Buddhdev to join debate in Europe on Russian spekaing migrants

A project is launched by EU Russian-speakers Alliance and non-governmental international organisation joining more than 40 representatives of almost all EU Member States to exchange of experience of the Russian-speaking minority with other ethnic and linguistic minority groups of the European Union.

Mr Buddhdev Pandya MBE, is invited to take part in the debate in areas of protecting minority rights and promoting their interests in EU Member States. He will be representing European Multicultural Foundations, a well established organisation with members from many European countries. Mr Pandya is Policy and Communication Advisor of European Multicultural Foundation.

"The democratic structure of EU provides a great opportunity to discuss between the minority ethnic communities and as a citizen of UK of Indian origin there is much to explore at the European level to promote racial equality, I am delighted to have been invited to share the significant progress made in the UK on equality legislation and community cohesion", said Mr Pandya.

This major event is due to be held on 17th-18th of May 2008 in Luxembourg and expecting to have over 70 delegates; 35 of them – Russian-speakers living in the EU, 25 – representatives of 17 ethnic and linguistic minority groups from 9 EU Member States and 10 – experts from Russia and European institutions.

Buddhdev Pandya MBE, Policy and Communication Advisor of European Multicultural Foundation.The event will be represented by Serbian (Germany), Polish (Ireland, Holland), Greek (Luxembourg), Chinese (Spain), Turkish (Germany, Belgium), Moroccan (France, Germany), Kazakh (Holland, Germany), Ukrainian (Belgium, Germany), Latvian (Ireland), Jewish (Belgium, Holland, Germany), Armenian (France), Albanian (Denmark), Italian (Belgium), Roma (UK, Germany), Japanese (Holland), Indian (UK), Portuguese (Luxembourg).


Buddhdev Pandya MBE is Honorary Corporate Advisor and member of the Legal Action Team of British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) which he helped to established in 1997. He is also an Honorary Corporate Advisor of HSMP Forum which recently won the Judicial Review against the Government the retrospective migration rules. He is also Chair of MiNet, a BME London Advisory network. He is also a Member of the management body of Voice4Change England, a national body funded by the Department of the Third Sector as a national voice of BME and Chair its Communication Group. He was a member national BME Compact as well as a Trustee of Urban Forum, a national charity. He is Chief Editor of Asian Lite, an award winning paper and Policy and Communication Advisor of European Multicultural Foundation, established in 1996 as a pan-European umbrella association in Brussels and active in the struggle against exclusion, discrimination and racism. Buddhdev has served on many public bodies such as Health Authority, Probation, Police Liaison and Equality Committees and has a track record of working at a senior level promoting racial equality and race relations.