Resolution 2012

We, the delegates of the 6th World Congress of the Finno-Ugric and Samoyed peoples, while confirming our commitment to the Declaration of Fundamental Principles, Aims and Objectives of Cooperation of the Finno-Ugric Peoples of the World, ratified at our first congress in 1992, note that during the past twenty years:

• our Movement in its present form has stood the test of time, as the cooperation between our peoples and communities embraces now a growing number of peoples and their representatives, institutions and non-governmental organisations;
• the spheres of our mutual cooperation are constantly expanding, deepening and embracing even more aspects of cultural, civic, social, political and economic activities of our countries, regions and organisations;
• the Finno-Ugric World has become a reality with its own identity and self-reliance, institutions and diverse organisations consistently introducing and implementing in its activities the international standards in the areas of human rights, the rights of national minorities and indigenous peoples, including the right of peoples to self-determination.

We express our commitment to the individual and collective rights enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, and in other international instruments.

At the same time, we are facing both old and new challenges in the modern, increasingly dynamic and globalising world. Most of our peoples continue to decrease in number, their acculturation and assimilation processes are ongoing, and the knowledge of native languages is deteriorating. Our Movement as a whole, and some peoples in particular, are hindered from consistently tackling their goals and tasks by economic, social and political instability in a number of countries and regions. To preserve their identity and prospects for future development, many of our peoples should apply a greater effort to be engaged in the world-wide processes of mobility, modernisation and IT development.

Considering the above-mentioned, we call upon:

the representatives of the Finno-Ugric and Samoyed peoples of all countries:

• to speak their native languages and use these in both private and public life;
• to teach the Finno-Ugric languages to children, including the teaching by middle-aged and elderly people;
• to increase the use of the Finno-Ugric languages in the media and social networks;
• to encourage all Finno-Ugric peoples to be proud of their cultural heritage and to pass it from generation to generation;
• to act more actively as initiators and catalysts in building up and developing the civil society as a prerequisite for successful activities in the realisation of our goals and tasks;
• to focus, in cooperation with the institutions of states and regions, on tangible assistance to vulnerable peoples and diasporas, including through state programmes, and to intensify the cross-border cooperation in the areas of settlement of the Finno-Ugric peoples;
• to implement consistently the decisions of this and previous World Congresses of the Finno-Ugric Peoples;

the non-governmental organisations of our peoples:

• to carry on a more intensive and mutually favorable cooperation with the aim of further implementation of the Declaration on Fundamental Principles, Aims and Objectives of Cooperation of the Finno-Ugric Peoples of the World;
• to participate actively in all major national and international tools of protection of the rights of indigenous peoples and national minorities, including the UN mechanisms;
• to develop and democratise the organisational structures of our peoples;
• to intensify the work on increasing the interest and respect towards native languages among our peoples;
• to engage young people more actively in the activities of non-governmental organisations of the Finno-Ugric peoples.

We commission the Consultative Committee to do the following during the forthcoming period of its office:

• to devote attention to the modernisation and innovation of structures of our Movement with special emphasis on young people as well as on cooperation in social, economic, educational and IT areas;
• to improve the regulating documents of the Consultative Committee, including those regulating the election of delegates to World Congresses.
• to regularly deliver information on its activities and decisions.

We confirm that the protection of human rights as well as the rights of indigenous peoples and national minorities is the duty of states, non-governmental organisations and the international community in general. In this respect it is vital that the positive influence of language diversity on education and culture as well as the important role of our organisations in these processes be realised, above all, by the representatives of peoples.
We consider it important to focus in the nearest future on practical steps aimed at improving the educational system, particularly that of the preschool stage.

We confirm anew that the Finno-Ugric movement remains always open for constructive cooperation with all peoples of the world, as well as with international organisations, states and their institutions.

Siófok, 7 September 2012