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The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation
European Medal of Tolerance
Conference “Towards Reconciliation”
The purpose of the prize is to honor and reward extraordinary creative achievements in the promotion of tolerance. The ultimate aim is to draw attention to successful undertakings that may serve as models for others in the field of tolerance and peace-building. The prize thus recognizes effectiveness as well as vision; impact assessment is a part of the nomination and evaluation process.
The conference “Towards Reconciliation – Experiences, Techniques and Opportunities for Europe” took place in Dubrovnik, Croatia, October 24-25, 2010.
This prize is dedicated to effective implementation of the Principles of Tolerance in both public and private spheres, in particular in the policy making process, legislative action on the national and regional level, and law enforcement activities as well as in the arts, education, culture, science and communication. The prize is to be awarded to persons, groups of persons, non-governmental, governmental and intergovernmental organizations and institutions for exceptional contributions to, and leadership in, the promotion of tolerance on the European continent and to the fight against the most odious forms of intolerance such as xenophobia, anti-Semitism, aggressive nationalism, political extremism and racially-motivated hate crime. The prize may also be awarded to the families of outstanding individuals who have lost their lives in the struggle against intolerance. The prize is in form of a gold ‘European Medal of Tolerance’ presented to the recipient as a concrete and lasting token of the award. The first presentation of the Medal of Tolerance was held on November 11, 2008 in the context of the Week of Tolerance in Europe. It was awarded to His Majesty Juan Carlos I, the King of Spain.
The aim was to examine the role of politics, culture, media, religion and civil society in the process of dealing with the past. The participation of over 150 representatives from societies which shared a (post)-conflict experience inspired a mutually advantageous comparative debate across regions, disciplines and generations. The initiative was dedicated to further foster the development of commemorative cultures in Southeast Europe on the basis of European and international experiences. It was organized together by the ECTR, the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Bosch Stiftung, with the support of several other leading European Foundations.
More Information The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation Official Seat: 32, avenue Maurice 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Contact: Office of the former President of Poland Aleksander Kwasniewski Al.Przyjaciol 8/5, 00-565 Warsaw, Poland Tel : +48-22-622-66-03 Fax: +48-22-629-48-16 e-mail: office@fae.pl
The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation
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The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation
The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation is an international NGO, established in October 2008 by Aleksander Kwasniewski, former President of Poland and Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress. The idea of the Council dates back to the International Stockholm Forum on the Holocaust organized by the Swedish Government on the 26-28 January 2000, which emphasized that the whole international community shares a solemn responsibility to fight such evils as racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia.
The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation
ECTR Members
Projects and Initiatives:
Aleksander Kwaśniewski - former President of Poland, Chairman of ECTR
European Day of Tolerance
Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor - President of the European Jewish Congress and the World Holocaust Forum, CoChairman of ECTR Jose María Aznar - former Prime Minister of Spain Erhard Busek - former Special Coordinator for the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe and former ViceChancellor of Austria
The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation consists of distinguished representatives of the civic society in Europe and beyond. ECTR Members have all proven with their past and current activities the importance they attribute to the remembrance of the past, promoting tolerance and combating racism and xenophobia today in Europe. The seat of the ECTR is in Brussels.
White Book on Tolerance in Europe
Alfred Moisiu - former President of Albania
One of ECTR's main goals is the promotion of tolerance and reconciliation through research and observation of Tolerance in Europe. It is done through the publication of a White Book on Tolerance, which is to: - Remind societies and political spheres of Europe about the need for a continuous struggle for tolerance. - Present ECTR's assessment of the current state of Tolerance in Europe, assessment of intolerance and its roots in particular societies. - Show the positive and encouraging side of tolerance in Europe. - Presenting examples of pro-tolerance and tolerancerelated initiatives in Europe - "What can YOU do for tolerance in Europe?"
Göran Persson - former Prime Minister of Sweden
World Forum „Let My People Live!”
Talât Sait Halman - former Minister of Culture of the Turkish Republic, Professor of Bilkent University Václav Havel - former President of the Czech Republic
is a non-partisan and non-governmental institution. It is envisaged to be an opinion-making and advisory body on international tolerance promotion, reconciliation and education. It fosters understanding and tolerance among peoples of various ethnic origin; educates on techniques of reconciliation; facilitates post-conflict social apprehensions; monitors chauvinistic behaviors, proposes protolerance initiatives and legal solutions.
The ECTR was one of the organizers of the European Day of Tolerance on the 10th November 2008 in the European Parliament in Brussels, with the participation of Hans-Georg Pottering, Jacques Barrot, Gunter Verheugen, and many others. The Council put forward to the European public the projects of a European Convention on Tolerance and a proposal for a White Book on Tolerance.
Igor Ivanov - former Foreign Minister and Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Milan Kučan - former President of Slovenia
Rita Süssmuth - former Speaker of the German Bundestag Vilma Trajkovska - President of the Boris Trajkovski International Foundation, Macedonia George Vassiliou - former President of the Republic of Cyprus Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga - former President of Latvia Ireneusz Bil - Secretary General of ECTR
The ECTR has co-organized the “Let My People Live!” World Forum to mark the day 65 Anniversary of the of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, and was held in Krakow, Poland, on January 27, 2010. The Forum was held under the honorary patronage of President of Poland Lech Kaczyński, President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek and the first Permanent President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy. It was attended i.a. by nearly 100 deputies from the European Parliament led by Jerzy Buzek, and other official delegations from all over the world. U.S. President Barack Obama and President of France Nicolas Sarkozy sent recorded messages to the Forum’s Participants.