From 8 to 11 September 2009, an interregional seminar on “Ethno-Cultural Technologies for Prevention of Extremism and Xenophobia” was run in Vologda. The purpose of the seminar was to exchange experiences and develop recommendations for public authorities of RF subjects concerning the prophylactics of ethnic and religious-political extremism.
From 8 to 11 September 2009, an interregional seminar on “Ethno-Cultural Technologies for Prevention of Extremism and Xenophobia” was run in Vologda. The purpose of the seminar was to exchange experiences and develop recommendations for public authorities of RF subjects concerning the prophylactics of ethnic and religious-political extremism.
The seminar was attended by the representatives of several Russian regions, as well as federal ministries and departments, and the National Anti-Terrorist Committee.
At the opening of the seminar, the St.Petersburg Government program “Tolerance” was presented, which is the first and most innovative in the country.
In 2006, the St.Petersburg Government adopted a declaration, based on the UNESCO working principles, that was backed by a large-scale program of actions and a wide range of preventive measures, which was the program “Tolerance”.
During three years after the launch of the program, about 10,000 various events were held aimed at maintaining the ethno-political stability. The program is implemented jointly by the executive branch of state authorities of St.Petersburg, representatives of federal authorities, local government, educational and scientific institutions, cultural institutions, law enforcement agencies, NGOs, media, universities, schools, and kindergartens.
In the area of international cooperation, the partnership ties of St.Petersburg with the twin-cities are activated, considered as the ground for cooperation in building a tolerant urban environment, and the cooperation with the Council of Baltic Rim Countries on this issue is being developed. In 2007, our city, the first in Russia, joined the European Coalition of Cities against Racism (ECCAR) that unites 88 European cities, whose authorities paid due attention to the issues of intercultural interaction.
The declaration “Great City – Harmony in Diversity”, program “Tolerance”, and the activities devoted to their implementation were highly esteemed by the Steering Committee of ECCAR that ran its session in St.Petersburg in May 2009. This action contributed to the formation of objective notion on the actions of this Russian region, addressing such issues that are sensitive for the whole world, for the governments of several European cities.
Also, it is possible to state that the experience and focused, targeted, programmatic approach of St.Petersburg to the solution of the problem of ethnic intolerance is appreciated by other subjects of Russian Federation. It is proven by the inqueries from the regions of Russia that rely on the experience of our city when developing similar programs, as well as confirmed by the interregional conference “Development of Cooperation between the Regions of Russia for Strengthening Tolerance” held in St.Petersburg in November 2008 The conference was assisted by the Ministry of Regional Development of Russia, and attended by the representatives of public authorities of 25 subjects of Russian Federation, heads of the Houses of Nationalities, Ethnic Centers for Culture, and experts in the area of international relations. As a result of the workshops, the relevant Memorandum was signed.
Source: Committee for External Relations of St.Petersburg