Jun 01, 2010

Italian Senate Venue for 10th UNPO General Assembly


Minorities, unrecognised and underrepresented peoples use UNPO platform to reach out to international community on topics of Self-Determination, Autonomy and Human Rights and New UNPO Presidency is elected.

UNPO Members from around the world convened in Rome last week (27th -30th May) for the 10th Session of the UNPO General Assembly. The occasion provided a critical platform for dialogue between UNPO Members, and was concluded by the election of Mr. Ngawang Choephel from Tibet as UNPO President, with Ms. Lana Agrba from Abkhazia as Vice President. They will serve until the next meeting of the General Assembly due to take place in 18 months.


In the opening session of the General Assembly, held in the Defence Meeting Room in the Italian Senate, Sen. Emma Bonino, vice-president of the Italian Senate welcomed fresh ideas in a rapidly changing world that maintain pathways of nonviolence.  Sen. Marco Perduca, who chaired the opening session, introduced Sen. Pietro Marcenaro who discussed the blurred lines between the treatment of the words “asylum” and “immigration”, a pertinent issue for the UNPO Members who have been exiled from their homelands, while Sen. Luigi Ramponi spoke on behalf of Sen. Mauro Del Vecchio (Head of peacekeeping mission of Afghanistan) to express solidarity with participants in their campaign. Former MEP Mr. Marco Pannella, Leader of the Nonviolent Radical Party addressed the Assembly on the right to democratic procedures and Louisa Coan Greve from the National Endowment for Democracy explained the importance of communities defining their own models of democracy based on the key values enshrined in the UN Declaration of Human Rights.


Outgoing UNPO President Mr. Ledum Mitee said that his election as President in 2006 came at “a challenging period in the life of the organization” but his two terms were marked by successes of structural reform and a significant increase in the participation of Members. The organisation he said, had moved in a positive direction and better reflected Members’ current realities.  In his report, General Secretary of UNPO Marino Busdachin revealed the launch of a new program on “Genuine Autonomy” with the planned publication of an Atlas on Autonomy in the World by the end of the year and a series of conferences and training sessions on these issues.


Following two days of cooperative dialogue, during which time, Members highlighted their key concerns and identified common themes, a resolution was adopted to guide the future direction of the activities of UNPO (full text below).  It focused primarily on the need to plan major activities in 2011 to mark the 20th anniversary of UNPO's foundation and made a commitment to find “peaceful solutions to political conflicts by assessing the merits of alternative means of power sharing to support and develop democracy.”  UNPO Members were also invited to contribute to the General Council of the Nonviolent Radical Party.  


The final item on the agenda was the election of the new Presidency. The newly elected President, Mr. Ngawang Choephel, who said “While UNPO is now committed to launch a series of non-violent initiatives to celebrate its 20th Anniversary next year, another important task envisaged before the organisation will be to increase the Membership of unrepresented peoples from the Americas so that their aspirations and human rights struggles are also not forgotten.” Ms. Lana Agrba from Abkhazia was elected as Vice President  and reminded the participants that solutions to the multiple problems Members face are only found through collaboration. The new UNPO Presidency consists of Afrikaners, Southern Cameroon, Khmer Krom, West Balochistan, Sindh, Taiwan, Mapuche, East Turkestan and the Hungarians in Romania.


UNPO would like to express sincere gratitude to Senator Marco Perduca and the Nonviolent Radical Party for their support in hosting this General Assembly. UNPO commends Ledum Mitee, Maysing Yang and the outgoing Presidency for their dedicated service to the organization and congratulates the new Presidency on their election.

For a copy of the press release click here

 


Xth Session of the UNPO General Assembly
27-30 May 2010 - Rome, Italy
GENERAL RESOLUTION

On the occasion of the Xth session of the UNPO General Assembly, the following general resolution was adopted.

The UNPO General Assembly:

Reaffirms the commitment of Members to democracy, nonviolence, and the right to self-determination, as recognised in various international declarations and treaties including the UNPO Covenant;

Reiterates its solidarity with and full support of UNPO Members, as well as other victims of oppression, in their peaceful struggle to protect and preserve their rights and fundamental freedoms;

Declares its continued engagement with the international community and expresses serious concern on the limited opportunities for the voice of marginalised and unrepresented peoples to be heard;

Regrets that despite their obligations and pledges before the United Nations and the international community, States continue to commit serious human rights violations with impunity, and marginalise national communities and indigenous peoples without censure;

Stresses the importance of the preservation of culture, identity and language for the survival of minority and indigenous groups.


Therefore, the UNPO General Assembly;

Resolves to mark the 20th Anniversary of UNPO in 2011 with initiatives based on core, Gandhian values of nonviolent civil action, which will seek greater commitment to and understanding of the tenets of freedom, peace, truth and democracy;

Condemns the refoulement of asylum seekers to repressive countries in which they face persecution, torture or execution;

Urges states to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the ratify ILO Convention 169 Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, with particular concern for the degradation of Members' local environs, ongoing exploitation of their natural resources and their marginalisation from decision-making processes.

Advocates creativity in finding peaceful solutions to political conflicts by assessing the merits of alternative means of power sharing to support and develop democracy, thus reaffirming the right to self determination.

Demands an end to the prevailing culture of impunity in which UNPO Members fall victim to secret detentions, extrajudicial executions, restrictions on movement, forced exile and displacement, illicit and illegal military practices, land and property extortion, violations of constitutional rights, information and economic embargos, torture and other inhumane and cruel treatment.

Urges States to demonstrate commitment to combating enforced disappearances by ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (2006).  

For a copy of the General Resolution click here

 

 Xth Session of the UNPO General Assembly
27-30 May 2010 - Rome, Italy
MEMBER RESOLUTIONS
 


Summary of actions requested in Member Resolutions adopted by the X General Assembly

Abkhazia
Calls on the Georgian authorities to stop the blockade against Abkhazia, lift sanctions, and put a halt to widespread infringements on basic principles of freedom by abolishing restrictive legislation;

Requests all governments especially the Government of Turkey to take measures to provide safe, secure and direct travel of their citizens to Abkhazia;

Afrikaner
Condemns the lack of proper recognition and accommodation of the Afrikaner people in line with modern international best practice whether in line with federal or other self-determination measures on the political, economical and cultural terrain;

Requests the UN General Secretary to initiate an investigation and dispatch a fact finding mission to South Africa in order to look into the issue of self-determination in line with modern international best practice whether in line with federal or other self-determination measures and the serious human rights violations as represented in the murders of more than 3000 Afrikaner farmers and farm workers since the negotiations started for a free and fair democracy in 1991.

Assyria
Demands as promulgated under article 110 of the Iraqi constitution, the Assyrian people of Iraq are entitled to an Assyrian autonomous region encompassing the Assyrian ancestral lands, located between the Greater Zab and Tigris rivers with international borders to the north and west, as part of the Federal Republic of Iraq.


Demands that the Constitution of Iraq contain a minimum guaranteed quota for Assyrians’ representation which shall be comprised of nominees of Assyrian ethnicity.


Calls upon the Federal Republic of Iraq to amend the Iraqi Constitution and add the statement in its preamble “The Assyrians are the indigenous people of Iraq.”


Calls upon the United Nations and the international community to treat the Assyrian refugees, and the displaced Assyrians within Iraq, in a fair and equitable manner.


Calls upon the governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, the United Nations and the international community to support the demands set out in this resolution in respect of political rights of Assyrians in Iraq.


Balochistan
Condemns Pakistan’s illegal and forceful annexation of Balochistan on 27 March 1948 against the will of the people of Balochistan and condemn the actions of Pakistan to deny the rights of the Baloch people and usurp their natural resources;

Requests the UN and International Community to constitute a high-level judicial commission to probe the cases of disappearances throughout Balochistan and ensure the immediate release of all disappeared persons being held without trial;

Requests the United Nations and International Community to take necessary measures to stop the Pakistani army's military operation and indiscriminate bombings against the Baloch population that has also caused mass displacement;

Requests cases of extra-judicial killings and political assassinations be thoroughly investigated by the United Nations and culprits involved in the brutal assassination of leading political figures, be held accountable;

Urges the international community to immediately take all necessary measures to prevent any further growth of Talibanisation in Balochistan and ensure the empowerment of the Baloch people.

Cabinda
Condemns all human rights abuses committed in the Territory of Cabinda by the Government of the Republic of Angola and its proxies;
Calls on the Government of the Republic of Angola to respect the Cabindan peoples’ human rights and their right to political and economic self-determination,

Calls on the conflicting parties and in particular the Government of the Republic of Angola to urgently commit themselves to a peaceful solution to the conflict currently taking place in Cabinda through negotiation, mediation, plebiscite or arbitration,

Calls upon the companies operating in Cabinda to respect the human rights and the right to self-determination of the people of Cabinda, including the right to manage and control natural resources on their land and cease immediately the use of mercenaries,

Calls on the Republic of Angola to cease kidnapping Cabindan politicians and refugees in foreign countries, Congo-Kinshasa and Congo-Brazzaville, and to liberate them,

Calls on the conflicting parties and in particular the Government of the Republic of Angola to urgently commit themselves to a peaceful solution to the conflict currently taking place in Cabinda.

Circassia
Calls upon the Russian Federation to officially recognize all Circassians, whether they reside in historical Circassia or as part of the Circassian Diaspora, as the indigenous people of their motherland Circassia, affording them all rights, and accepting all responsibilities to them, as enshrined in the entire 46 Articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

Calls upon the Russian Federation to amend current repatriation laws so as to recognize the Circassians as a “special case”, guaranteeing them the absolute and unconditional right of return to their motherland Circassia, the unhindered right of travel to and from historical Circassia, the right to dual citizenship by their choice, and the elimination of immigration quotas, language requirements, residence requirements, or any other hindering conditions, whatsoever, to obtaining permanent residency and citizenship and residency in their historical homeland of Circassia.

Calls upon the countries where the Circassian Diaspora lives in (Turkey, Jordan and Syria), to grant the Circassians dual citizenship, and to help the Circassian Diaspora to preserve their culture and to establish close links with their compatriots living in the homeland

Crimean Tatar
Recognizes the Deportation of May 18, 1944 as a flagrant crime against the Crimean Tatar people and against humanity, which carries all features of genocide;

Strongly condemns the criminal actions against the Crimean Tatars which were marked with total expulsion of people from hereditary place of residence;

Calls on the countries of the former Soviet Union and the member states of the EU to assist Ukraine in resettling tens of thousands of the Crimean Tatar families in Crimea, who have returned from the exile, to provide full access to archives on the Crimean Tatar people’s Deportation of May 18, 1944, to allow a comprehensive investigation, disclosure, and complete study of all causes and consequences;

Calls upon Ukraine to quicken drafting and adoption of relevant legislation on restoration of the rights of Crimean Tatar people and determination their status in Ukraine;

East Turkestan  
Urges the Chinese government to ensure that the articles of the Chinese Constitution protecting the rights of nationalities in China and its commitments to international law on minorities are observed in full, without exception or qualification, to ensure that Uyghur grievances are addressed in accordance with Chinese rule of law;

Urges the Chinese government to allow an independent international investigation into the events of July 2009 in East Turkestan when gross human rights violations through Chinese authorities had been committed during and in the aftermath of the 5 July 2009 protests;

Urges the Chinese authorities to ensure that those accused of crimes related to the events of July 2009 are afforded due process, tried in an open and fair court, and given access to legal representation of their choice and immediately and unconditionally release all those who are only alleged to have protested peacefully on 5 July 2009;

Requests the Chinese Government to make known the whereabouts of twenty Uyghurs extradited from Cambodia in December 2009 and whose whereabouts and wellbeing remain a grave concern;

Calls upon the Chinese authorities to open a meaningful dialogue with Uyghur leaders from the World Uyghur Congress acknowledged to represent the Uyghurs of East Turkestan and urge representatives of the international community to support such a dialogue for the peaceful and permanent settlement of the East Turkestan issue.

Gilgit Baltistan
Condemns the presence of Pakistani forces in Gilgit Baltstan, which is posing threat to the life, dignity, fundamental economic, social and political rights and even the very existence of the indigenous people.

Condemns the construction of the Bhasha Dam, the Bunji Dam as well as other five mega dams which are destructing and submerging huge rare monuments and have caused grave consequences to the existence of the whole region;

Condemns the displacement of the indigenous people, which changes the demography as well as the geography of the disputed colony of Pakistan;

Condemns the leases for mining of precious metals (in 2000) given to Pakistani and Chinese companies by the Pakistani authorities without having right to this land.

Hmong

Urges Lao PDR to respect UN Charters, Conventions, and their Protocols to which it is a State Party.

Urges The Lao PDR Government to put a halt to serious violations of the Laws of the Land and the Laws to Freedom and Liberty and to demonstrate respect for freedom of speech, the right to form political associations, and above all the right to freedom

Joins the United Hmong ChaoFa Democratic Party in calling to grant the Hmong people economic, social, and cultural rights and the rights to self-determination.

Mapuche
Condemns all human rights abuses committed in the Mapuche Territory by the governments of Chile and Argentina.

Calls on Chile to end the criminalization, violent repression and persecution of Mapuche communities, minors, leaders and activists in Chile;

Requests the UN General Secretary and the UN Special Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples to initiate an investigation and dispatch a fact finding mission to Chile, in particular to traditional Mapuche territories in order to look into the issues of repression and serious human rights violations.

Ogaden
Strongly condemns the war crimes by the Ethiopian armed forces at the direction of the Ethiopian government perpetrated against the people of Ogaden;

Calls upon the Ethiopian government to end immediately hostilities against the Ogaden people, release all political prisoners and civilian detainees, and stop the economic and aid blockade of the Ogaden;

Calls upon the people of Ethiopia not to become party to the Ethiopian regime’s war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ogaden;

Hereby Requests the United Nations to recognise the conflict between the Ogaden people and Ethiopia as an armed conflict and initiate a UN sponsored mechanism for resolving it, by assigning the political office of UN to  facilitating transparent,  serious negotiations between the ONLF and the current Ethiopian regime with no pre-conditions,  aimed at reaching a comprehensive, just and lasting political settlement of the conflict;

Hereby Requests the UN General Secretary set up an internationally monitored and demilitarized humanitarian aid corridor into Ogaden so that aid is no longer used as a political weapon by the Ethiopian regime against the people of Ogaden;

Hereby Requests the UN General Secretary to initiate the investigation recommended by the UN fact-finding mission of 2007 and dispatch a fact-finding mission to investigate and  gross violations of  human rights in Ogaden appointing a special Human Rights Rapporteur;

Hereby Calls upon the international community hold the Ethiopian regime and its officials to account for its war crimes in Ogaden.

Ogoni

Condemns the seeming lack of recognition and accommodation and protection of the interests of the Ogoni people in line with international best practice and our inalienable right to fair treatment.

Calls upon the relevant Nigerian authorities to rescind their decision to relocate the existing military cantonment in Port Harcourt (which is hitherto referred to as being the torture chamber of the Ogoni people under the past Nigerian military dictatorship) and building a military barrack facility in Ogoni.

Decides to use all available international machineries and processes to seek redress for the indigenous people of Ogoni.

Sindh
Emphasises the rights of Sindh and other constituent units of Pakistan to own their resources for the betterment of their people.

Supports Sindhi women’s demands of gender equality and justice

Condemns the actions of the Pakistan government to deny the fundamental, human and environmental rights of the Sindhi people.

Condemns The government of Pakistan’s various schemes of building dams and other measures to deprive the people of Sindh of their rightful share of water.


Southern Azerbaijan
Condemns the repression of 35 million Southern Azerbaijani Turks and all other non-Persian minorities;

Requests that the voices of these people be heard through UNPO, and that the international community be fully aware of the reality in Iran and ask that they take necessary measures.

Southern Cameroons
Unequivocally Condemns the annexation and exercise of absolute colonial power on the Southern Cameroonian people by la Republique du Cameroun, rendering the people powerless, impoverished, and backward in spite of the abundant human and natural resources the territory is endowed with;

Calls on the African Commission, which has offered to mediate, to cause the AU Summit to pressure la Republique du Cameroun to submit to the approved Constructive Dialogue with Southern Cameroons in the interest of peace and democracy in the sub region.


Zanzibar
Commends the President of Zanzibar and the Secretary General of Civic United Front (CUF) for their move to resolve the political situation in Zanzibar and aim at uniting the people of Zanzibar.

Calls upon the international community to continue supporting the efforts to reconcile the people of Zanzibar and encourage the two parties to continue with their efforts to bring peace and stability and create an environment for economic social political and cultural development of Zanzibar.

Joint Resolution West Balochistan and Iranian Kurdistan
Calls upon the government of Iran to immediately stop the execution of Kurdish, Baluchs and other prisoners of conscience, and investigate the extra-judicial killings of civilian;

Calls upon the Iranian authorities to stop all militarization of Kurdish, Baluchs and Arab regions in Iran and border shelling alongside Iran- Iraq borders.
Raise with the government of Iran the issue of the current critical situation of the none Persian in Iran who continue to suffer  the denial of  basic human rights;

Pressures the Iranian authorities to stop torturing prisoners, give them fair trials and access to defense lawyers; and

Pressures the government of Iran to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.  

Resolution on the People´s Republic of China
Recognising the grave consequences suffered by UNPO Members all over the world due to the emerging economic, investment and other interests of the People´s Republic of China (PRC)in their homelands,

Condemns the contract to mine precious metals given to the Chinese authorities by Pakistan without prior consent of the people of Gilgit Baltistan

Condemns the use to which China uses its investment, aid and military support to many countries to block the international community from censuring grave violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly in Iran, Pakistan, Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Laos,

Expresses grave concern about the increasing cases of violations of human environmental rights especially of indigenous peoples in Africa attendant to rising Chinese investments

Remains deeply concerned by the continued military threat from China towards the sovereignty of Taiwan and diplomatic attempts to isolate this nation from the international community,

While fully supporting the freedom struggle of Mongols, Tibetans and Uyghurs, remains deeply concerned that the survival of their cultural, religious and national identity is today threatened by China´s policy of population transfer and implantation of Chinese settler

Decides to establish an informal UNPO Working Group on China.

 

For a copy of the Summary of Member Resolutions click here

 

See the following links for video coverage of the General Assembly

http://www.radioradicale.it/scheda/304653/veglia-per-ricordare-le-vittime-delle-persecuzioni-religiose-di-tutto-il-mondo

http://www.radioradicale.it/scheda/304688/consiglio-generale-del-partito-radicale-nonviolento-transnazionale-e-transpartito-prima-giornata-versione-

http://www.radioradicale.it/scheda/304504/sviluppare-la-democrazia-decima-assemblea-generale-dellunpo-prima-giornata-sessione-pomeridiana

http://www.radioradicale.it/scheda/304503/sviluppare-la-democrazia-decima-assemblea-generale-dellunpo-prima-giornata-sessione-mattutina

See the following links for Media Coverage of UNPO General Assembly

Abkhazia

Afrikaners: Rome conference condemns SA farm murders

Afrikaners: Farm murders ´serious human rights violations´

Afrikaners: FF Plus attends UNPO's 10th General Meeting in Rome


Circassia: UNPO Resolution: Lifts Sanctions on Abkhazia, Promotes Repatriation to Circassia 

East Turkestan : Member Resolution

Gilgit Baltistan : Member Resolution

Southern Azerbaijan: 10th UNPO General Assembly held in Rome, Italy has come to an end

W. Balochistan: UNPO General Assembly

Nation Talk - Canada's Premier National Aboriginal Newswire and Employment Service Advance Press Release

Esperando: General Resolution Translated


 

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