Farida Shaheed, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, visited the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat today, to learn about efforts in fostering cultural and education cooperation in South East Europe.

Goran Svilanovic, RCC Secretary General, informed Special Rapporteur Shaheed of the most important activities of the Secretariat in building human capital in South East Europe, stemming out of the regional development strategy South East Europe 2020. They include protection of cultural heritage, but also bringing additional 300,000 highly educated people on the job market in the next seven years.

Special Rapporteur Shaheed informed of her intention to assess Bosnia and Herzegovina’s efforts to enhance the right of all persons to participate in cultural life. She highlighted the role of culture in bringing people together and helping fight prejudices and intolerance.

The discussion focused on education, protection of cultural heritage and cultural rights, youth involvement in political reforms, political and economic situation, and the importance of EU integration for regional cooperation in South East Europe.