Conference of the International Committee of Deportees and Refugees, Victims of Fascism and Nazism in 1920–1945
On the 10th anniversary of establishment, 2009–2019

On the 10th anniversary of the International Committee of Deportees and Refugees, Victims of Fascism and Nazism in 1920–1945, we held a conference and meeting of the Committee in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in the Ljubljana City Hall on 20 and 21 September 2019. The sponsor of the conference was the Mayor of the City of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković.

Delegations from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Austria, Poland, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia attended the conference and meeting. The Russian delegation sent a paper, and Estonia and Belarus apologised for not attending.Distinguished guests from Slovenia attended: Dr Milan Brglez, MEP, Franc Žnidaršič, MA, honorary member of the Association of Slovenian Deportees, and Zoran Janković, Mayor of Ljubljana. Also present were 28 members of the Association of Slovenian Deportees 1941–1945 and five translators and several journalists.Conference attendees were greeted by the President of the International Committee, prof. Ivica Žnidaršič, then the participants were greeted and addressed by Zoran Janković, Mayor of Ljubljana, Dr Milan Brglez, MEP, and Franc Žnidaršič, MA, honorary member of the Association of Slovenian Deportees. In the introduction, the president also explained how the conference and the meeting of the International Committee would take place. Along with the invitation to the meeting, you received the programme and schedule of today’s meeting, as well as an advance copy of the letter to the President of the European Commission, Mrs URSULA VON DER LEYEN, and an advance copy of the letter to the President of Ukraine, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY.I thank everyone who provided their opinion on the contents of these two letters. Yesterday, we also gave you a draft letter for the presidents of European countries, and you will receive all three letters for signature and stamping today.You also received some pre-sent speeches (in English, Russian, Czech and Slovakian), and the material you received includes the book on the Austrian meeting of the International Committee, the book on the International Conference held on 4 June 2010 on these premises –we reprinted this book so that new members will be able to familiarise themselves with the rules of operation of this International Committee, as they are printed in English, Czech, Slovakian, Polish, Russian and Slovenian.
You will probably also look at the book we included in the material on how we in Slovenia obtained compensation for the forced labour of Slovenian exiles in Germany and Austria during the Second World War.As we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of our organisation, I prepared a review of the material and countries where we held meetings.

According to the rules, meetings are held every year inanother member state:
- In 2009, the International Committee of Deportees and Refugees, Victims of Fascism and Nazism in 1920–1945, was founded at the first European Congress, in Ljubljana on 6 June 2009.
- In 2010, the meeting was held in Slovenia, Ljubljana.
- In 2011, the meeting was once again held in Slovenia, Brestanica.
- In 2012, in Ukraine, Kiev.
- In 2013, in Russia, Moscow.
- In 2014, in Slovakia, Bratislava.
- In 2015, in the Czech Republic, Prague.
- In 2016, in Serbia, Belgrade.
- In 2017, in Austria, Ludmannsdorf – Bilčovs.
- In 2019, in Slovenia, Ljubljana.

It was agreed that the next meeting will be held in Poland.

Prof Ivica Žnidaršič