Welcome to the first issue of the Newsletter of the Peace Institute – Institute for Contemporary Social and Political Studies, Ljubljana, Slovenia!

The Erased People of Slovenia Receive First Compensation Decisions

Slovenia is unfortunately known also as a country that in 1992 has unlawfully deprived about 25.000 of their legal status (erased persons). In the last decade the Peace Institute has been supporting the erased persons in their struggle to remedy the injustices. More than 20 years after this civil rights violation the erased persons are receiving decisions recognising them a right to compensation as a remedy for the damages caused. The decisions are issued based on the Act on Restitution of Damage for Persons Who were Erased from the Register of Permanent Population that came into force on 18 June 2014. By the end of July 2014 around 2,200 erased persons filed compensation claims with administrative offices in Slovenia.

Populism and Practices of Othering

The Peace Institute is engaged in a European Commission-funded project focusing on populism and practices of “othering” (project acronym: e-EAV). In recent months, the focus of the project has moved from political parties to the educational field. Educational module “Online Activism and Networking” aimed at empowering students to counter racism was carried out in 3 gymnasiums in Slovenia involving 111 pupils. The module was developed on the basis of the research results on populism in a cross-country European perspective. Special emphasis was given to learning methods involving computer tools, internet and social media. At the same time testing of an educational platform, aimed at teachers, was initiated in order to contribute to awareness-raising of teachers and stimulate them to work against racism and violence.

Women 20 Years after Beijing – Upcoming Conference

The aim of this Conference which will take place on 13-14 November 2014 is to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 4th United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995), adoption of its Declaration and Plan of Action. After 20 years since the world conference in women, it is time to critically review, what has been changed in order to achieve greater equality between women and men.

“Here I Am” – Videofilm about Migrants as Active Development Actors

The video film "Here I am" presents the interviews with ten migrants living and working in Slovenia and being active development actors. The idea behind the film is to show that migrants are here and we have to accept the fact that they act as development actors where they are – where they live and work. Videofilm was issued as part of a wider “Consistency of Migration and Development Policy Project”.

Coming up

• On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of Berlin wall dr. Vlasta Jalušič, researcher at the Peace Institute, will speak at the Austrian parliament on 6 November 2014 at the event “Zeitgenossinnen im Gespräch: Drei Frauen - ein Mauerfall”.

• Event “Effective Activism: Bilateral Exchange of Slovenian and Croatian activists” will take place in Maribor, 7–8 November 2014, focusing on the topics of transformative power of protests, labour’ rights, conservative threats towards open society, and citizens’ co-management of public affairs/public goods.

• The book Media Integrity Matters will be presented at the European Parliament on 18 November 2014, at a conference "Reclaiming public service values in the Western Balkans media: How should the European Union respond?".

• Regional conference “Media integrity matters: How to address corrupt relations and practices in the media systems?” will take place in Ljubljana, 1 December 2014, within the framework of the project South East European Media Observatory.

• Public forum “In the name of the people: racism, populism and discrimination” will be held on 19 November 2014 in Ljubljana. The forum aims to encourage critical thinking about racism in contemporary societies through presentations of results of two international projects of the Peace Institute: RAGE and LIGHT ON.

About the Peace Institute

The Peace Institute is a private independent non-profit research institution founded in 1991 by individuals who believed in peaceful conflict resolution, equality and respect for human rights standards. The institute develops interdisciplinary research, educational and advocacy activities aimed at creating and preserving open society capable of critical thought and based on the principles of equality, responsibility, solidarity, human rights and the rule of law. The Institute operates in areas of social sciences, humanities and law, in five thematic fields: human rights and minorities, politics, media, gender and cultural policies. It acts as an ally of vulnerable groups and acts against discrimination in partnership with them.