“People from this region know what it means when hate gets out of control, and the world can learn a lot from this region when it comes to coexistence, head of the Robert F. Kennedy (RFK HR) Foundation Kerry Kennedy said Thursday at the EU Future of the Western Balkans and Human Rights high-level summit in Sarajevo.
The summit which is dedicated to the EU and NATO integration of countries from the region was opened by Zlatko Lagumdzija, the founder of the Society of Common Values Foundation said that this is a paradoxical region in many regards and so in regards of education and human rights.
He recalled that 10 years after the war, Bosnia managed to unite the three warring armies in the country.
The summit hosts were the Society of Common Values Foundation, the Niam Ganjavi International Centre and the RFK HR.
Before the summit, Kerry Kennedy said that every country in the world has human rights violations, adding that every third woman in the world is a sexual harassment victim.
One of the summit participants was also the member of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic, who noted that countries, where human rights are violated, should always discuss them.
“We must always fight for the equality of all people. This conference is special. We are honoured by the presence of Kerry Kennedy, a great human rights activist, and this conference should encourage us all to fight for human rights even more, with a goal of ending discrimination and achieving equality of all people living in this country,” Dzaferovic said.
Bosnia's former Presidency member Mladen Ivanic also took part in the summit along with the head of the Inter-religious Council and head of the Jewish Community in the country Jakob Finci, former Prime Minister of Belgium Yves Leterme and former Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Jadranka Kosor.
Kosor said that she was optimistic about the Euro-Atlantic perspective of the region, adding it was the only guarantee of lasting peace and prosperity in the region.
He believes that every state must make many reforms, changes and, above all, strengthen the rule of law for the sake of its own citizens.
The event was also an opportunity to discuss a human rights education initiative designed to build a future generation of human rights leaders and activists.
