and promoting tolerance – from recommendations to implementation;
– Anti-Semitism and the media; Education on the Holocaust and on anti-Semitism;
– Responding to anti-Semitic and hate-motivated crimes;
– Fighting intolerance and discrimination against Muslims;
– Fighting intolerance and discrimination against Christians and members of other religions;
– Fighting racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance and discrimination.
Specialized workshops were focused on:
– Anti-Semitism and the Media;
– Implementation of OCDE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’ (ODIHR) Taskings in the Field of Tolerance and Non-Discrimination;
– Promoting Tolerance and Ensuring Rights of Religion and Belief; and
Combating Racism and Discrimination against Roma and Sinti.
Side events were organized to address:
– Education on the Holocaust and anti-Semitism;
– Combating hate speech online in the OSCE framework;
– Anti-Semitism and satellite television;
– Teaching the Holocaust and the History of Anti-Semitism in Catholic Schools: Promoting Tolerance and Interfaith Understanding;
– Why Should We Work Together?
– The ODIHR’s Law Enforcement Officer Training Program for Combating Hate Crimes;
– The role of Parliaments in Combating Anti-Semitism;
– The Anti-Semitism/terrorism Nexus, Hate sites on the Internet; and
Discrimination, Hate crimes and Intolerance on the grounds of homophobia.
The Conference was preceded by a one-day NGO Forum hosted by the Three Cultures Foundation on June 7, 2005 in Seville. The opening session included presentations by Professors Gert Weisskirchen and Anastasia Crickley and Ambassador Omur Orhun, who are the three Personal Representatives of the outgoing OSCE Chair-in-Office, Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel.
The most tangible results to come out of the Córdoba Conference was the Córdoba Declaration, as well as reports presented by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on “Combating Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region” and “Education on the Holocaust and on Anti-Semitism.” The declaration recognized that some forms of intolerance need proper definition, and reiterated the Berlin Declaration’s acknowledgement that “international developments or political issues, including in Israel or elsewhere in the Middle East, never justify anti-Semitism.”
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Documents:
* Córdoba Declaration 2005 (pdf)
* ODIHR, Combating Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region (2,07 MB pdf)
* ODIHR, Education on the Holocaust and on Anti-Semitism (2,08 MB pdf)
* The Holy See, Statement of the Most Reverend Antonio Cañizares Archbishop of Toledo, Head of the Delegation of the Holy See (pdf)
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