International "What Divides Europe? Bridging Traditional Values and Fundamental Rights"

International UNITED Conference near Borjomi (Georgia), 13-18 October 2014 "What Divides Europe? Bridging Traditional Values and Fundamental Rights".

UNITED is organising an international conference in Georgia. The concepts of fundamental rights and traditional values will be at the center of the discussion. In order to constructively create bridges between human rights and traditional values, we will explore traditional values on various levels and perspectives.

A variety of questions arise on how majority communities perceive minority communities, and how these minority communities address the same issues within their own community or towards other communities. The discussions will focus on opportunities for creating cross-community coalitions between NGOs based on a common framework of human rights and an understanding of society's traditional values, as well as their impact on the daily life of minority communities. The path of human rights would enable participants to be UNITED and work hands in hands - developing together responses and advocacy actions towards shared challenges both at national and European levels.

Basic themes: 
1. Diversity inside minority communities
2. Discrimination between communities
3. Empowering minority communities
4. How to cooperte with governmental institutions
5. How to create coalitions

Working methods include debates, workshops, trainings, presentations, political cafés, icebreakers, information market, cultural activities, excursions, open forum, sharing good practices.

We use formal and non-formal working methods. The conference is planned for around 80 participants (living in the countries of the Council of Europe) who represent (inter)national human rights, antiracist, antifascist, refugee, and minority rights organisations. Active grass-roots groups from all over Europe are also invited.

Sillamäe Society for Child is represented by Vassili Golikov, international cooperation manager.