FM Alert, Vol. III, No. 8
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Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 09:52:55 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: FM Alert, Vol. III, No. 8
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Paulette Layton <[email protected]>
FM Alert, Vol. III, No. 8
FM Alert, Vol. III, No. 8
February 26, 1999
FMP URGES CREATION OF MULTINATIONAL POLICE-TRAINING FORCE IN
TAJIKISTAN
The Forced Migration Projects (FMP) have urged the creation of a
multinational police-training program in the embattled Central Asian
republic of Tajikistan. Such a program, operating under the auspices
of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, would
train a civilian police force, aiming to reinvigorate the flagging
implementation of a 1997 peace plan by improving the security
environment for Tajik repatriates. Political and security conditions
remain "fragile,' the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
reports. Tens thousands of Tajik refugees have grappled with constant
uncertainty since their return to Tajikistan from neighboring
Afghanistan, where they fled to escape government persecution during a
brief but destructive civil war. "The dire need for a civilian police
force has been identified by the Tajiks themselves," the FMP wrote in
a statement submitted to the UN Standing Committee in Geneva. "Funds
could be solicited from the World Bank program for Tajikistan, while a
multinational bureau is formed to recruit candidates from appropriate
police forces." The FMP also called for efforts to improve security
conditions for humanitarian relief workers, specifically urging Tajik
officials to sign the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations
and Associated Personnel. Four members of the UN Observer Mission in
Tajikistan were murdered in 1998.
(For additional information see FM Alert of October 16 and September
11, 1998).
NGO ASSOCIATION FOCUSES ON OUTREACH
The nascent association of CIS migration-related nongovernmental
organizations, aiming to rapidly build its capacity, is formulating
outreach strategies to international NGOs. Regular contact has already
been established with the Moscow offices of major US-based
foundations, including the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Institute
and the Eurasia Foundation. The NGO association was established in
December 1998 and seeks to be in a position to assume some program
implementation capabilities once the mandate for the CIS Conference on
migration-related issues expires in 2000. Migration-related project
implementation in the CIS is currently under the auspices of the
Program of Action, adopted at the 1996 CIS Conference. "It is
gratifying to see the NGO network emerge," said Arthur C. Helton,
director of the Forced Migration Projects, which is a supporter of the
NGO association. "This may be the most enduring legacy of the CIS
migration conference." At the next meeting of the NGO association core
group, scheduled for March in Yerevan, Armenia, will discuss criteria
for membership. Further development of the association will be aided
by the compilation of a report on the follow-up to the 1996 CIS
Conference on migration-related issues.
(For background information see FM Alert of December 28, November 5,
July 2, 1998).
REPORT EXAMINES IMPACT OF KOSOVO DISPLACEMENTS
A new book examines various aspects of the Kosovo conflict and the
implications for the entire Albanian community in the Balkans,
including the impact of forced migration. The report, entitled "Crisis
in Kosovo: Reactions in Albania and in Macedonia at the Local Level,"
is published by the Center for European Migration and Ethnic Studies,
which is based in the United Kingdom. The report described the refugee
issue as a growing problem in Albania. "The [Albanian] government is
incapable of providing assistance to refugees," it said. "At the same
time, international humanitarian organizations also complain that ...
it is impossible for them to deliver aid to Kosovar refugees." The
publication also said relations between ethnic Albanian communities in
Kosovo and Macedonia remained strong due to Pristina's role as the
center of Albanian cultural and intellectual life in the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia. At the same time, the book added, Albanians in
Macedonia were reacting with restraint to the Kosovo conflict. "Ethnic
Albanians in Macedonia are aware that, compared to the Albanians of
Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania, they are relatively well-off. ... This
prevents them from engaging in a political venture in Kosovo, in which
they would have much to lose," the book said. The Forced Migration
Projects plan to co-sponsor a meeting in June in Skopje, Macedonia,
aimed at promoting capacity building for migration-related
nongovernmental organizations that are involved in managing the
migration of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo. In a related development,
China blocked an extension for the UN peacekeeping force in Macedonia.
The force, including a contingent of American soldiers, has been in
Macedonia since 1995.
(For background information see FM Alerts of February 12 and January
29).
For more information contact:
The Forced Migration Projects
400 West 59th Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10019
tel: (212)548-0655
fax: (212) 548-4676
e-mail: [email protected]
website: www.soros.org/migrate.html
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