FYROM needs more efforts on minority rights, says Council of Europe monitoring body

in FYROM Human Rights, FYROM news / by D-Mak / on December 12, 2011 at 3:39 am /

Strasbourg. Authorities in “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” need to put more effort into promoting national minorities’ rights and fostering tolerance, mutual understanding and intercultural dialogue, says a Council of Europe monitoring body, a press release of the Council of Europe informs.

The Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, following their third visit to the country, welcomed legislation adopted to implement the Ohrid Framework Agreement of 2001 on continued inter-ethic co-operation. The committee called on the government to create opportunities for inter-ethnic dialogue and put an end to the division and polarisation of society along ethnic lines.

The Committee praised the well-developed system of minority language education, with bilingual and trilingual schools providing education in the Albanian, Turkish and Serbian languages.

The Committee also said more efforts were needed to combat prejudice towards national minorities and redress the lack of minorities working in the public administration. It urged the authorities to solve employment problems amongst Roma, and provide more resources for housing, health, education and the needs of Roma women

Source: Focus Information Agency