The project, to last from September to November this year, will cover 9,686 pupils, including 2,595 who have classes in a minority language.
A state secretary at the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, Zelimir Janjic, said that the project would help children get to know one another, make friends and develop tolerance, which he added was the only way to successful coexistence. He added that parents and teachers were expected to cooperate in the project.
A sports competition following the same goals will be organised next year.
OSCE Mission chief Jorge Fuentes said that school-age children should be integrated into the community regardless of their ethnic and cultural background. The project will show that it is possible within the European perspective to exercise the right to education which takes into account the pupil's origin without resorting to segregation, Fuentes said.
He went on to say that the project would make it possible for children of different ethnic backgrounds to meet and that it would help revive the harmonious community that existed in the Croatian Danube River region before 1991.
Ambassador Fuentes said that the project, which he devised in cooperation with Science Minister Dragan Primorac, would enable children of different ethnic backgrounds to develop their communication skills and learn more about tolerance and mutual trust.
Representatives of the two eastern counties welcomed the project.
Literary and art works will be collected in all schools covered by the project, after which a jury will chose the best ones. The winners will be presented with awards at a ceremony to be held in late November.
The project costs, estimated at some 25,000 euros, will be covered by the OSCE. The project is financially assisted also by the Norwegian Embassy, the Swedish telecommunications company Tele2, the Agency for Education, and Vukovar-Srijem and Osijek-Baranja counties.