Europe is changing!
The EU enlargement is already on its way and a new Eastern Border will be formed, re-dividing our common European House.
In this new social, political and legal context, groups such as black and ethnic minorities, refugees and migrants are confronted with new inequalities and changing faces of discrimination. Human rights are frequently not respected and marginalised (youth) groups do not yet sufficiently participate in decision-making processes. It is time for anti-discrimination organisations not just to react but to actively influence the changes in Europe.
How can we create the Europe we want to live in? How can we join our efforts in combating racism and discrimination?
The UNITED conference in Luxembourg will bring together activists from organisations from all over Europe to share experiences in these fields and find new ways to work in the situations we are facing every day.
Main themes of the conference will be:
1. Europe new borders, new identities. European citizenship, facing new divides in Europe, new East-East political relations, etc.
2. Situation of migrants and refugees in an expanding Europe. Refugee identity, equal rights for everybody, legalising the undocumented refugees, economic migration, …
3. Minorities in Europe. Combating stereotypes and prejudices, respecting language and identity, wiping out social and cultural stigmas…
4. Far-right: tendencies in Europe. Extremism in politics, media and sports; growing violence, the “respectable” right-wing, …
5. Intercultural education. Non-formal approach of teaching and learning about anti-racism, human rights, cultural influences, clash between values, …
Participants in the conference will build their image of a multicultural Europe, by sharing experiences from their countries, re-thinking them in a European context. They will learn from one another, will find new inspiration and will plan concrete action towards an open-minded Europe.
UNITED, the biggest European anti-racist network of more than 550 organisations, organises a series of conferences in several European countries to unite and concentrate anti-racist forces. At one of the last UNITED conferences, held in October 2002 in Bucharest, 67 people from 72 organisations from 28 countries met, from Italy to Russia, from Ireland to Cyprus. They exchanged information, trained their skills and prepared future action and campaigns (e.g. around the commemoration of the “Kristallnacht” pogrom and the European-wide Action Week Against Racism).
Program and registration form: invitLUXemail.rtf
More information:
UNITED, Postbus 413, NL-1000 AK Amsterdam
phone +31-20-6834778, fax +31-20-6834582,
[email protected]
