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UMIS AND ITS USERS CONTRIBUTED TO SAVING 55 194 TREES
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Programme: Transport and Transport Infrastructure

Planning region: All

Description

The project is aimed at supporting the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant stakeholders to implement the commitments of Bulgaria as a member of the EU and of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in the field of integration of measures dedicated to prevent antisemitism into relevant national strategies and action plans, in particular the elaboration and initial implementation of the first National Action Plan on combatting antisemitism. 
The surge of antisemitism, hate speech and acts of violence against minority groups across Europe and beyond to levels unseen for decades has become a serious challenge to our fundamental values. This rising challenge calls for a stronger response to prevent and to eradicate antisemitism at local, national and European level. In this context, the initiative will strive to address these concerns.
The following activities will be carried out within the pre-defined initiative:
1. Public opinion analysis providing information on public attitudes towards antisemitism in Bulgaria;
2. Establishing a thematic research network on the Holocaust and antisemitism to share good practices and scientific results;
3. Publications on initiative-related topics;
4. Setting up an integrated digital platform of the project;
5. Opening and closing events introducing and showcasing the project;
6. Elaboration of the first National Action Plan on Combating Antisemitism;
7. Cultural and educational programmes and activities in the elaborated NAP on Combating Antisemitism.
By implementing the above-mentioned activities, the project will seek to enhance the institutional capacity and expertise of the BMFA and other relevant authorities, increase the interest and knowledge of the Bulgarian citizens, raise the public awareness on Jewish culture, strengthen the academic research on Holocaust, as well as develop a sustainable cooperation and transfer of expertise between Bulgaria and Norway.
Activities
Activity Contracted Amount Reported Amount
Public opinion analysis providing information on public attitudes towards antisemitism in Bulgaria: - A sociological survey will be carried out providing a representative public sample as an end product with regards to public attitudes towards Jews in Bulgaria. Furthermore, the reliable data on current issues and trends gathered will be used for subsequent analysis by a team of experts in said field. The content and formulation of the questionnaire for the survey will be devised with the assistance of experts from the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Donor Partner - The Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies. - As follow-up and based on the sociological survey report, data analysis will be carried out by a purposefully assembled team of experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, academia and NGOs (incl. a representative of the Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies) engaged with the aforementioned issue. Moreover, the findings will serve as a stepping-stone for subsequent expert debates on regional and national level, as well as for the drafting of a comprehensive National Action Plan (NAP). 21 400.00 34 279.91
Establishing a thematic research network on the Holocaust and antisemitism to share good practices and scientific results: - An International research forum on the Holocaust and antisemitism will be held in Sofia with the participation of policy makers and researchers from Bulgaria, Norway and neighbouring countries to provide a platform for discussion of the Holocaust legacy and its contemporary implications. The forum findings will be widely distributed with the aim to support historically informed policymaking and addressing contemporary challenges, to promote the education on and understanding of the Holocaust and antisemitism among all citizens, as well as contribute to further research on the subject. Special consideration shall be given to engage the media in order to enhance public interest. The event will also create a cohesive regional research network for exchange of best practice and scientific data. - As follow-up, a National expert meeting in the form of workshop will be held six to nine months after the International Research Forum with the aim to gather researchers and university lecturers in order to evaluate the accomplishments of its joint collaboration and to deepen and expand the scope of its future activities. Participants will share information and views on past, existing and future research projects, including academic conferences, publications, PhD/MA training courses on the Holocaust and antisemitism. The aim is to assess jointly the academic interest in the Holocaust legacy and various aspects of Jewish studies, and to establish a thematic research network that will meet annually to share good practices and scientific results. With project sustainability in mind, and as a result of the envisioned subsequent efforts, the research network will generate evaluations, conclusions and recommendations on the implementation of the NAP. Going forward, the members of this newly minted network will be in a unique position to boost the proliferation of this project’s core messages to new and wider audiences. Furthermore, the project results will be multiplied in the future by the members of the established research network themselves. 21 100.00 32 206.40
Publications on initiative-related topics: - Publication dedicated to the International research forum: a dedicated paper edition will be published, comprising of the reports, incl. the proceedings and findings, from the International research forum on the Holocaust and antisemitism. It will be used in the framework of the project as a sound basis for subsequent discussions and actions, as well to make the information available to a wider group of stakeholders and for educational purposes. - Article in “Diplomacy Journal”: a set of rare editions and publications are stored and safeguarded at the Diplomatic Institute’s Library, which is the sole successor of the library of the now defunct Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Confessions. They would undoubtedly provide a complimentary added value for the promotion and celebration of Jewish values. Moreover, they could provide additional boost to the depth and scope of the research to be undertaken for the project. These materials contain the cultural and material heritage of the Bulgarian Jewish community and include publications from the State Archives, historical works and memoirs of Jewish authors. On these grounds, an analytical review paper will be written on select titles, and, subsequently, published to a wide variety of audiences in “Diplomacy Journal” – the official bilingual journal of the Diplomatic Institute. - Book by renowned antisemitism researcher in Bulgarian: Hannah Arendt, who is a renowned antisemitism researcher of Jewish descent, is widely recognized as one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century in the field of political theory. Regrettably, much of her work remains unknown to the Bulgarian public. In order for her work to reach a wider range of Bulgarian audiences within the overall objective of the project, one of her iconic books, “The Origins of Totalitarianism” which contains analysis of the history of antisemitism, will be published in Bulgarian. 9 450.00 16 766.00
Setting up an integrated digitial platform of the project: Based on the project’s requirements for publicity, an integrated digital platform will be created in order to promote the topics and activities laid down in the project as well as to better engage with its target audiences. This will additionally provide an opportunity for open and frank commentary and discussions. The platform will be regularly updated, in an interactive manner, not only with information about the project’s activities (including project activities by the MFA, the State Institute of Culture and the Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies) but with other topical news and data, as well. The platform’s content will be shared by the project promoter and partners on their social media pages and websites. 6 900.00 8 607.95
Opening and closing events introducing and showcasing the project: In order to increase public awareness about the necessity for antisemitism prevention and to actively engage an even wider array of interested parties, the Diplomatic Institute will organize at the beginning and at the end of the two year project, one opening and one closing event. They will be dedicated respectively to outlining the forthcoming activities and the accomplished results of the project (including the National Action Plan). Representatives of the non-governmental and academic sectors, stakeholders, opinion leaders and media figures will be among the invited. 4 800.00 5 649.53
Elaboration of the first National Action Plan (NAP) on Combating Antisemitism: In the context of the worrying increase in the number of manifestations of hate speech, hate crimes, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in Europe affecting minorities and other vulnerable groups, including Jewish, Bulgaria is determined to undertake measures to counteract those negative trends. Furthermore, the State is dedicated to honour its international commitments in the field of antisemitism. In October 2016, the Government of Norway launched an Action plan against antisemitism 2016–2020 as a response to incidents of hate crimes and hate speech both at home and in other European countries. This is one of the first national plans aimed at contributing to a reduction of antisemitism, and it has been received with interest and appreciation internationally, including by IHRA. Within the process of its accession to the IHRA, Bulgaria has announced its intention to use the Norwegian Action Plan as a model for developing its own action plan against antisemitism. This statement was based om the conclusion that several of the measures in Norway’s action plan were in line with the overall aims and objectives of the Bulgarian government’s policies and plans to combat antisemitism. Thus the Norwegian Centre for the Holocaust and Minority studies will be consulting the Bulgarian authorities during the NAP elaboration. 19 865.00 6 016.64
Cultural and educational programmes and activities in the elaborated NAP on Combating Antisemitism: The purpose of this activity is to create a package of materials and a network of multiplyers dedicated to the topic of counteracting antisemitism by focusing on the Jewish heritage in Bulgarian history, culture and of society. 7.1 A research will be carried out aiming to increase knowledge and multicultural understanding by preserving Jewish heritage in Bulgaria. A package of presentation materials will be elaborated/ produced in cooperation with experts from academia and NGO. The theme of Jewish heritage is illustrative of Bulgarian history, cultural richness and diversity, and contributes to the correct interpretation of nowadays life and society. The remarkable sites and documents of Jewish Heritage could act as a role model against populism with regards to young people. Documentation of the research will be used in the other modules in the activity. 7.2.a Engaging creative communities and artists to seek inspiration from the themes of Jewish history in Bulgaria. In this module State Cultural Institute will invite artistic organisation and creators to produce exhibitions comprising visual documentation on local Jewish historic sites, places of worship, and contemporary Jewish life in Bulgaria; the story of ‘Bulgarian Righteous’ (the untold stories about Salvation of Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust), comprising documentation and audio-visual materials of information on artefacts and documents related to Jewish-Bulgarian diverse culture. 7.2.b Multimedia materials /Animation films and Poster exhibition selected by a way of Invitation to Certain Persons and creative stakeholders (Art. 191 (1) Para 2 of Public procurement act) will be produced for the purpose to enhance public interest in the core theme of the project. The materials will serve for various presentations and public events and will ensure the sustainability of the results of the implementation of the whole project. In the process of the elaboration of the materials creative communities and artists will be engage with the purpose to seek inspiration from the themes of Jewish history in Bulgaria. 7.2.c Special sections in cultural forums and events will be organised in cooperation with promoters of documentary / feature film festivals, book and literature fairs, theatre festivals and resident art/literature programmes. The aim is to involve broad audiences’ interest in the Holocaust legacy and the various aspect of Jewish heritage for the democratic process in the society. International participation in these events will be an advantage for the project visibility and communication goals. 7.3.a Innovative cultural-educational and training programmes targeting various audiences through creating local networks. These activities will target teachers, students, specialists and community leaders with the objective to create a platform for dialogue on Jewish history and culture, including debates, lectures and workshops. Activities will be implemented in cooperation with partners from cultural and academic field, Jewish community organisations and NGO’s from cultural and education field. The objective is to train a group of 20-25 young multipliers to participate in debates and presentation with young audiences and thus to proliferate project’s core messages to a new and wider audiences. 7.3.b Debates with young audiences will be organised with participation of multipliers. Produced exhibitions and multimedia/animation will be part of presentations. The comprehensive National Action Plan for combating antisemitism will be part of these debates aiming to support policymaking and addressing contemporary challenges, to promote the education on and understanding of the Holocaust and antisemitism. 96 674.80 155 853.37

Notes:

Elements in light blue allow detailed view when selected
All amounts are in Bulgarian lev (BGN) / 1 EUR = 1,95583 BGN
The project is financed by the Operational Programme "Technical Assistance" and co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.
In implementing the project № 0115-CCU-2.1 "Information system for management and monitoring of EU funds in 2014-2020 - UMIS 2020" (BG161PO002-2.1.01-0007-C0001).