Poland’s former president Aleksander Kwasniewski will chair the inaugural meeting of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (ECTR), a non-governmental body created for promoting tolerance and mutual respect in Europe which will be launched in Paris on Tuesday.

The Council is composed of renowned statesmen, Nobel Peace Prize laureates and individuals who are recognised all over the world for their achievements in promoting tolerance, including former Czech president Vaclav Havel and Moshe Kantor, the President of the European Jewish Congress and of the World Holocaust Forum.