Current Role:
Senior Legal Advisor to HCNM OSCE, The Hague
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Since 2018, Elżbieta has been serving as the Senior Legal Advisor to the High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In this capacity, she:
► Provides comprehensive legal updates and in-depth country-specific legal analysis of the South Caucasus, Central Asia countries and Mongolia to inform high-level decision-making. - ► Establishes and maintains robust international contacts, promoting inter-institutional collaboration with the United Nations.
- ► Leads thematic work on social and economic participation and inclusion, drafting strategic recommendations and presenting findings at international forums.
- ► Organises and represents the HCNM at major international events, demonstrating her expertise and commitment to advancing minority rights.
- ► Is a Focal Point for Tolerance & Non-discrimination issues, Roma and Sinti protection.
- ► Is a part of the Gender Equality Working Group.
Previous Experience:
Legal Expert, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland
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From 2015 to 2018, Elżbieta worked in the Department for Proceedings before International Human Rights Protection Bodies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. Here, she:
- ► Conducted proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights, bringing her expertise in human rights law to bear on significant cases.
- ► Advised on legal strategies and ensured that Poland’s positions were effectively represented before international human rights bodies.
- ► Conducted training sessions for judges and prosecutors on European standards for the protection of human rights.
Early Career:
United Nations Fellowships and Advisory Roles, Geneva
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Elżbieta’s early career includes notable roles that laid the foundation for her extensive expertise in human rights:
► Senior Minorities Fellow at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2014: Worked with the Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section, contributing to global efforts to protect and promote the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities. - ► Senior Advisor on Eastern and Central Europe to the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues: Supported the Special Rapporteur in enhancing the UN’s work on human rights of minorities, providing expert advice and conducting thorough analysis on issues affecting minorities in Eastern and Central Europe.
13.05.2024, Palais Des Nations Unis, Geneva, Moderator: Elzbieta Kuzborska-Pacha, Senior Legal Adviser, OSCE HCNM with OSCE Malta
The Potential of Minority Youth
Title of the event - Minority Youth in Conflict Prevention Efforts and Inclusive Socio-Economic Policies. Bridging the existing gaps in conflict-prevention and socio-economic development.
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25 March 2024, Vilnius, OSCE HCNM
Empowering Women is Economically Beneficial
Focusing on women, because when women are economically empowered, societies flourish. Their involvement in the economy isn't just beneficial—it's transformational for families, communities, and nations. Decision makers, experts, and representatives of civil society and minority communities, shared practical implications and good practices from Estonia, Lithuania and the United States to promote the effective participation of national minorities in social and economic life.
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April 2024, Ulaanbaatar, A roundtable organized by the OSCE HCNM and MFA of Mongolia
Unlocking Potential Through Socio-Economic Inclusion
In the heart of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, I delved into how socio-economic inclusion, especially for women and ethnic minorities, is not just a moral imperative but a catalyst for national prosperity.
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21 November 2024, Warsaw, 5th Co-ordination workshop on Gender Equality in Politics & Democratic Institutions, ODIHR,
Gender Equality in Politics & Democratic Institution
Discussing gender equality laws, governmental institutional mechanisms for gender equality, gender sensitivity of parliaments, women’s electoral participation and related topics.
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15 Nov 2023, United Natios in Geneva, Moderator: Elzbieta Kuzborska-Pacha, Senior Legal Adviser, OSCE HCNM
Promoting Conflict Prevention through the Socio-Economic Inclusion
This event emphasized the importance of fulfilling various commitments made at the United Nations to enhance socio-economic inclusion for national, ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities, aligning with the broader goals of conflict prevention and social cohesion.
Go to video at UN Web TV
24 Oct. 2023, Peace Palace in The Hague, 30th anniversary: High Commissioner on National Minorities, Moderator: Elzbieta Kuzborska-Pacha, Senior Legal Adviser, OSCE HCNM
Policy guide on Effective Participation of National Minorities in Social and Economic Life
It was a privilege to moderate a panel of drafters of the 10th set of HCNM Recommendations to OSCE participating States on Effective Participation of National Minorities in Social and Economic Life, on 24 Oct. in The Hague. This newest addition to the HCNM's toolkit is a comprehensive policy guide that should be used by every policy and decision maker around the OSCE – it paves the way for a greater prosperity and growth for all, incl. national minorities, incl. women and youth.
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15 June 2023, Turkmenistan, A roundtable discussion organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and the Office of the OSCE HCNM
Supporting Turkmenistan’s efforts in the implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan
The event brought together representatives of the Mejlis, Ministries of Education and Culture, Ombudsperson’s Office, Institute of State, Law and Democracy and law-enforcement bodies of Turkmenistan as well as city municipality, institutions of higher education and other relevant institutions.
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30 May 2023, New York, Preventive Diplomacy in the Changing Landscape of Modern Conflicts: The Role of the UN and Regional Organizations
Co-operation, integration, and engagement with women and youth
From the UN event on Preventive Diplomacy, it was clear that women, incl. those from National Minorities, should be central in peace keeping and diplomacy, as their insights drive sustainable peace.In conflict prevention settings, communities, regions or countries have everything to gain from a greater involvement of national minorities, incl. women in public affairs, and social and economic life. Still, more women, including at the UN and regional organizations, need decision-making roles, with amplified voices for a just and inclusive future.
12 December 2022, Hofburg, Vienna, OSCE
Countering hate speech
Three-quarters of hate speech targets are related to minorities. There’s also a gender dimension here that is perhaps not always fully appreciated: women in general and women who belong to minorities can easily become the targets of not only discrimination and hate speech, but also other forms of abuse, sexual violence, and human trafficking. It was a great week! A privilege to moderate the OSCE - wide event on countering hate speech, with great co-organizers and speakers from around the OSCE.
Watch the video »
9 Nov 2022, Tibilisi, OSCE HCNM with UNHCR
Elimination of statelessness
Every 10 min. a stateless child is born. Joining forces with UNHCR and raising awareness of the need to effectively eliminate statelessness. Joint event in Tbilisi with delegations from Central Asia: KZ, KG, UZB, TKM.
19-20 October 2022, New York, Joint endeavour of OSCE HCNM with United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minorities Issues and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations in New York
Dialogue with United States on national minority issues
Organised an event centred on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and considerations relevant to conflicts and conflict prevention.
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Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, 3 Oct 2022
Gender equility
Impossible to speak about children's wellbeing & conflict prevention without mentioning gender equality. Empowered mums lead to empowered children and in the end, an empowered society, and a better future for all of us.
7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
Traditional religions and the world peace
The event brought together spiritual leaders from diverse religions at a critical time. Amidst rising geopolitical tensions, the congress tackled themes of peace and cooperation, essential in the post-pandemic recovery. The discussions underlined the disconnection between true religious teachings and the violence often perpetrated in their name, advocating for a unified voice against extremism and for global solidarity to counter the repercussions of conflicts and disasters.
8 June 2021, Online, ODIHR
Addressing Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia
It was a pleasure to participate in Global Action Against Mass Atrocity Crimes (GAAMAC) panel Addressing hate speech and preventing discrimination.Effective policy approaches to address racism should begin at the highest political level, and be complemented with a practical, concrete actions within local communities, regions and international institutions.
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29 November 2019, Geneva
United Nations: 12th Session of the Forum on Minority Issues
Mrs Kuzborska-Pacha discussed the impact of minority language education on access to education and opportunities for minority women and girls, who often face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion and language.
30 November 2017, Geneva
United Nations: 10th Session of the Forum on Minority Issues
Mrs Kuzborska represented the Polish Minority of Lithuania. The 10th session of the UN Forum on MinorityIssues took place in Geneva, on the 30th of November and the 1st of December 2017.
My books and articles were published in English, Polish, Lithuanian, Russian and Italian.
- Kuzborska-Pacha, E., Apolevič, J., “Approaches to the Criminalisation of Domestic Violence in Central and Eastern Europe”, in: Gender-Based Violence and the Law Global Perspectives and Eastern European Practices, Agnė Limantė, Artūras Tereškinas, Rūta Vaičiūnienė (eds), Routledge Taylor&Francis Group, 2024 (in printing).
- Kuzborska-Pacha, E., Apolevič, J., “Legal Protection of National Minorities in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland: Current Issues”, in: Legal Protection of Vulnerable Groups in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland. European Union and its Neighbours in a Globalized World, Limantė, A., Pūraitė-Andrikienė, D. (eds) vol 8. Springer, Cham., 2022, pp 329–368.
- Fernand de Varennes, Elżbieta Kuzborska-Pacha, Effective Participation of National Minorities in Public Life: the UN’s perspective, in: Effective Participation of National Minorities and Conflict Prevention, eds.: W. Romans, I. Ulasiuk, A. Petrenko Thomsen, Brill Nijhoff, Leiden, Boston, 2020, p. 17-42.
Gender-Based Violence and the Law: Global Perspectives and Eastern European Practices
Together with Jolanta Apolevic, I have co-authored a chapter on 'Approaches to the Criminalisation of Domestic Violence in Central and Eastern Europe.' Women are disproportionately affected by domestic violence; therefore, it is important to address the root causes through the gender-sensitive approach. It's time to talk about this issue, educate on it, and advocate for the criminalization of all its forms, whether psychological, sexual, or economic.
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Ochrona prawna mniejszości narodowych w państwach bałtyckich
Kuzborska-Pacha, 2019, Wydaw. Sejmowe
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Linguistic rights of national minorities in Europe.
Edited by Elżbieta Kuzborska, 2015, 302 p.
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Lecturer at the University of Bialystok in Vilnius
For a number of years Elżbieta Kuzborska was a lecturer at the University of Białystok in Vilnius – the sole foreign university in Lithuania where the teaching is conducted in the mother tongue of the Polish minority. Teaching Introduction to jurisprudence & Protection of intellectual property.
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Member of the Board of the Association of Polish Scientists in Lithuania
An organization that supports scientific activities and international cooperation between scientists, organizes projects and conferences aiming at supporting and promoting young people of minority background.
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Trainer for the European Foundation of Human Rights
She conducted number of legal trainigs and seminars on human rights for members of minorities.
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A member of the Union of Lawyers of Poles in Lithuania
An organization that provides legal aid, especially for people of minority background.
My lectures
Since 2006 I spoke at more than 30 scientific conferences and participated at many more. Below you can find a list of them with topics of my lectures.
Freedom of expression. National minorities towards the tyranny of the majority
II Międzynarodowa Konferencja „W poszukiwaniu europejskiej doktryny wolności słowa”, Faculty of Law and Administration of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, 23-24 March 2017, Poznań, Poland.
European practices in multilingual education
Multilingualism and Law Conference, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, 30 September 2016.
Europe talks to Europe - Interculturalismo
Festival Conversano Bari “Lector in Fabula. Guarda il Mondo dove va”, Tavola Rotonda in Collaborazione con Eurozine con Giuseppe Cognetti, Kenan Malik, Attila Melegh, Elżbieta Kuzborska, conduce Marc-Olivier Padis, 15-18 September 2016.
The protection of national minorities in Baltic States in the context of the challenges of contemporary Europe
Ochrona mniejszości narodowych w państwach bałtyckich w kontekście wyzwań współczesnej Europy”, International Conference „Mniejszości narodowe – szansą, wyzwaniem czy zagrożeniem bezpieczeństwa narodowego?”, the Association of Polish Academics in Lithuania, 28-29 April 2016, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Between the integration and exclusion. Language rights of national minorities in Europe
International Conference “Systems of Protection of Human Rights: European and African Universal’s Context – Regional’s Specific – Implementations' Conditioning”, Institute of Economics and Administration of Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Board of the Association of Polish Parliamentarians, 18-19 April 2016, Parliament of Poland (Sejm), Warsaw, Poland.
The protection of language rights of minorities in Lithuania
International Conference “Integration and exclusion. Linguistic rights of national minorities in Europe”, the Association of Polish Academics in Lithuania, 27 November 2015, Vilnius.
Ideology, Politics and the (Non) Recognition of Language Rights in the Baltic States
First Worldwide Congress for Language Rights in Teramo on 19-23 May 2015.
The protection of human rights of national minorities in the Baltic States: dilemmas and perspectives
VIIth International Conference Systems of Protection of Human Rights: European and Asian. Universal’s Inspiration – Culture’s Conditioning – Implementations' Impedements, Institute of Economics and Administration of Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Board of the Association of Polish Parliamentarians, 13-15 April 2015, Parliament of Poland (Sejm), Warsaw, Poland.
The language aspects of inclusion and minority rights in the Baltic States
Multilingualism in Baltic-Sea Europe, Johannes Gutenberg Univeristy, 13-15 April, 2015 Mainz, Germany.
Protection of national minorities in Lithuania before and after accession to the EU
International conference Rodzinna Europa. Współczesna myśl polityczna a wyzwania XXI wieku, Association of Polish Academics in Lithuania, Association „Polish Society of Political Thought”, 9-11 April 2014, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Conflict, obligations and the rights of minorities in Crimea
Are Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities Just Pawns on the Geopolitical Chessboard?, UNPO, International Campaign for Tibet, The World Uyghur Congress, 27 June 2014, Bavarian State Parliament, Munich, Germany.
The rights of Polish national minority in Lithuania in the context of European standards of protection
VIth International Conference Models of Protection of Human Rights: European and American. Axiology – Institutions - Effectiveness, Institute of Economics and Administration of The Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Board of the Association of Polish Parliamentarians, 9-11 April 2014, Parliament of Poland (Sejm), Warsaw, Poland.
Education in mother tongue in Lithuania – standards and practices
Mother Language Education, and its Academic and Financial Effectiveness, Seminar on Multilingualism and Education, Ministry of Education, 4 March 2014, Bakhtapur, Nepal.
The Connection Between Language Rights and Ethnic Conflicts
Uyghur Mother Tongue Rights in China – Perspectives, Challenges and Policy, The World Uyghur Congress, UNPO, French PEN, 21 February 2014, Paris, France.
Linguistic rights of national minorities in Lithuania – the development of the current situation
International Conference Language revitalization in a Russian and European context: Exploring solutions for minority language maintenance, MINOREURUS, Poga – The Language Survival Network, 16-18 December 2013, Helsinki, Finland.
Linguistic rights of national minorities in Vilnius region: past, present, future
XVII International Conference on the Science and Quality of Life: Vilnius region: past, present, future, Association of Polish Academics in Lithuania, 29 June - 2 July 2013, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Multilingual education standards and practices – the European perspective
4th International Language and Education Conference: Multilingual Education for All in Asia and the Pacific – Policies, Practices and Processes, UNESCO Bangkok, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office, SIL International, 6-8 November 2013, Bangkok, Thailand.
Bolzano Recommendations on National Minorities in Inter-State Relations – searching for consensus
National minorities and international law, Human Rights Committee of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania, Faculty of Law of the Mykolas Romeris University, 2012 Vilnius, Lithuania.
Linguistic rights of persons belonging to national minorities in Lithuania in the light of constitutional concept of state language
ELDIA Conference “Changing Linguistic Landscapes”, 27 September 2012, Mariehamn, Finland.
Citizenship as one of the elements that helps to maintain the link with the motherland
Conference Lithuania‘s relations with diaspora, Ministry of Culture of Lithuania, 22 November 2012 Vilnius, Lithuania.
The European Arrest Warrant
Votum Separatum, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, 2006, Poland.
Polish military contingent in UNIFIL in Lebanon
UN challenges for twenty-first century, Lódź International Studies Academy, 2006, Łódź, Poland.
Trainings and seminars
Over the years I had a pleasure to give various training sessions on national minorities protection issues. Below you can find a list of them with topics of my seminars.
contact me for further detailsHuman Rights in Practice, Lithuanian courts in dialogue on International Law, Principle of non-discrimination in international law, non-discrimination on the ground of language
11 November 2017. Organizer: The European Foundation of Human Rights, Vilnius, Lithuania.
European Mechanisms for the Protection of National Minorities
the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, November 2014. Organizer: OHCHR.
International and national minority rights protection systems
Intensive Erasmus Programme Security, Human Rights and Democratization/Globalization: New Challenges for the European Union, International School of Law and Business, 30 April 2014, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Introduction to Human Rights Protection in Lithuania
International Human Rights Training “Human Rights and International Law”, 21 December 2013. Organizer: The European Foundation of Human Rights, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Human Rights Protection in Practice
International Human Rights Training, August 2013. Organizer: The European Foundation of Human Rights, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Cases on the rights of national minorities before international institutions and courts
September 2012. Organizer: The European Foundation of Human Rights, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Introduction to human rights in Lithuania. The rights of teachers and the responsibilities of pupils
Training seminars for school-teachers Human rights in civic studies, September 2011. Organizer: The European Foundation of Human Rights, Vilnius, Lithuania.
International national minorities’ protection
October-December 2010, Organizers: The Association of Polish Lawyers in Lithuania, The European Foundation of Human Rights, Vilnius, Lithuania.