The Xth UNPO General Assembly meets in Rome in May 2010. As the highest decision making body of the organisation, the General Assembly is a highly political event which will bring together the majority of UNPO’s current Members to discuss common problems as they learn from each other and participate in decisions about the future of the organization. 

Since the last General Assembly in Brussels in 2008, the scope and reach of UNPO’s activities have grown exponentially. Assistance offered to Members to gain access to international platforms such as the European Parliament and the UN and capitalize on such opportunities has increased, and the subsequent greater participation of Members in strategic planning has resulted in ever more innovative approaches to maximizing awareness of key issues and concerns. Reflections on current thinking on self-determination and the false promises and traps it may generate is influencing our work and drives a shift in the organization’s direction towards underscoring the cardinal nature of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in all our activities, campaigns and lobbying efforts. Furthermore, the recent very productive collaboration seen between Members has underlined the fundamental benefits of UNPO as a network that provides a space for Members to share challenges and successes, identify common issues and strengthen each others’ campaigns.

UNPO has been particularly concerned by the deteriorating security situation in Pakistan, which has raised the profile of UNPO’s Sindh, Baloch, and Gilgit Baltistan Members. Increased security problems and economic considerations have forced the international community to retrench. Even Pakistan’s traditional antagonists have shown a recent tendency towards maintaining a dangerous status quo that buttresses Islamabad but does nothing to address the root causes of insecurity, instability, and widespread discontent in Pakistan. Holding a demonstration and side event at the UN in Geneva in March and June 2009 as well as facilitating meetings with Permanent Missions, UNPO has supported its Members to raise awareness concerning the deteriorating human rights violations.

UNPO was one of the earliest voices drawing attention to the situation of Iran’s nationalities in advance of the Presidential election in 2009 when it convened a conference in Brussels in April. Unrest in Tehran in June in the days and weeks following the election led to the disproportionate killings and arrests of Iranian minority protestors.  In response, facilitated by UNPO, four Members addressed the UN Permanent Forum on Minority Issues in November and contributed to Iran’s inaugural Universal Periodic Review by submitting reports on the human rights situation in Iran, calling for a more nuanced international approach to security and human rights in Iran with greater appreciation of the concerns of minorities. In November the UN General Assembly approved a resolution condemning Iran for violating the fundamental human rights of its own citizens, following a concerted lobbying effort by NGOs across the world and the submission of a letter to which UNPO was a signatory. Widespread demonstrations took place around the world on 11 February 2010 on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. Growing concern on the increasing restrictions on rights and freedoms over the last three decades was voiced although protests within Iran were subdued as a result of a strong security presence. Significantly, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Iran that specifically mentioned the rights abuses against the people of Al-Ahwaz, Southern Azerbaijan, West Balochistan and Iranian Kurdistan, the four UNPO Members in Iran. 

The Urumqi unrest on 5 July 2009 and the violent suppression of subsequent protests shaped much of UNPO’s work with East Turkestan. The Chinese government’s crackdown in a ‘Strike Hard’ campaign has led to the arrest and detention of Uyghurs by the Chinese authorities, the whereabouts of many of whom remains unknown.  In connection with the unrest, at least 20 Uyghurs were condemned to death in the absence of fair trials. In December, 20 Uyghur refugees who reached Cambodia were extradited back to China despite severe concern for their wellbeing.  Their fate also remains unknown.

The opening of 2010 was marked by concern about the safety of other refugees in the Asia-Pacific region. Concurrent to the extradition of Uyghurs from Cambodia, the deportation of nearly 4,000 Hmong refugees in Thailand back to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic caused grave concern and international condemnation. It is feared that their forced repatriation would lead to a denial of their basic human rights, as Laos fails to recognise the individuality of the Hmong peoples. In recent years, forcibly repatriated Lao Hmong have been subject to disappearance, imprisonment, forced re-education, and physical and sexual assault.  

In the Middle East, Iraq remains a focal point for UNPO activities and cooperation with Assyrian, Kurdish, and Turkmen partners underline UNPO’s capacity to generate dialogue and consolidate Iraq’s democratic transition. Two election observation missions in 2009 have laid the groundwork for future opportunities for UNPO to promote constructive dialogue regarding the disputed areas of Northern Iraq in the European Parliament. Outreach work with the Flemish Parliament and within the Kurdistan Parliament is bearing the fruits of UNPO’s multi-faceted approach towards areas for cooperation and collaboration on behalf of its Members. UNPO has especially noted the elections in Iraq in 2010. Whilst negotiations regarding the formation of government have only recently started, it is clear that the Kurds will play an important role, but it remains to be seen how this might affect UNPO’s Turkmen and Assyrian members.

Since the Georgia-Russia conflict of August 2008, Abkhazia has continued its quiet engagement in the Geneva Talks; international recognition now includes Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Russia, where closer relations are being developed. Presidential elections in December 2009 received positive appraisals but limited coverage, whilst visa complications prevented the deployment of a UNPO observation mission. Moscow’s broader assertiveness in the Circassian republics and Ukraine has increasingly drawn attention from legislators and analysts alike.

In 2010, UNPO spent a week in the Niger Delta with Ogoni representatives assessing the current environmental and human rights situation in the region as well as assisting with a human rights training programme for future Ogoni leaders. It is in this region where in 2010 the international oil company Shell was held accountable for the fatal shooting of two Ogoni youths.  April 2010 also saw loss of life in Ogaden where two local guards were shot and in the same month the Ethiopian Federal Court sentenced 15 innocent Oromo to severe terms of imprisonment.  Following unrest in the Cabinda region, the Angolan government undertook a systematic program to detain individuals ‘perceived’ to pose a threat to national security. Members of the Southern Cameroons National Secretariat have been subject to arbitrarily arrest and detention.

It was with great sadness that UNPO learned of the passing on 14 February 2010 of Dr. Linnart Mäll, one of the UNPO’s founding fathers and the first UNPO President. During his career, this great Estonian dedicated his life as a defender of democracy and freedom, underpinned by an unshakable belief in nonviolence. UNPO was equally saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. Viktor Kaisiëpo, one of the founding Members of UNPO and renowned West Papuan activist and spokesperson.

The joint-ventures between Members and UNPO over the last two years organising events had very positive results in fulfilling objectives which demonstrate the effectiveness of such synergies and partnerships. Positive developments since 2008 have proved that consistent growth seems possible in a short time and new opportunities have been opened up for UNPO and its Members to campaign for the interests of those whose voices who are so often silenced.