Antonia Luciani, Coppieters Foundation, calls for Global Dialogue on Self-Determination at UN Forum in Geneva

The Coppieters Foundation took part once again in the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, held in Geneva in November 2025.  This participation is part of a continued effort to engage with the UN system and achieve ECOSOC accreditation.

Antonia Luciani, Copieters Foundation President, addressed the Forum, to discuss structural causes of conflict, the need for stronger prevention strategies, and the importance of recognising national groups.

She highlighted that many conflicts and frozen conflicts in Europe and beyond, with varying degrees of severity, stem from the limited recognition of national groups, whose autonomy, political participation, and control over their own resources is limited. When these fundamental issues are not addressed, institutions become more fragile and societies more vulnerable to tensions.

Luciani also drew attention to the broader global context: The environment for civic rights, democratic participation, cultural and linguistic diversity, collective freedoms and institutional checks and balances is increasingly less favourable . This deterioration makes dialogue more difficult and weakens the mechanisms that help prevent conflict.

In this context In this context, Coppieters called on institutions to continue efforts to prevent increasing tensions: Strengthening multi-level governance systems and ensuring that national groups are recognised and given a meaningful place in decision-making processes. This includes supporting (1) decentralisation and autonomy; (2) ensuring recognition of national groups and their identities; (3) granting them effective participation in political processes and, (4) allowing them genuine control over the resources they need to develop their communities.

At international level, Luciani proposed  the creation of a Permanent Forum within the United Nations dedicated to the practical implementation of the right to self-determination. Such a forum would provide a permanent platform for dialogue, learning, conflict prevention and constructive engagement between states, national groups and international actors.

Strengthening the rights of national groups and reinforcing democratic institutions are essential steps to prevent conflict escalation and promote more resilient and peaceful societies.

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The Coppieters Foundation is financially supported by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not liable for the content of the conferences, events or the opinions of the authors of our publications.

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