UNPO Presidency – 1st Session
UNPO Presidency – 1st Session
2007-02-05
01-03 February 2007: The newly elected UNPO Presidency met for its First Session at the European Parliament in Brussels, debating a broad range of issues central to the future direction of the organisation, both amongst the assembled UNPO Members, and with the participation of invited MEPs and guests. Six new Members were admitted into UNPO.
Visibility and Growth were top of the agenda as the newly elected UNPO Presidency met for its first session from 1 – 3 February 2007 at the European Parliament in Brussels.
Following the elections at the VIII UNPO General Assembly, held in Taiwan, from 27 – 29 October 2006, proceedings were led by the new UNPO President, Mr. Ledum Mitee (Ogoni), with the assistance of the new Vice-President of UNPO, Ms. Maysing Yang (Taiwan). They were joined by the additional nine elected UNPO Member Representatives from; Abkhazia, Ahwazi, East Turkestan, Khmer Krom, Maasai, Mapuche, Scania, Tibet, and Zanzibar.
Providing an essential element of continuity between full assemblies of UNPO Members, the Presidency meets several times every year, and is mandated to supervise and assist in the implementation of the overall policy of the organisation as articulated at the meetings of the General Assembly.
By convening at the European Parliament, the Presidency clearly signalled its intention to continue building upon its successful efforts to raise the profile of UNPO Members at a European Union level, a process greatly facilitated by the ongoing support of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), and in particular Mr. Marco Pannella MEP and Mr. Marco Cappato MEP, both of whom offered written statements of support and solidarity.
This gathering of human rights activists and community leaders drew however also the attention of a number of other MEPs, including Mr. István Szent-Ivanyi MEP, who has recently worked with UNPO and other international organisations in response to allegations of terrorism against UNPO Members from East Turkestan. Mr. Szent-Ivanyi outlined to the Presidency his ideas for future collaboration with UNPO on this issue, as well as pledging his continued commitment to the cause of human rights for China’s minority communities.
[Read more about the Parliament’s Debate on East Turkestan]
Before this session of the UNPO Presidency was an extensive and diverse agenda in need of reflection and debate. One of the most pressing issues was the continued detention of former UNPO Presidency Member and UNPO Member Representative from the Southern Cameroons Mr. Nfor Ngala Nfor, arrested on 20 January 2007 at a press conference in the Southern Cameroons and still detained without former charge or trial. The Presidency resolved to urge all UNPO Members to express their solidarity with their fellow UNPO Member by mobilising their communities to appeal both nationally and internationally for his immediate and unconditional release.
[More about the Arrest and Detention of Mr. Nfor Ngala Nfor]
An equal sense of urgency marked the discussion of 7 Ahwazi-Arab activists presently facing imminent execution at the hands of Iranian authorities, who have already publicly hanged a number of their compatriots. After hearing the harrowing report of the Member Representative from the Ahwazi, the Presidency resolved again to urge all UNPO Members to appeal to Iranian authorities to bring to an immediate end these executions, and to afford to each of these activists the free and open trials internationally recognised standards of justice and human rights entitles them.
[UNPO Appeals for Halt to Ahwazi Executions]
This appeal strengthened also the resolve of the UNPO Presidency to continue their support for the ongoing campaign to bring before the United Nations General Assembly a resolution calling for a Universal Moratorium on the Death Penalty, and for the work of the Third World Congress against the Death Penalty, which was simultaneously taking place in Paris. The campaign has been led by Mr. Marco Pannella MEP, and has so far gathered over 52,000 signatures, as well as a resolution from the European Parliament. Several UNPO Presidency Members took therefore this opportunity to add their voice to the growing chorus of calls for an end to this systematic violation of human rights, and applauded the attending Member Representative from Abkhazia, following their decision to abolish the death penalty.
[The Campaign for a Universal Moratorium on the Death Penalty]
This meeting of the UNPO Presidency was also represented a significant moment with respect to UNPO’s future and growth, as it considered for the first time in over a year, the applications of several new members. Following a long process of research and evaluation, six of the numerous applications received by the UNPO Secretariat were recommended to the Presidency for admittance. Representatives from Iranian Kurdistan, Rehoboth Basters, Hmong Chaofa, and Southern Azerbaijan, were present to offer their own presentations, with the UNPO Secretariat presenting the case of Tsimshian Nation, and Inner Mongolia. The applications of these candidates were approved by the Presidency, and will now be presented to the next UNPO General Assembly for formal admittance to UNPO, marking the beginning of a new chapter in UNPO’s efforts to provide all unrepresented nations and peoples with a voice.
[More information about the new UNPO Members]Over the course of the three day meeting, the Presidency considered also its position on a range of additional issues, including; means of combating the continued prevalence of landmines; strategies for making use of emerging technologies in the field of media and communications; and activities related to the annual UNPO Day of Action on 11 February.
Work will now begin to implement the decisions taken by the Presidency, which following several days of debate, has begun the process of articulating a vision to guide UNPO until the next General Assembly. Their next meeting, provisionally scheduled for May, will be the next step in this ongoing process.
Thematic IssuesTolerance Self-determination Non-violence Human Rights Democracy
NewsUNPO Declares International Day of Action UNPO Presidency – 1st Session UNPO Admits Six New Members More UNPO news
Appeals
Reports
ActivitiesALDE, UNPO, TRP, NPWJ Democracy Initiative A New UNPO for Challenges of a New Century UNPO General Assembly: Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Gathering in Taipei
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http://unpo.org/article.php?id=6278
2007-02-05
01-03 February 2007: The newly elected UNPO Presidency met for its First Session at the European Parliament in Brussels, debating a broad range of issues central to the future direction of the organisation, both amongst the assembled UNPO Members, and with the participation of invited MEPs and guests. Six new Members were admitted into UNPO.
Visibility and Growth were top of the agenda as the newly elected UNPO Presidency met for its first session from 1 – 3 February 2007 at the European Parliament in Brussels.
Following the elections at the VIII UNPO General Assembly, held in Taiwan, from 27 – 29 October 2006, proceedings were led by the new UNPO President, Mr. Ledum Mitee (Ogoni), with the assistance of the new Vice-President of UNPO, Ms. Maysing Yang (Taiwan). They were joined by the additional nine elected UNPO Member Representatives from; Abkhazia, Ahwazi, East Turkestan, Khmer Krom, Maasai, Mapuche, Scania, Tibet, and Zanzibar.
Providing an essential element of continuity between full assemblies of UNPO Members, the Presidency meets several times every year, and is mandated to supervise and assist in the implementation of the overall policy of the organisation as articulated at the meetings of the General Assembly.
By convening at the European Parliament, the Presidency clearly signalled its intention to continue building upon its successful efforts to raise the profile of UNPO Members at a European Union level, a process greatly facilitated by the ongoing support of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), and in particular Mr. Marco Pannella MEP and Mr. Marco Cappato MEP, both of whom offered written statements of support and solidarity.
This gathering of human rights activists and community leaders drew however also the attention of a number of other MEPs, including Mr. István Szent-Ivanyi MEP, who has recently worked with UNPO and other international organisations in response to allegations of terrorism against UNPO Members from East Turkestan. Mr. Szent-Ivanyi outlined to the Presidency his ideas for future collaboration with UNPO on this issue, as well as pledging his continued commitment to the cause of human rights for China’s minority communities.
[Read more about the Parliament’s Debate on East Turkestan]
Before this session of the UNPO Presidency was an extensive and diverse agenda in need of reflection and debate. One of the most pressing issues was the continued detention of former UNPO Presidency Member and UNPO Member Representative from the Southern Cameroons Mr. Nfor Ngala Nfor, arrested on 20 January 2007 at a press conference in the Southern Cameroons and still detained without former charge or trial. The Presidency resolved to urge all UNPO Members to express their solidarity with their fellow UNPO Member by mobilising their communities to appeal both nationally and internationally for his immediate and unconditional release.
[More about the Arrest and Detention of Mr. Nfor Ngala Nfor]
An equal sense of urgency marked the discussion of 7 Ahwazi-Arab activists presently facing imminent execution at the hands of Iranian authorities, who have already publicly hanged a number of their compatriots. After hearing the harrowing report of the Member Representative from the Ahwazi, the Presidency resolved again to urge all UNPO Members to appeal to Iranian authorities to bring to an immediate end these executions, and to afford to each of these activists the free and open trials internationally recognised standards of justice and human rights entitles them.
[UNPO Appeals for Halt to Ahwazi Executions]
This appeal strengthened also the resolve of the UNPO Presidency to continue their support for the ongoing campaign to bring before the United Nations General Assembly a resolution calling for a Universal Moratorium on the Death Penalty, and for the work of the Third World Congress against the Death Penalty, which was simultaneously taking place in Paris. The campaign has been led by Mr. Marco Pannella MEP, and has so far gathered over 52,000 signatures, as well as a resolution from the European Parliament. Several UNPO Presidency Members took therefore this opportunity to add their voice to the growing chorus of calls for an end to this systematic violation of human rights, and applauded the attending Member Representative from Abkhazia, following their decision to abolish the death penalty.
[The Campaign for a Universal Moratorium on the Death Penalty]
This meeting of the UNPO Presidency was also represented a significant moment with respect to UNPO’s future and growth, as it considered for the first time in over a year, the applications of several new members. Following a long process of research and evaluation, six of the numerous applications received by the UNPO Secretariat were recommended to the Presidency for admittance. Representatives from Iranian Kurdistan, Rehoboth Basters, Hmong Chaofa, and Southern Azerbaijan, were present to offer their own presentations, with the UNPO Secretariat presenting the case of Tsimshian Nation, and Inner Mongolia. The applications of these candidates were approved by the Presidency, and will now be presented to the next UNPO General Assembly for formal admittance to UNPO, marking the beginning of a new chapter in UNPO’s efforts to provide all unrepresented nations and peoples with a voice.
[More information about the new UNPO Members]Over the course of the three day meeting, the Presidency considered also its position on a range of additional issues, including; means of combating the continued prevalence of landmines; strategies for making use of emerging technologies in the field of media and communications; and activities related to the annual UNPO Day of Action on 11 February.
Work will now begin to implement the decisions taken by the Presidency, which following several days of debate, has begun the process of articulating a vision to guide UNPO until the next General Assembly. Their next meeting, provisionally scheduled for May, will be the next step in this ongoing process.
Thematic IssuesTolerance Self-determination Non-violence Human Rights Democracy
NewsUNPO Declares International Day of Action UNPO Presidency – 1st Session UNPO Admits Six New Members More UNPO news
Appeals
Reports
ActivitiesALDE, UNPO, TRP, NPWJ Democracy Initiative A New UNPO for Challenges of a New Century UNPO General Assembly: Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Gathering in Taipei
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urchinTracker();
http://unpo.org/article.php?id=6278
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