• Project tender aimed at promotion diversity values among the youth
• Steering Council of Compatriots has been established in Moscow recently

An NGO Dialogi.lv in collaboration with the UK Embassy to Latvia and the British Council have announced a project tender

An NGO Dialogi.lv in collaboration with the UK Embassy to Latvia and the British Council have announced a project tender Together. The tender is open for schoolchildren and its main aim is to promote a multicultural, diverse and inclusive society through sport and art activities. Chas

Chas reports on the participation of MP Jurijs Sokolovskis (For Human Rights in the United Latvia) in activities of the Steering Council of Compatriots recently established in Moscow. The main goal of the Council is to facilitate the constructive dialogue between the state institutions of Russia and Russian compatriots living abroad.

• Saeima rejects a draft law setting obligations for municipalities to preserve cultures of ethnic minorities
• Telegraf reports that representatives of ultra-right National Democratic Party of Germany are planning to come to Latvia
• Ombudsmans Office calls on the Centre for the Protection of Consumer Rights Protection Centre to fine an enterprise Buvniecibas ABC for placing discriminatory advertisement

Yesterday, the Saeima declined a draft law submitted by For Human Rights in United Latvia (FHRUL). The draft law set obligations for municipalities to preserve cultures of ethnic minorities. The Saeima also rejected the draft amendments to the Law on Elections to City, County Council and District Municipality” proposed by  FHRUL and “The Concord Centre” which stipulated granting Latvian non-citizens voting rights in municipal elections.

Yesterday, the Saeima declined a draft law submitted by For Human Rights in United Latvia (FHRUL). The draft law set obligations for municipalities to preserve cultures of ethnic minorities. The Saeima also rejected the draft amendments to the Law on Elections to City, County Council and District Municipality proposed by FHRUL and The Concord Centre which stipulated granting Latvian non-citizens voting rights in municipal elections. Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize

Telegraf reports that representatives of extreme ultra-right National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) are planning to come to Latvia this summer. Leader of the Latvian extreme ultra-right organisation National Power Union (NSS in its Latvian acronym) Viktors Birze in an interview with the newspaper stated that representatives of both organisations will meet in Riga to discuss mutual interests.

The Ombudsman’s Office called on the Centre for the Protection of Consumer Rights to fine an enterprise “Buvniecibas ABC” for placing a racially offensive advertisement in the newspaper. As reported, the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration Oskars Kastens also criticised the advertisement. The advertisement shows an African man who in broken Latvian says “I to want building yours house” and the text behind the advertisement says “All for construction and repair work but foreign labour force.” 

The Ombudsmans Office called on the Centre for the Protection of Consumer Rights to fine an enterprise Buvniecibas ABC for placing a racially offensive advertisement in the newspaper. As reported, the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration Oskars Kastens also criticised the advertisement. The advertisement shows an African man who in broken Latvian says I to want building yours house and the text behind the advertisement says All for construction and repair work but foreign labour force. Latvijas Avize, Diena

• Newspapers reports on events in the framework of the Week against Racism
• Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration Oskars Kastens calls on the mass media stop producing stereotypes about people of other races and ethnicities
• Saeima Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee considers that the Association of Ethnic Minorities should be granted bigger funding

Yesterday, an NGO “Golden Ball” in co-operation with the association “European Minorities – Branch of the Baltic and Scandinavian States” in the framework of the Week against Racism held an event “All Different. All Equal” for secondary school students in Riga. Representatives of the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration, Ombudsman’s Office, Afro-Latvian organisation and various ethnic minority NGOs took part in the discussion of issues concerning racism. The Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration Oskars Kastens has stated that Latvia has and will always remain a multinational state. In the framework of the anti-racism days an internet portal on Roma culture, history, NGOs and their activities

Yesterday, an NGO Golden Ball in co-operation with the association European Minorities – Branch of the Baltic and Scandinavian States in the framework of the Week against Racism held an event All Different. All Equal for secondary school students in Riga. Representatives of the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration, Ombudsmans Office, Afro-Latvian organisation and various ethnic minority NGOs took part in the discussion of issues concerning racism. The Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration Oskars Kastens has stated that Latvia has and will always remain a multinational state. In the framework of the anti-racism days an internet portal on Roma culture, history, NGOs and their activities www.romi.lv was presented. Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize, Diena

Diena reports that yesterday, the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration Oskars Kastens called on the mass media to stop production of stereotypes about people of other races and ethnicities. The Minister drew attention to a particular advertisement placed by a shopping chain Buvniecibas ABC which according to the Minister contains an insulting picture and text. The advertisement shows an African man who in broken Latvian says I to want building yours house and the text behind the advertisement says All for construction and repair work but foreign labour force.

Latvijas Avize reports that the Saeima Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee has held its meeting at premises of the Association of Ethnic Cultural Organisations of Latvia (AECOL). Members of the Committee stated that the government should find the ways to increase the AEOCLs funding. Head of the AEOCL Rafi Haradzanjans claimed that some representatives of the Integration Secretariat (IUMSILS in its Latvian acronym) are trying to split the organisation, as well as that the Secretariat fails to ensure appropriate funding.

• NGO Russian Community in Latvia asks MPs to grant voting rights in municipal elections to all permanent residents of Latvia
• First curriculum for teaching mathematics in ethnic minority schools presented in the State Language Agency

NGO “Russian Community in Latvia” has sent a letter to Speaker of the Saeima Indulis Emsis and to all MPs asking to support the draft amendments to the Election Law proposed by For Human Rights in United Latvia and “The Concord Centre” which stipulate granting all permanent residents of Latvia voting rights in municipal elections. The Saeima will review the draft amendments on 22 March.

NGO Russian Community in Latvia has sent a letter to Speaker of the Saeima Indulis Emsis and to all MPs asking to support the draft amendments to the Election Law proposed by For Human Rights in United Latvia and The Concord Centre which stipulate granting all permanent residents of Latvia voting rights in municipal elections. The Saeima will review the draft amendments on 22 March. Chas

Chas reports that first curriculum for teaching mathematics in ethnic minority schools was presented in the State Language Agency. Director of the State Language Agency believes that the curriculum will be very helpful for teachers who teach mathematics in the state language at minority schools, as well as, for those teachers who teach mathematics to ethnic minority children in Latvian-language schools.

• Latvijas Avize prints an article state language positions and government stance concerning these issues
• Head of the Council of Jewish Parishes and Communities: international Jewish organisations will get involved in issues concerning compensations for the Latvian Jewish Community

Latvijas Avize provides its views regarding positions of the state language and interprets the governments attitude towards the issue. The columnist of the newspaper believes that the Latvian language yields to the dominance of the Russian language in a number of business areas. The columnist criticizes the decision of the government to refuse a proposal to introduce norms stipulating higher fines for failure to use or insufficient use of the state language in certain areas. As reported, last week, the Saeima has declined the draft amendments to the Administrative Violations Code proposed by For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM to increase fines for violations regarding use of the Latvian language.

Head of the Latvian Council of Jewish Parishes and Communities Arkadijs Suharenko in an interview with

Head of the Latvian Council of Jewish Parishes and Communities Arkadijs Suharenko in an interview with NRA stated that international Jewish organisations will get involved in the issue of allotting compensations for the Latvian Jewish Community for lost properties during the Holocaust. As reported, in November, the majority of the Saeima did not support the draft law on granting LVL 32,000,000 (EUR 45,531,897) and some real estate buildings to the Jewish Community.