On Tuesday, December 14, 2010 an informal public lecture was organized in Cahul at the B.P. Hasdeu State University of Cahul with questions and discussions on the topic “Discrimination – the main obstacle in the path of a genuine democracy”. More than 30 people (students, professors, local activists) participated in the event. Within the meeting Mr. Claude Cahn, the main guest of the meeting, Human Rights Adviser for the United Nations Office in Moldova, shared his thoughts on the subject of discrimination, human rights and social inclusion. An important part of the meeting was focused on a casual panel discussion in which those present were able to pose questions to the United Nations expert. In particular, the problem of diversity and the importance of the promotin of social inclusion in the process of European integration was broached. Some of the participants were of the opinion that the Republic of Moldova should be treated more respectfully by European bodies and given more attention in the democratization of society, while others concluded that Moldovan society should exhibit more activism and spirit of responsibility if it sincerely wishes an efficient European course and outcome.
This is the first time for the town of Cahul when a United Nations expert participated in a discussion with youth and local activists in this type of forum.
The activity was organized by the Institute for Rural Initiatives in partnership with the Pro-Europe Center and with the support of the United States Embassy in Moldova within the project “Building democracy at home: supporting interethnic dialog and cross-cultural cooperation”.
