In spring 2006, the Coalition for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights held two round tables in Zagreb as part of its policy of encouraging discussion on ethnic rights and raising public awareness of sensitive issues of ethnically motivated incidents.

Against a background of NGO reports of a significant rise in the number of ethnically motivated events during 2005, the first round table looked at the issues associated with such events and measures that could be adopted to prevent them. According to various independent reports harassment and violence against minority members has increased making 2005 the worst year since 1996.  Most interethnic incidents and ethnically motivated criminal acts affected members of Serb and Roma minority communities.  Slanderous and strong nationalistically coloured media reporting on minorities, especially Serbian minority followed those events.

The second round table, Challenges for finding a permanent solution to refugee issues in Croatia – Implementation of the Sarajevo ministerial declaration on refugee returns in the region , was organized to coincide with World Refugee Day on June 20. The purpose of this event was to stimulate further discussion on the regional process initiated in January 2005 to provide fair and transparent solutions for refugees in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro. Special emphasis was laid on the efforts of the Croatian government to respond to obligations agreed within the Sarajevo process and on constraints for minority refugees from Croatia in accessing various rights of importance for their repatriation.

For the first time since the Sarajevo Declaration, this event brought together representatives from government and NGOs to discuss highly sensitive issues. The 25 participants represented the Ministry for Maritime Affairs, Traffic, Tourism and Development (the Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees and the Office for Reconstruction of Family Houses); the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration; the Office of the Croatian Ombudsman; minority group MPs; the OSCE and UNCHR Missions to Croatia; embassies and NGOs involved in human rights.

The Coalition published four advocacy briefing papers as follow-ups to the 2005 and 2006 discussions and these were widely disseminated.