General Purposes

About this grant

The Project on Ethnic Relations works to ease ethnic tensions in the former Communist bloc and concentrates much of this effort in the Balkans. Efforts include mediating major ethnic conflicts; promoting alternatives to conflicts; interfacing Roma and majority populations; helping indigenous organizations address ethnic conflicts; influencing opinion leaders; and training experts.Multiyear funding will enable the project to continue mediating ethnic conflicts by working with political leaders and others in Central and Southeastern Europe; building trust between Roma communities and majority populations in the region; and providing conflict resolution training. Specific activities will include improving government and political party relations with the Hungarian minority; strengthening relations between majority Bulgarians and the Turkish minority; conducting semiannual roundtables of leaders of Kosovo’s ethnic communities; coordinating joint mediations with European Union organizations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on minority rights for the Roma; and preparing a new generation of experts on intergroup conflicts.Recent accomplishments included conducting roundtable dialogues between the Romanian government and the Hungarian minority; monitoring a Slovakian interethnic governing coalition; encouraging relationship building between Albanians and their neighbors; organizing a series of dialogues between Russia and the Baltic states; and working to improve regular communications between the Romani minority and national governments.