I have lost count of the number of times I have visited Ukraine since it chaired the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2013, first as the secretary-general of the OSCE and, more recently, as the OSCE high commissioner on national minorities. This is my fourth visit to the country in my current capacity, advising the authorities on measures they can take to strengthen the cohesiveness of society, by respecting the different identities which exist. This reflects a key principle: when a state respects the diversity of its citizens, those citizens are more likely to respect the state and to feel like valued members of it. And this will, in turn, strengthen the cohesiveness of society as a whole.
Very few issues are as fundamental to a person’s identity as their native language. Challenging this may provoke a defensive response. History teaches us that any such attempts often end badly. I work with States to moderate political pressures to impose restrictions on core aspects of minority identity, because it is my job to take measures to prevent conflict based upon ethnicity. In my view, such issues are best seen as above party politics, as they impact the stability of the State itself. I am here to propose solutions to the language question in a way that unites rather than divides Ukraine’s diverse society; that accommodates its regional differences and that relies on positive instead of punitive measures.
I am not the first OSCE High Commissioner that comes to Ukraine with such advice. In 2012, High Commissioner Knut Vollebaek advised against the one-sided adoption of the Kolesnichenko-Kivalov law, saying that it disproportionally favored the Russian language and as such risked undermining Ukraine’s cohesion. In February 2014, High Commissioner Astrid Thors called upon Ukraine not to take hasty decisions that would further divide society, and she urged the authorities to take time to adopt a balanced language policy.
For my part, I am asking the Ukrainian government to be mindful of my recommendations as it starts to implement the newly adopted law on the state language. I view integration as a two-way process. Balance is key. On the one hand, all governments should ensure respect for minority rights. On the other hand, minorities have a responsibility to participate in the political, cultural, social and economic life of their State. From my work with the 57 members of the OSCE, while no situation is the same, I find lessons to be drawn, which I offer.
The need for balance applies, particularly to language and education policies. In the sphere of education, for example, my institution has been promoting multilingual education as one of the ways to strengthen the role of the state language as a tool for integration, while protecting and promoting minority languages.
Change cannot happen overnight. A gradual approach that takes into account the views and perceptions of all those concerned, including national minorities, and that operates through incentives, rather than punitive measures, has proven fundamental to build acceptance and to ensure sustainability and ownership of decision-making processes.
These principles, today more than ever, are particularly relevant to Ukraine. As Ukraine’s language policy is being revisited, it is in the State’s interest to ensure that policies related to identity, language and education are inclusive, pragmatic and forward-looking. Only in this case will such policies cater to the interests of all groups within Ukraine’s diverse society, and become tools for building bridges, rather than reinforcing divides. I look forward in the coming days to meeting with representatives of the new government of Ukraine, to discuss these important issues.
Lamberto Zannier is the high commissioner on national minorities of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
