MINELREL-L Archive (12222000-09:48:56-576)

Fwd: NGO Networking Meeting in Warsaw, Poland


Reply-To: [email protected]
Sender: [email protected]
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 09:48:55 +0200 (EET)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Fwd: NGO Networking Meeting in Warsaw, Poland

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Original sender: Eldar Zeynalov <[email protected]>

Fwd: NGO Networking Meeting in Warsaw, Poland

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Avaz Hasanov <[email protected]>

>From 15-18 November 2000, in Warsaw Poland, a networking meeting took
place which brought together 115 NGOs from Central and Eastern Europe
and Central Asia, coordinated by the Polish Helsinki Foundation, in
collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights. I here reproduce the three documents which emerged from that
meeting - (1) a statement addressed to the World Conference, (2)
recommendations for the NGO Forum and (3) an appeal concerning the
situation in Chechnya.
These documents are also available in Russian by contacting Jacqueline
Kacprzak at <[email protected]>.

The meeting of NGOs from Eastern and Central Europe
              Warsaw, 15 - 18 November 2000

Document 1.

STATEMENT
BY THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEETING OF NGO 
FROM EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE
WARSAW, NOVEMBER 15-18, 2000
ADDRESSED TO THE WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM (WCAR)

We, representatives of 115 non-governmental organizations from the
countries of Eastern and Central Europe, including all the countries
of the former Soviet Union, gathered in Warsaw on November 15-18,
2000, as participants in the preparatory process for WCAR. We fully
endorse recommendations adopted by the European NGO Forum in
Strasbourg (October, 2000) and the NGO Conference in Moscow (October,
2000) and urge WCAR to take their contents into consideration during
debates at the Conference. We condemn the growth of racism and
discrimination based on race, color of skin, gender, language,
religion, political or other opinion, national or social origins,
ethnicity, birth or other ground and the persistent climate of
intolerance in the region and recommend the following:

1. WCAR should take into account the specificity of racist
manifestations in our region, where roots of aggressive nationalism,
ethnocentrism and discrimination are different from roots of racism in
other parts of the world connected to the colonial past, slavery and
slave-trade.

2. We strongly oppose any tendencies to limit the scope of authority
and competence of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination (CERD). We urge WCAR to strengthen the role of the
United Nations in dealing with racism and racial discrimination,
specifically with regard to the work of CERD, by:
  - Ensuring CERD's efficacy as a state monitoring body by introducing
effective sanctions in cases where CERD's Concluding Observations are
not complied with by governments of the International Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) states
parties within a reasonable period of time;
  - Introducing a mechanism of judicial review by CERD via making
CERD's decisions with regard to individual complaints to ICERD state
parties legally binding, as well as by providing for enforceable
sanctions in cases of failure by states to comply within a reasonable
period of time;

3. WCAR should strengthen the role of CERD by:
  - Introducing a transparent process in the appointment of CERD
members on the basis of criteria such as proven competence and
distinguished achievement in anti-racism and providing for NGO input
into selection process in each country;
  - Providing adequate funding to ensure legal aid to individual
complainants;
  - Televising all CERD sessions in which country reports are reviewed
so they can be broadcast for the purpose of public education and
oversight; translating the reports of these sessions into all official
UN languages; and recommending that states provide and widely
circulate print versions of these proceedings;

4. We urge WCAR to recommend that CERD consider issuing a General
Comment to:
  - interpret racial discrimination as constituting "degrading
treatment" within the meaning of Article 3 of the European Convention
on Human Rights as construed by the European Court of Human Rights;
  - interpret the concept of "racial discrimination" as including both
"direct discrimination," and "indirect discrimination" as this term is
defined in the European Council Directive 43/2000, "implementing the
principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or
ethnic origin" of June 29, 2000;
  - instruct that for the purposes of consideration of individual
communications pursuant to Article 14 of the International Convention
on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), once the complaint
sets forth a prima facie case of discrimination, the respondent
government bears the burden of showing that the challenged law or
practice has an objective and reasonable justification;
  - interpret the duty of states to eliminate all forms of racial
discrimination, pursuant to Article 2.2 of ICERD as implying, in
certain cases, positive action as remedy for systemic discrimination;

5. Acknowledging that the geographically diverse, transnational Roma
community is Europe's most disadvantaged ethnic group, which has
suffered racist abuse and systemic racial discrimination, culminating
in the destruction of the Kosovo Roma, we recommend that the UN
confers the status of a non-territorial nation to the Romani people,
providing for adequate representation in relevant international
governmental organizations. The Roma should, inter alia, receive a
seat in the United Nations, participate as elected officials in the
European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe and in the constitutive organs of these organizations. We also
recommend that WCAR urge governments to adopt legislation and policies
ensuring Roma participation in public administrations, at both central
and local levels.

6. Taking into account discrimination on ethnic basis manifested in
deportation of peoples, in particular Crimean Tartars and Meskhetian
Turks in the former USSR, as an extreme manifestation of the state
racism, we recommend that WCAR urge governments to adopt adequate
legislative and policy measures to ensure full rehabilitation,
compensation to and repatriation of these peoples.

7. Acknowledging the grave problem of religious discrimination,
including those against non-traditional religions, where the roots and
causes are similar to those of racial and ethnic discrimination, we
urge WCAR to recommend that ICERD states parties adopt effective
legislative standards to provide protection from religious
discrimination and ensure effective mechanisms for the implementation
of such standards.

8. As the problem of anti-semitism is pervasive across the region, we
recommend that WCAR advise the governments of all states where this
particular problem is relevant, especially Central and Eastern
European states including the countries of former Soviet Union, that
education on Holocaust be introduced into school curricula as one of
the recommended measures and adequate preventive mechanisms be
elaborated.

9. As the problem of language-based discrimination, including
elimination of the system of education in minority languages, is
particularly relevant to a number of countries in our region, we urge
WCAR to initiate at the level of UN bodies and other intergovernmental
organizations a process of development of international standards
aiming at:
  - prevention of use of official linguistic policies as a tool for
exclusion and marginalization of a part of the permanent population
(minority, majority, non-citizens, etc);
  - protection of linguistic minorities;
  - prevention and elimination of discrimination based on linguistic
criteria.

10. Being deeply concerned about the problem of persistent
statelessness of large groups of permanent residents in a number of
countries in our region, we recommend that steps be taken at the level
of UN bodies and other intergovernmental organizations to intensify
elaboration of international standards aiming at:
  - prevention of use of institutes of citizenship, naturalization,
immigration and legal status of persons, who are not citizens of the
states where they permanently reside, as a tool for discrimination and
exclusion of a part of the permanent population;
  - protection of de jure and de facto stateless persons;
  - prevention and elimination of arbitrary restrictions based on
citizenship.

11. We are concerned about the fact that in a number of countries in
our region the so called "passport system," that includes the
institute of registration of residence and temporary stay and police
supervision over implementation of and compliance with this regime, is
used as an instrument of discrimination and persecution of national
minorities. We recommend that WCAR call on the respective countries'
governments to expeditiously eliminate those elements of the "passport
system" that are conducive to discrimination, primarily the
above-mentioned registration of temporary stay and police control over
registration regime.

12. We would like to stress that migration, particularly labor
migration, is a very significant factor in our region. As
discriminatory practices are used with regard to migrants and asylum
seekers, we advise that WCAR encourage creation of a Working Group
targeting such issues as migration and granting of asylum or
citizenship.

13. The situation of groups subject to double discrimination evokes
special concern. Persons discriminated against on the basis of
race/ethnicity/religion, on the one hand, and gender, age, disability,
migration and other distinct factors, on the other hand, are
particularly exposed to grave violations of their rights. We recommend
that WCAR call for adoption of international legislation targeting
prevention of double discrimination. We also advise that the WCAR
bring this problem to the attention of ICERD state parties and
encourage them to adopt adequate national legislation and policies.

14. We recommend that WCAR urge states to take appropriate measures to
address the crucial neglected needs of women in our region who are
strongly affected by xenophobia and intolerance and are victims of
forced prostitution, trafficking in women, and extreme poverty; the
feminization of poverty, which has resulted from the economic
transition and globalization, testifies to the fact that women are
constantly exposed to human rights abuses; in addition, they suffer
from racial, ethnic, gender and religious discrimination during armed
conflicts, including rape, forced pregnancy and sexual violence
intended to change the ethnic composition of the population.

15. Taking into consideration that mechanisms conducive to
discrimination of the disabled are in many respects similar to
mechanisms instrumental to racial and ethnic discrimination, we
recommend that WCAR call for development and adoption of a Convention
on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against the Disabled.

16. We want to place on record that the Russian Federation government
pursues the policy of state racism with regard to the Chechen people.
We believe that manifestations of cruelty and persistent annihilation
of civil population, torture and arbitrary  in the territory of the
Chechen Republic fall under the definition of a crime against
humanity. A large campaign of instigation of hatred is realized with
regard to the Chechen people across the whole territory of the Russian
Federation. Mass persecution and discrimination against nationals of
Caucasus are taking place. In society, "enemy image" is formed with
reference to the Chechen people. We recommend that WCAR urge
interstate bodies, governments and non-government organizations to
exhort pressure over the Russian Federation with the purpose of
ensuring creation of effective mechanisms to provide for securing
lives, rights and freedoms of the Chechen people, investigation of all
the war crimes, access of international observers and independent
mass-media to the territory of the Chechen Republic and implementation
of effective measures on peaceful regulation of the conflict.

17. Persisting atrocities within the framework of internal armed
conflicts happening along ethnic lines, in the Caucasus and in the
Balkans, testify to the indispensability of new international uniform
standards providing for international responses in cases where states
commit gross human rights violations during armed conflicts.
Therefore, we recommend that WCAR insist on adoption of adequate
uniform standards concerning internal armed conflicts, including
prevention, political regulation, humanitarian intervention,
peace-keeping and protection of civilians.

Document 2
RECOMMENDATIONS  FOR  THE  NGOs  FORUM
which will be held parallel to the World Conference Against Racism,
Racial discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in South
Africa 2001

We, representatives of 115 non-governmental organizations from the
countries of Eastern and Central Europe, including all the countries
of the former Soviet Union, gathered in Warsaw on November 15-18,
2000, as participants in the preparatory process for WCAR, recommend
the NGOs Forum organize the following activities:

GENERAL
Region specific situations to be highlighted during the NGO Forum:
  - Chechnya
  - Kosovo
  - Krasnodar province

What should be the responsibility of the international community
towards the state sponsored gross violations.

The NGO Forum shall ensure for full access (and accessibility) for the
organisations of the disabled.

Involvement of young people (volunteers).

PLENARY
ROOTS OF RACISM IN CEEC
Plenary discussion on the roots of racism in Central and Eastern
Europe, on specific forms of aggressive nationalism, ethnocentrism and
discrimination.
Influence of nationalist and communist ideology.

ROLE OF NGOs IN DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ON INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Examples of good practice, development of strategies and plans.

REFORM OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
Reform of international instruments to reflect changed situation and
to strengthen them.

MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION / INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
Plenary discussion on multicultural education and/or intercultural
learning: methodology, resource materials and training courses for
teachers or students, curricula (history, culture).

PANEL DISCUSSION
ROMA IN CEEC
Panel discussion on Roma - issues of slavery in Romania, Roma
holocaust, non-territorial nation, Roma language and identity.

MASS MEDIA AND EDUCATION.
Strategies and plans for public awareness campaigns and other
activities.

RACISM IN SPEECH
Speech as an instrument of racism, e.g. need of using gender-neutral
expressions.

MISUSE OF INTERNET
Panel discussion on misuse of INTERNET for racist propaganda.

TARGETED GROUPS ABUSE
Panel discussion on targeted groups abuse - e.g. minority children.

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN THE AREA OF ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
Use of natural resources in Uzbekistan, Kazachstan, Kirgizstan,
Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine.

DISABLED
Panel discussion on discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance towards
disabled people.

WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING SESSIONS
ROLE OF RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS IN COMBATING RASISM
Meeting negative stereotypes and prejudice with positive ideas.
Discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance towards visible minorities
(Roma, Afro-Slovaks, Chinese).

LOBBYING  STRATEGIES
Sharing and developing lobbying strategies for the cause of combating
racism.

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

- Effective usage, organization of information on the web, subject
specific resources on the web, subject specific web portals, creation
of digital libraries;

- Disproportional distribution of the Internet accessibility:
information exclusion, strategies for bringing communities "on-line",
creation of alternative networks: "hybrid information delivery".

ROUND TABLES
RACISM ORGANISED BY A STATE
(Meskhetian Turks, Roma, Jews)

THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN COMBATING RACISM

DOUBLE/MULTIPLE  DISCRIMINITATION
Women and children from minority groups (e.g. Roma, Turkish); asylum
seekers and migrants (women asylum seekers and women migrants);
disabled; mixed marriages; sexual orientation. Specific issues of rape
in armed conflict. New forms of slavery (usury, labour migrants)

ROLE  OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN COMBATING RACISM
Inclusion of mayors, local government: examples of good practice,
international cooperation.

DISCRIMINATION OF RELIGIOUS GROUPS
How to monitor discrimination of religious groups and how to deal with
this sort of double discrimination.

REFUGEES AND INTERNAL MIGRANTS

GLOBALISATION
Globalisation and its influence on the growth of racism.

RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE AND RELIGIOUS MINORITIES
Formerly deported peoples: problems of compensation, rehabilitation
and repatriation.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Festivals

Theatre Performances

Concerts:
- Multicultural / ethnic
- Rock / Punk / Hard Core (anti fascist bands of "skinhead
appearance")
- Jazz

Exhibitions
- Visual presentations
- Photographs (including documentary)
- Ethnic art

Silence March
- Roma silence march: standing up for a nation.

Document 3.
APPEAL
by the Warsaw Meeting of NGOs from Eastern and Central Europe
of 15-18 November 2000
within the framework of preparation for the World Conference Against
Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance
to be held in South Africa in the year 2001
on the situation in the Chechen Republic

We, representatives of more than 110 NGOs from the countries of
Central and Eastern Europe and the former USSR, express our deep
indignation and concern with the situation in the Chechen Republic.

According  to numerous reports by human rights organizations, the
troops of the Russian Federation exercise:
- murders and collective punishment of civil population;
- tortures  and cruel treatment of detainees, also in concentration
camps that were set up contrary to the law (the so-called "filtration"
centers);
- arbitrary detentions, arrests, and hold-ups of civil population for
ransom purposes;
- looting and pillage in settlements, extortion at check-points;
- indiscriminate shelling and bombing of civil settlements.

Effective mechanisms of legal and social protection are absent in the
Chechen Republic. Direct threats to life have created the situation
when hundreds of thousands of refugees are afraid to return to their
homes, dragging on their wretched existence in the neighboring
territories.

We believe that the Chechen Republic still witnesses mass outrageous
violations of human rights and norms of international humanitarian
law. The developments in the Chechen Republic can be described as
genocide and crime against humanity. The actions by the Russian
Federation Government in the Chechen Republic are  accompanied by a
wide-scale campaign to incite hatred toward the Chechens. These
actions cause mass persecutions and discrimination of the people of
the Caucasian ethnic origin over the entire territory of Russia.

The image of the Chechen people as an enemy is being inculcated in
society.

We are convinced that the conflict in Chechnya should be resolved by
peaceful means alone.

We call upon intergovernmental institutions, governments, and NGOs of
the entire world to exert pressure on the Russian Federation in order
to create effective mechanisms to ensure guarantees of life, rights,
and freedoms of the people of Chechnya; to hold investigation into all
war crimes; to allow free access to the  territory of the Chechen
Republic to international observers and independent mass media; and to
stop the policy of racism pursued by the state.

-- 
==============================================================
MINELRES - a forum for discussion on minorities in Central&Eastern
Europe

Submissions: [email protected]  
Subscription/inquiries: [email protected] 
List archive: http://www.riga.lv/minelres/archive.htm
==============================================================