Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku International Multiculturalism Centre Azerbaijani Multiculturalism Textbook for Higher Education

Participation in social, cultural and economic life, etc.

Although the states undertake great responsibilities towards national minorities under the Convention, this does not allow

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violation of the principles of political independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state.

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe monitors the implementation of the provisions of the framework Convention by the member states. In conclusion, it should be noted that any state signatory to the Convention may at any time denounce the framework Convention by means of a notification addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The denunciation takes effect on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of six months after the date of receipt of the notification by the Secretary General.

The Republic of Azerbaijan signed The European Charter­ for Regional or Minority Languages as part of its cooperation with the Council of Europe.

The most significant developments within the OSCE concerning national minorities were decisions to protect national minorities; the decisions continued in stages from 1973 to 1975, ending in the signature of the Helsinki Final Act by 35 member states. This Act talks about protecting minorities, rather than eliminating discrimination. Although the Helsinki Final Act is not legally binding, it is a very high level political statement. At the same time, three other recommendations and one set of guidelines – The Hague Recommendations Regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities (1996), The Oslo Recommendations regarding the Linguistic Rights of National Minorities (1998), The Lund Recommendations on Effective Participation of National Minorities in Public Life (1999) and Guidelines On the Use of Minority Languages in the Broadcast Media (2003) – were adopted in order to achieve the consistent and proper application of the rights of minorities in the OSCE zone.

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The OSCE has a High Commissioner on National Minorities. The position was created in 1992 in order to combat large-scale ethnic violence. The Commissioner’s role is to ease tension caused by ethnic differences and prevent conflicts in the early stages and to ensure peace and security among the member states.

The Republic of Azerbaijan’s cooperation with UNESCO is very important in fostering and preserving the multicultural environment in Azerbaijan. As part of this cooperation Azerbaijan ratified the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in 2010. Moreover, the Declaration on the Principles of Tolerance and Declaration on Cultural Diversity, which are international UNESCO documents, play a significant role in fostering tolerance in multicultural societies.

UNESCO adopted the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions on 20 October 2005 at its 33rd session. The Convention entered into force on 18 March 2007. The Republic of Azerbaijan joined the Convention on 26 November 2009.

Before looking at the details of the Convention, it would be helpful to consider what cultural diversity means. These are the diverse forms in which the culture of individual groups and society is expressed. These forms of expression are transmitted among these groups and societies.

Self-expression is the result of the creativity of each individual, group and society.

The Convention was adopted in order to:

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  protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions;
  

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  to create the conditions for cultures to flourish and to freely interact;
  

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  to encourage dialogue among cultures with a view to ensuring wider and balanced cultural exchanges in the world in favour of intercultural respect and a culture of peace;
  

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  to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity in a spirit of partnership with a view, in particular, to enhancing the capacities of developing countries in order to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions.
  

The following important principles are enshrined in Article 2 of the Convention:

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  the principle of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;
  

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  the principle of sovereignty;
  

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  the principle of equal dignity of, and respect for, all cultures;
  

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  the principle of international solidarity and cooperation;
  

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  the principle of the complementarity of economic and cultural aspects of development;
  

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  the principle of sustainable development;
  

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  the principle of equitable access;
  

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  the principle of openness and balance.
  

The Declaration of Principles on Tolerance, which was adopted on 16 November 1995, declares the necessity to promote tolerance in society, because tolerance is not only a cherished principle, but also a necessity for peace and for the economic and social advancement of all peoples. Article 1 of the Declaration gives the following definition of tolerance: ‘Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human… Tolerance is harmony in difference. It is not only a moral duty, it is also a political and legal requirement.’

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Tolerance at the state level requires just and impartial legislation, law enforcement and judicial and administrative process.
Article 2 of the Declaration makes clear that intolerance may take the form of marginalization of vulnerable groups and their exclusion from social and political participation, as well as violence and discrimination against them. It is essential for international harmony that individuals, communities and nations accept and respect the multicultural character of the human family. The Declaration says that the most effective form of struggle against intolerance is education and upbringing. For the expansion of tolerance everyone should be taught their rights and liberties, and at the same time to respect the rights and liberties of others, too.

The signatory states to the Declaration declared 16 November the International Day for Tolerance in order to generate public awareness of the dangers of intolerance.

UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity in 2001. It is an international and universal document, consisting of 20 articles where the basic notions of cultural diversity and mutual dialogue are explained. Paragraph 3 of the introduction to the Declaration says that protecting cultural diversity is obligatory from the point of view of respecting the honour and dignity of the person. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the declaration on 20 December 2002 (No 57/249) and declared 21 May the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

As a multi-faith country, Azerbaijan is a striking example of the equal treatment of all religions and the importance attached to multicultural values. Freedom of religion is enshrined at the highest level, the Constitution. It is an integral part of the human rights enjoyed by everyone in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Article 48 of the Azerbaijani Constitution (Freedom of conscience), Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief have essentially the same meaning. According to the norms set out in these conventions and declarations, anyone living in the Republic of Azerbaijan is free to determine their attitude towards religion, to profess any religion or none, alone or together with others, to express their religious belief and disseminate it. According to the Constitution, religion is separate from the state in Azerbaijan, unlike in some countries, and freedom of religious belief is an integral part of freedom of conscience.

At a time when the multicultural environment is under threat in various societies, Azerbaijan attaches importance to the policy of multiculturalism and treats multicultural security as an integral part of national security.