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Recognizing that ethnic tensions have the potential to escalate into major conflicts, the OSCE has established a High Commissioner on National Minorities who meets regularly with national leaders in an attempt to predict and prevent such conflicts. In 1994, the High Commissioner spoke in Albania with Government officials, local authorities and representatives of the Greek minority, concerning their rights to Greek language education. In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, he focused on questions of citizenship provisions, use of the Russian language, on achieving ethnic balance among public officials and mechanisms to address complaints of ethnic discrimination. Similar issues were raised during missions to Estonia, Macedonia, Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Ukraine. Also the office is addressing the rights of the Roma people in Europe.
Election monitoring and the building of democratic institutions is being coordinated for the OSCE by its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. In 1994, for example, international observers were provided for elections in the Russian Federation, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Hungary, Latvia, Macedonia, Ukraine and Belarus. Assistance was given for the drafting of constitutions in Tajikistan, Georgia and Armenia.
Political security in a culture of peace means that the conflicts which arise within countries must be managed not only without violence, but also without the threat of violence. This requires that non-violent conflict resolution must be used instead of armed forces, national police and intelligence services. This principle has been recognized by the OSCE countries in a ground breaking document adopted at their meeting in Budapest in December 1994 - the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security.
The Council of Europe
The protection of human rights and promotion of pluralistic democracy is the purpose of the Council of Europe. The Council, established in 1949, now consists of 32 countries from Western, Central and Eastern Europe. The Council promotes the sense of international solidarity among its citizens which is the fundamental basis for a culture of peace.
The Council has recently initiated a European Youth Campaign against Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism and Intolerance - to mobilize the public in favour of a tolerant society based on the equal dignity of all its members. The Campaign is neatly summed up in its slogan 'all different - all equal'. It operates through national committees in participating countries throughout Europe composed of people from minority and anti-racist groups, youth organizations and government representatives, responsible for organizing activities at the national level and for coordinating local and regional operations.
The Campaign stresses that people need to get involved in doing things so that they make a difference: 'Anything from an educational discussion to an entertainment event can help to raise awareness... In every town and city, in all countries, groups and individuals are invited to join in activities linked to the campaign. Everyone can share the same aim of finding positive solutions to the terrible problems caused by racism and intolerance.'
The European Week of Action against Racism, which began on 21 March 1995, was the first all-European mobilization of the campaign. In Amsterdam, 8000 people demonstrated against racism under the slo-
Through actions such as the European Youth Campaign against Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism and Intolerance, the Council of Europe promotes the sense of intercultural solidarity among its citizens which is the fundamental basis for a culture of peace.