Dear UNPO Members and Friends, November was a month of remembrance for UNPO as we engaged in an international commemoration of Ken Saro-Wiwa, UNPO’s former Vice–Chairman.(http://www.unpo.org/article/11926) Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders were executed fifteen years ago following a deeply flawed trial in which there was no right of appeal. Ken Saro-Wiwa, a talented poet, writer and successful entrepreneur, devoted his life to voice the plight of the Ogoni people, whose natural resources are still being exploited without compensation. He was President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) which joined the UNPO in 1993. UNPO was the key coordinator for a coalition of 8 NGOs and human rights organisations, who coordinated a mass public commemorative event and debate, followed by a hugely successful concert, which drew 800 people. For photos and videos of the event, please visit www.cleanthenigerdelta.org. UNPO welcomed the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (http://www.unpo.org/article/11928) which followed the Burma sham elections this month. The leader of the democratic opposition movement in Burma and the Nobel Peace Prize laureate was illegally kept under house arrest for 15 years, which prevented her from advocating Burma’s cause around the world. The elections preceding her release which were dismissed by international community as fraudulent, have not lessened UNPO´s fears for the rights of UNPO Members within the country. The news of the massacre in the Catholic Church in Bagdad (http://www.unpo.org/article/11887) on October 31 was of deep concern to UNPO. Numerous parishioners were killed and wounded as a result of the attack. This is only the most recent example of persecutions aimed at the Christian Assyrian minority in Iraq which since 2004 have resulted in thousands fleeing to Syria and Jordan to seek refuge. Acts of protest, in the form of marches and vigils took place around the world to condemn the acts and UNPO presented evidence before the European Parliament´s Delegation for Relations to Iraq on 29 November 2010 at the invitation of deputies. In coming activities the situation facing the Ogaden area of Ethipia will be the subject of a hearing in the European Parliament on December 7 and in the same week UNPO will be joining Global Human Rights Defense in marking Human Rights Day in December 10. UNPO Nomination of East Turkestan leader Ms Rebiya Kadeer will see representatives attend the presentation of the Tulip Award at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Best wishes, Marino Busdachin, UNPO General Secretary |
November Activities & Events |
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1 November Yemen: Political Dynamics and the International Policy Framework London, United Kingdom The conference took a stock of the current political and economic situation in Yemen. Panelists discussed regional security with reference to the situations in Somaliland and the wider Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula regions. |
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5 November International NGO Network Meeting The Hague, the Netherlands NGO Platform Spartak initiated a regular meeting of the non – governmental organizations based in The Hague. UNPO presented projects, networked and debated at the event. |
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10 November Commemoration of the 15th Anniversary of the Execution of Ken Saro Wiwa UNPO commenced commemorative activities to honour Ken Saro Wiwa’s life and campaigns. Major public debate and commemoration took place drawing 100 people to light candles in his honour and pay tribute to the nonviolent activist. “Standing Before History” Concert in memory of Ken Saro Wiwa The Hague, the Netherlands At the invitation of UNPO, internationally renowned singer, Nneka performed in The Hague to raise awareness about the life and work of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Almost 800 people attended to hear speeches from UNPO Programme Manager Maggie Murphy, Friends of the Earth Director Nnimmo Bassey and watch a video about the life of Ken Saro-Wiwa prior to the concert.
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14 November Church service in memory of Ken Saro Wiwa Rotterdam, the Netherlands |
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15 November Religious Freedom in Russia Brussels, Belgium Conference at the European Parliament investigating the current state of religious freedom and expression in the republics of the Russian Federation. |
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16 November Meeting Netherlands Helsinki Committee The Hague, the Netherlands Maggie Murphy and Caroline de Bruin met with Executive Director of the Netherlands Helsinki Committee to talk about collaboration and projects. |
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17 November Equality for Nations in the 21st Century Brussels, Belgium The European Free Alliance Group in the European Parliament organized a conference on Independence in Europe - Equality for Nations in the 21st Century. The conference focused on stateless nations, which seek equality with independent states in the European Union and discussed the economic, social and cultural dimensions of the issue. |
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19 November Balochistan Advocacy Tour of European Parliament Brussels, Belgium Conducted with Senator Baloch UNPO assisted in facilitating meetings with the European Parliament and European Commission. |
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23 November Broad Human Rights Platform (BMO) Meeting The Hague, Netherlands UNPO became a member of the BMO working group in the Summer 2010. The meeting brought together 10 diverse Human Rights and Development Cooperation NGO’s from The Netherlands to discuss the 2011 strategy for effectively lobbying The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in light of its new conservative government. |
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24 November Ethnic Religious Pluralism and Challenges of Integration The Hague, Netherlands Organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and ROI, Dutch Institute for Public Administration, speakers included Mr Knut Vollebaek, High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for security and Cooperation in Europe, Mr Kuynush Sultanov, Chairman of the Committee on the International Affairs, Defense and security of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as Dutch Parliamentarian Mr. Coskun Coruz.Two UNPO staff members were present. |
Upcoming Events |
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1-8 December Field Visit to Rwanda Rwanda Programme Manager Ms. Maggie Murphy will visit Rwanda for one week to work alongside our Batwa members. The visit will generate information related to the current situation of the Batwa in Rwanda and will also inaugurate a project on bamboo propagation and management as an environmentally sustainable resource. |
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2 December In Memoriam of Dr Linnart Mall Tartu, Estonia UNPO will be open alongside leading figures of the Estonian establishment, a conference commemorating the key role played by Dr. Linnart Mall in the founding and running of the UNPO from its earliest meetings in Estonia in 1990 between Estonian, Tibet, and Uyghur representatives. |
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7 December Ethiopia´s Stalled Democracy: A Spotlight on the Ogaden Brussels, Belgium A hearing will be convened in the European Parliament focusing on the current state of human rights and democracy in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia – the hearing will be coming after EU observers noted significant shortcomings in Ethiopia 2010 elections. |
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8-10 December ACT for Human Rights Brussels, Belgium Event organized by Global Human Rights Defence and European Network FLARE - Freedom Legality and Rights in Europe. This two – days visit to the European Parliament is sponsored by the Member of the European Parliament Dennis de Jong from Socialist Party and will embrace inter alia participation to the international event of FLARE Network and Conference at the European Parliament. UNPO and UNPO Members in Belgium and the Netherlands will be present and participating. |
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9 December MÄSHRÄP Amsterdam, the Netherlands Concert of the Uyghur folk music at Tropentheater in Amsterdam |
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10 December International Human Rights Day Human Rights Defenders Seminar The Hague, the Netherlands Seminar organized by Justitia en Pax will be devoted to ways of improving the effectiveness of HR defenders work. Samuel Kofi Woods – current Minister of Public Works of Liberia will deliver a Keynote speech followed by panel discussion with Barbara Oomen (Professor in Human Rights) and Lionel Veer (Human Rights Ambassador). Tulip Award for Human Rights Defenders Ms Rebiya Kadeer, President of the World Uyghur Congress, is among the list of nominees put forward, following a concerted campaign by UNPO to win support from national and European deputies. Speak Up for the Tibetan Heroes! The Hague, The Netherlands The peaceful demonstration in solidarity with the human rights defenders in China will take place from 3 till 5 p.m. in front of the Chinese embassy. Demonstrators aim is to draw attention to the struggle of human rights defenders and pay respects to them. Speak UP – Stop Discrimination Geneva, Switzerland Hosted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights human rights activists will discuss inter alia efforts to combat racism and gender discrimination. |
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11 December Conference on ‘How can Somaliland Democracy, Culture & Development Be Supported?’ Utrecht, the Netherlands The conference will bring together policy-makers, activists, and NGOs in a discussion of how to support bottom-up state-building in Somaliland as the de facto state approaches its twentieth anniversary of unilateral independence. |
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14-15 December United Nations Forum on Minority Issues Geneva, Switzerland UNPO will be bringing a large and diverse delegation to attend the 3rd session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues, to be held December 14th & 15th in Geneva, Switzerland. 20 UNPO Member representatives from 14 minority groups will attend the Forum and contribute to the discussions, which will revolve around the effective participation of minorities in economic life. UNPO will also be co-hosting a parallel conference with Minority Rights Group International on the topic of minority participation in the development of natural resources. The purpose of the Forum is to provide a platform for dialogue on minority issues, and contribute to the knowledge of the Independent Expert on minority issues, who presents a set of recommendations (based on the theme of each Forum) to the Human Rights Council the following year. |
TBC |
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27 January 2011 ´Kashgar: An Oasis on the Silk Road on the Brink of Extinction´ Brussels, Belgium Conference will be devoted to the issue of architectural destruction of Kashgar Old City, which one of East Turkestan most unique sites of cultural heritage. The event will take place thanks to kind support of The Greens / European Free Alliance Parliamentary Group. |
UNPO Announcements |
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Minority Voices Young Journalist Award Deadline for entries - 31 December 2010 Competition is addressed to students and young journalists working in print, on – line or broadcast media who are truly involved in issues concerning marginalisation, discrimination and inequality of ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities. To learn more please visit the link below. http://www.minorityrights.org/10350/press-releases/minority-voices-young-journalist-award.html |
UNPO Publications |
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Member Profiles Please note that UNPO is continuing in its efforts to improve the quality and availability of information about our Members. We aim to have several new member profiles completed by November, all of which will be freely accessible on our website and are becoming an increasingly used and distributed resource by UNPO and its partners in Brussels, Geneva, and The Hague. Please visit UNPO’s new website! As a result of discussions over several months about how to improve the UNPO website, we were pleased last month to be able to welcome you to visit our new website. If you have not yet seen the new site, we encourage you to have a look at the new site. We are sure you will agree that it is clearer, more professional and has better capacity to better represent your views. |
UNPO Donations |
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UNPO is celebrating its 20th anniversary in February 2010. The festivities to remember and celebrate UNPO and its members over the past 20 years will take place throughout the year. We kindly ask you to make a donation, so that these plans can be fulfilled. UNPO is a not-for-profit organization and relies on membership fees, grants and donations, which help the organization sustain its work and activities. Click here to make a donation |
December Newsletter |
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Please send us your agendas for the coming months so that we can include them in our diary. For any information please feel free to contact the UNPO Secretariat at unpo@unpo.org |
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