Ukrainian Public Organization “Information-Research Center “Integration and Development” received a prestigious international award

October 14, 2009, in Hague, Minister for European Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Frans Timmermans presented the Max van der Stoel Award to a Ukrainian Public Organization “Information-Research Center “Integration and Development” (Simferopol, Autonomous Republic of Crimea).

An international panel of judges, headed by OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebeck, decided to award the organization “for activity on forming of tolerance and mutual understanding on multi-ethnic Crimean peninsula, for facilitation in overcoming of stereotypes regarding minorities”. The award has to be directed on development of activity of the organization and its projects.

The Max van der Stoel Award in the amount of 50,000 Euro is awarded once in two years for “outstanding achievements, directed on improvement of condition of national minorities in countries-participants of OSCE”. It was initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2001, in the honor of the first OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, who worked in this organization from 1993 till 2001.

The Center “Integration and Development” became the fourth organization that received this award.

Starting from the day of its founding in 1997, the Center “Integration and Development” directs its efforts on early prevention of conflict situations and forming of culture of peace, by working with all layers of population of the Crimea.

Organization’s systemic work on forming of skills of effective cultural interaction and peaceful resolution of conflict situations became the main achievement, noted by the international panel of judges. The organization carries out this work in Crimean educational institutions, jointly with the Crimean Department of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Since 2003 the Center united efforts of scholars and practicing pedagogues to create and implement an integrated course “Culture of Neighborliness”. Today, the course is being taught in almost 300 educational institutions in Crimea – from pre-school to higher educational institutions – by more than 800 pedagogues, who passed training during author’s seminars-trainings. Textbooks for children of elementary schools were published in Ukrainian and Russian.

The following organizations and institutions provided support during development, testing and implementation of the course: Institute for Innovative Technologies and Content of Education of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Ministry of Education and Science of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Republican Committee on Interethnic Relations and Deported Citizens of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Crimean Ethnographic Museum, Odesa Group for Mediation and others.

For many years, the International Renaissance Foundation and other international organizations and foundations have been providing expert and financial support for the activity of the Public Organization “Information-Research Center “Integration and Development” in forming of tolerance and mutual understanding on the multi-ethnic Crimean peninsula.

			Maria Lykhman, PR department tel: +380 (44) 486 24 74 | fax: +380 (44) 486 76 29 email: lykhman@irf.kiev.ua office: Kyiv, Artema Street, 46, Head Office