FM Alert, Vol. III, No. 13
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Date: Sun, 4 Apr 1999 11:51:18 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: FM Alert, Vol. III, No. 13
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Justin Burke <[email protected]>
FM Alert, Vol. III, No. 13
FM Alert, Volume III, No. 13
April 2, 1999
FORCED MIGRATION PROJECTS CO-SPONSORS MEETING ON LABOR & SOCIAL
WELFARE LAW IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
A Forced Migration Projects (FMP) co-sponsored meeting sought to widen
international attention on reform of labor and social welfare laws in
the states of the former Yugoslavia. The March 26-27 meeting, titled
"The Legal Consequences of the Dissolution of the Socialist Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) in the field of Labor and Social Welfare
Law," was held in Zagreb, Croatia. Participants discussed the
constitutional and legal framework of labor and social welfare law in
the five SFR Yugoslavia successor states, and consequences of the
legal reforms on citizens in the region and, especially, its impact on
the voluntary return of refugees and displaced persons to the region.
A paper, prepared by FMP Director Arthur C. Helton advocated increased
international action to address gaps in current social welfare laws
that discourage repatriation. "Aging-specific policies and programs
should be implemented on a regional basis in the former Yugoslavia in
order to promote the solution of voluntary repatriation." Helton wrote
in the paper, which was presented at the conference. The Croatian Law
Center, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Council
of Europe also co-sponsored the meeting.
(For additional information see FM Alerts of March 13, 1998, and March
7, 1997.)
KYRGYZSTAN TO ESTABLISH HUMAN RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN
Kyrgyzstan's President Askar Akayev has announced the establishment of
an independent ombudsman to receive and review complaints about human
rights and ethnic rights issues. Akayev made the announcement during a
March 25-28 visit to the Central Asian nation by the Organization of
Security and Cooperation in Europe High Commissioner on National
Minorities Max van der Stoel. The next step for the government will be
to conduct a review of potential candidates for the ombudsman
position. An effective independent ombudsman could help defuse
inter-ethnic tensions in Kyrgyzstan, which, if not managed properly,
have the potential to spur forced migration. Regional experts have
expressed concern about growing tension in southern Kyrgyzstan,
particularly in the Fergana Valley. Widespread poverty and
unemployment, combined with recent moves by the Uzbek government to
tighten border controls, are cited by experts as primary factors in
straining interethnic relations in the southern Kyrgyz regions of Osh
and Jalalabad. Both regions have high concentrations of ethnic Uzbeks.
FMP VIDEO FEATURES INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW EXPERTS
The Forced Migration Projects have produced a video special report in
which two eminent legal scholars discuss the application of
international human rights law to non citizens. The video, Protecting
the World's Exiles: The Human Rights of Non-Citizens, features
Professor Louis Henkin and Professor Oscar Schachter, both of whom
teach at the Columbia University School of Law. It will be presented
on April 14 at the Open Society Institute offices in New York, and
again on April 16 at the United Nations in Geneva. In the video,
Henkin and Schachter address the extent to which the rights of
non-citizens are guaranteed by international human rights law, and
whether such rights are respected in practice. Non-citizens, including
aliens, stateless persons and refugees in flight from persecution,
often seem to fall through gaps in legal frameworks designed to
protect universal human rights. These gaps in protection have caused
untold hardships and require substantive remedies by the international
community. The video is intended as an educational resource for use by
students of law, political science and international relations;
scholars working on humanitarian themes; and policy actors, advocates
and practitioners involved in the protection of non-citizens. The
broadcast quality VHS video cassette is available free of charge in
NTSC (US) and PAL (Europe) formats. The running time is 60 minutes.
Cassettes can be obtained by contacting the Forced Migration Projects
by telephone at (212) 548-0655 or by e-mail at [email protected].
--
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