UNPO in collaboration with Interfaith International, have organized an event taking place this Tuesday (16/3/2010) at the United Nations in Geneva. The conference entitled ‘Dialogue on the situation of Human Rights of Minorities in South Asia' will focus on the thematic issues surrounding minorities in the Kashmir region of Pakistan and will incorporate the ongoing unresolved problems plaguing UNPO member Gilgit Baltistan.

The event is part of a series of events that UNPO and Interfaith International have run in Geneva this month as a supplement to the 13th Session of the UN Human Rights Council. These events have included separate conferences and public rallies.

The conference will include a series of speeches and presentations made by internationally respected professionals and intellects and will address concerns of alienation, exploitation and extra-judicial murders in the region. Speakers will include; Abdul Hamid Khan who is the Chairman of the Balawaristan National Front (BNF), a political party of Gilgit-Baltistan, Baseer Naweed former activist, trade unionist and journalist who is now working for the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong, Kanwar Bhim Singh, Chairman of the Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party, a political organization based in India in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and Munawar Laghari who is a Sindh Monitor. The event will also allow time for open dialogue with audience members with the over arching aim of bringing the issues discussed into the wider publics attention. The event will provide an imperative opportunity for specific concerns to be expressed and heard, and will hopefully add some momentum to the cause in the wider international community. 

UNPO are keen to use this conference as a spring board to further exposure culminating in an additional conference being held in June at the European Parliament. Through continual coverage the movement will hopefully gain wider understanding and remain in the spotlight of the international community.

UNPO strongly believe that the international community has an obligation to defend nations and peoples around the world against draconian conditions and to support the protection and promotion of internationally respected human rights; self determination, freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial.