On 27 December, the Interregional Forum “Strengthening Interethnic Consent: Experience and Challenges of 2023” was held at Voronezh State University within the framework of the cultural and educational project “Unity” on the initiative of Alexey Gordeev, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma, and with the direct support of Alexander Gusev, the Governor of the Voronezh Region. The event was attended by representatives of authorities, national diasporas, regional Houses of Friendship, non-profit organisations and a specialised expert community of activists interested in national politics.
Alexander Timashov, Secretary of the National Chamber under the Governor of the Voronezh Region gave a welcome speech:
“Over the past month, many events dedicated to interreligious relations have been held in the Russian Federation. This topic is very important. We gathered at this forum named “Strengthening Interethnic Consent: Experience and Challenges of 2023” to contribute to solving disagreements between different nationalities. This task was set by the President of the Russian Federation. We express our gratitude to the rector of the university and hope to organise more of such joint events in the future.”
Yulia Nikiforova, Head of the Centre for Social and Legal Support “Art of Life”, told the audience about the goals of the forum:
“The world is changing rapidly before our very eyes. The old models of international relations no longer meet today's requirements and challenges. But the eternal categories of culture and spirituality are again in demand by society. They need to be reminded of as often as possible and put at the forefront of all similar projects. The spiritual union of people and nations based on universal values understandable to everyone is a key factor in the development of civil society both in Russia and around the world.”
As part of the forum, Evgeny Osenkov, a member of the National Chamber under the Governor of the Voronezh Region, presented a collection of best practices in strengthening interethnic relations in the Voronezh Region. Boris Panich, Director of the Interregional Resource Centre for Migration and Interethnic Relations, spoke about an integrated approach to the adaptation of foreign citizens in Voronezh and the Voronezh Region. The speaker paid special attention to the areas of work in this field.
Valentina Kaluzhnaya, Head of the House of Friendship in the Kantemirovsky District, made a report dedicated to “Experience in strengthening interethnic relations in the district”. Evgenia Mikhaleva, Director of the Non-Profit Autonomous Organisation “Resource Centre for National Relations”, spoke about the work of her organisation aimed at improving interreligious interactions.
At the end of the event, the speakers were awarded with a collection of best practices in the area of interethnic relations in the Voronezh Region.
