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Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
UNPO NEWSLETTER
December 2013 – January 2014
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
1. December activities and
events
2. January activities and
events
3. Upcoming Events Feb
2014- April 2014
4. UNPO Publications
Edition
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONFERENCE:
Awá – On the Brink of Extinction - Pg. 3
UPCOMING EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT
CONFERENCE:
Reconciliation and
Peacebuilding in the
South Caucasus - Pg. 4
LAUNCH OF THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN
AGAINST SLAVERY (iCAS) - Pg. 4
http://www.unpo.org
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Activity Overview Dec 2013-Jan 2014
3rd December - Khmer Krom Demonstration in front of European Parliament
(Brussels, Belgium)
Khmer Krom Representatives gathered in front of the European Parliament, calling for the
release of monks imprisoned for teaching the Khmer language. UNPO was present during
the demonstration and assisted with logistical aspects. A petition was handed over at the
end of the demonstration to European officials.
10th December - Biram Dah Abeid receives UN Human Rights Prize
3rd December: Khmer
Krom Demonstration
Picture @UNPO
22nd January - European
Parliament Conference:
Awá – On the Brink of
Extinction
Picture @UNPO
Join UNPO’s campaign
to Save the Awa:
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http://www.unpo.org
Mr. Biram Dah Abeid, President of the IRA-Mauritania was awarded the UN Human Rights
Prize for his actions fighting against slavery in Mauritania. This prize, awarded every five
years, was created in 1966 to honour and commend people and organizations who have
made an outstanding contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights. By
awarding Mr. Biram Dah Abeid, the UN shows its support to the struggle of IRA and its
President for the abolition of slavery in Mauritania.
17th December - European Parliament
Conference: Perspectives on the
Uyghur Issue (Brussels, Belgium)
UNPO in collaboration with Niccolò Rinaldi MEP
and the World Uyghur Congress (WUC),
convened a conference entitled ‘Is the Chinese
Leadership Ready for Dialogue? Perspectives on
the Uyghur Issue’ at the European Parliament,
Brussels. The aim of the conference was to
address important regional minority rights and
security challenges, and to create a platform for
dialogue on the opportunities for ways forward.
The conference highlighted the tenacity of
Uyghur activists and a need for China-Uyghur
dialogue. Keynote speakers were Rebiya Kadeer,
Haluk Ahmet Gümü (MP Turkey), Mahesh
Ranjan Debata, Ulrich Delius, Bruno de Cordier
and Kilic Bugra Kanat.
14th January - Crimean Tatar Speech at Pan-European Working Group (Strasbourg,
France)
Mr. Abduraman Egiz (pictured above-right), Member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar
people, delivered a speech at the Pan-European Working Group of the European
Parliament in Strasbourg, addressing the problems faced by the Crimean Tatars in Ukraine,
in the light of the upcoming 70th anniversary of their deportation by Stalin’s regime.
21st January - Speech by Kurdistan Region President Barzani at the European
Parliament (Brussels, Belgium)
Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, gave a speech at a meeting organised
by the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee in Brussels. Barzani provided an
overview of the latest political and security developments in the Middle East, including the
alarming refugee crisis facing particularly Kurdistan, and called upon the European
Parliament to show support for the political processes in Iraq and Kurdistan. UNPO
participated as an observer.
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22nd January - European Parliament Conference: Awá – On the Brink of Extinction
(Brussels, Belgium)
29th January - Launch of the
International Campaign
Against Slavery (iCAS)
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Find out more on the iCAS
website:
http://wecanendslavery.org/
wordpress/
Or follow iCAS on twitter:
https://twitter.com/_i_CAS
19th February - European
UNPO in collaboration with Richard Howitt (S&D) and Catherine Grèze (Greens/EFA) MEPs
convened a conference entitled “Awá: On The Brink Of Extinction – Indigenous Rights in
Brazil”, at the European Parliament in Brussels. The conference proved to be very
successful in establishing a forum for dialogue by bringing together different actors and
perspectives to the discussion and cultivating new outlooks on the question of indigenous
peoples’ rights, which could potentially make Brazil a leading international model on this
matter. Keynote speakers were Padre Ton (Brazilian MP), Natan Elkin (ILO), Sarah Shenker
(Survival International), Tatiana Gomes Bustamante (Brazilian Mission to the EU), Barbara
Truffin (ULB) and Kevin Jackson (Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management).
The conference was a first initiative in UNPO’s campaign, supported by the Nando Peretti
Foundation, to save the Awá tribe and other indigenous peoples in Brazil from extinction.
23rd January - European Parliament Hearing on Human Rights in West Papua
(Brussels, Belgium)
Only days after a report preparing for a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between
the EU and Indonesia was adopted, the European Parliament’s Subcommittee for Human
Rights addressed the human rights situation in West Papua, particularly with regard to
freedom of expression. UNPO together with its West Papua Member participated as
observers.
25th January-2nd February - UNPO Mission to Mauritania (Mauritania)
UNPO conducted a fact-finding mission to Mauritania (pictured below) on the occasion of
the visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Gulnara
Shahinian. The mission consisted of meetings and interviews with victims of slavery, NGOs,
officials and representatives of IRA (Initiative for the resurgence of the abolitionist
movement). The highlight of the mission was the launch of UNPO’s International Campaign
Against Slavery (See below).
Parliament Conference:
Reconciliation and
Peacebuilding in the South
Caucasus
Registration closes the 11th
Feb. For more information,
click here.
http://www.unpo.org
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3.
28th January - Negotiation Strategies Training in Leiden (Leiden, the Netherlands)
Based on its experience in the field of diplomacy and negotiation, UNPO provided a
training on negotiation strategies to students of Leiden University.
17th December - European
Parliament
Perspectives
Conference:
on
the
Uyghur Issue, read more
here.
29th January - Launch of the International Campaign Against Slavery (iCAS)
(Nouakchott, Mauritania)
UNPO launched its International Campaign Against Slavery (iCAS) by convening a highlevel conference on the topic of contemporary slavery, bringing together politicians, civil
society activists, partner organizations, academics and press. The aim of iCAS is to
demand the United Nations General Assembly for a strong and committed step towards
ending the practice of slavery. For further information, please visit the iCAS website.
30th January - European Parliament Addresses Women and Vulnerable Groups in
Iraq (Brussels, Belgium)
The European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iraq held a meeting aimed at
addressing the situation of vulnerable groups, in particular women, in view of the
ongoing humanitarian crisis in Iraq. UNPO played an instrumental role in bringing
together the speakers.
Upcoming Events and Activities February
2014 – April 2014
5th February - Khmer Krom Demonstration (Geneva, Switzerland)
On the occasion of the Universal Periodic Review on Vietnam, the Khmer Krom
community is organizing a demonstration at the UN.
19th February - European Parliament Conference: Reconciliation and
Peacebuilding in the South Caucasus (Brussels, Belgium)
10th December - Biram
Dah Abeid receives UN
Human Rights Prize, read
more here.
UNPO in cooperation with Csaba Sógor MEP will be convening a conference entitled
‘Exploring alternatives to the Minsk Process: Reconciliation and Peacebuilding in the
South Caucasus’ at the European Parliament. The conference will seek to explore ways
forward for peaceful coexistence in the South Caucasus, analysing alternatives to current
conflict resolution strategies in the region, and assessing the impact of the conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh, and related tensions, on the democratic development in the region.
For more information and registration, please visit the UNPO website.
21st February- Conference on Uyghur Language Rights in the People's Republic of
China (Paris, France)
On the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of UNESCO’s International Mother Tongue Day,
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) will be organising a conference in conjunction with
the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and Reporters Sans
Frontieres (RSF) to discuss Uyghur language rights in the People's Republic of China
(PRC). The conference will bring together experts, scholars, NGO representatives,
politicians, and other stakeholders to discuss current policies, international standards
and effective action-orientated methodology towards preserving the Uyghur language.
For registration, please contact [email protected]
Photo @Freedom House
http://www.unpo.org
4.
13th March- Side-event on Enforced Disappearances and Extrajudicial
Killings (TBC) (Geneva, Switzerland)
UNPO is planning to convene a side-event on the topic of enforced disappearances and
extrajudicial killings, focusing in particular on the situation in East Turkestan and
Balochistan.
14th March - Side Event on Human Rights Violations in Indonesia (Geneva,
Switzerland)
Donations
We rely on financial support
from our Members and friends
to continue our work each year.
Such donations are crucial to
ensure the continued full
participation and engagement
of a
great
number of
unrepresented
communities,
indigenous peoples, minorities
and occupied or unrecognized
territories. The 2010-2012
Secretary General’s Activity
Report provides an overview of
the activities we have been
working on over the past years
with the help of our partners
and
supporters.
As
an
alternative to direct financial
contributions, you can always
spread the word about UNPO or
offer our 2014 calendar to your
family or friends.
http://www.unpo.org/sectio
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Following the 25th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, UNPO will be
convening a side event concerning human rights violations in Indonesia, with
particular reference to the Aceh, South-Moluccas and West-Papua. For more
information and registration, visit the UNPO website.
Publications
In December 2013 UNPO Published a report entitled ‘Human Rights in Azerbaijan:
Presidential Elections, Minority Rights and the Rule of Law’. With the publication of
the report UNPO wants to raise awareness about the critical human and minority
rights situation in the Republic of Azerbaijan, in light of the recently held October
2013 presidential elections.
Next Month’s Newsletter
Please send us your agendas for the coming months for inclusion in our diary. If you
have any questions or queries please feel free to contact the UNPO Secretariat at
[email protected]
UNPO Secretariat (The Hague)
UNPO Advocacy Office (Brussels)
Laan van Meerdervoort 70
2517 AN The Hague
The Netherlands
Avenue Louise 52
Brussels
B-1050
Belgium
Tel: +31 (0)70 36 46 504
Fax: +31 (0)70 36 46 608
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +32 (0) 251 31459
Fax: +32 (0) 251 31495
Email: [email protected]
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