On January 27th, 1945, 66 years ago, the German concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz‐ Birkenau was liberated by the Russian Army, giving name to the International Holocaust Memorial Day on that date every year.

A new Europe has been built on the ruins of war and hatred, with the conviction that something like the Shoah should never be allowed to happen again.
Against such a back‐ground Local Democracy Agencies were established in the wake of the conflict leading to the break‐up of the former Yugoslavia with the objective of helping to build a society founded on democratic principles, rule of law and respect for human and minority rights.