NGO Networking Meeting in Warsaw, Poland

From 15-18 November 2000, in Warsaw Poland, a networking meeting took
place which brought together 115 NGOs from Central and Eastern Europe
and Central Asia, coordinated by the Polish Helsinki Foundation, in
collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights. I here reproduce the three documents which emerged from that
meeting - (1) a statement addressed to the World Conference, (2)
recommendations for the NGO Forum and (3) an appeal concerning the
situation in Chechnya.
These documents are also available in Russian by contacting Jacqueline
Kacprzak at <jacquel@hfhrpol.waw.pl>.


The meeting of NGOs from Eastern and Central Europe
Warsaw, 15 - 18 November 2000

Document 1.

STATEMENT
BY THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEETING OF NGO
FROM EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE
WARSAW, NOVEMBER 15-18, 2000
ADDRESSED TO THE WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM (WCAR)

We, representatives of 115 non-governmental organizations from the
countries of Eastern and Central Europe, including all the countries
of the former Soviet Union, gathered in Warsaw on November 15-18,
2000, as participants in the preparatory process for WCAR. We fully
endorse recommendations adopted by the European NGO Forum in
Strasbourg (October, 2000) and the NGO Conference in Moscow (October,
2000) and urge WCAR to take their contents into consideration during
debates at the Conference. We condemn the growth of racism and
discrimination based on race, color of skin, gender, language,
religion, political or other opinion, national or social origins,
ethnicity, birth or other ground and the persistent climate of
intolerance in the region and recommend the following:

1. WCAR should take into account the specificity of racist
manifestations in our region, where roots of aggressive nationalism,
ethnocentrism and discrimination are different from roots of racism in
other parts of the world connected to the colonial past, slavery and
slave-trade.

2. We strongly oppose any tendencies to limit the scope of authority
and competence of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination (CERD). We urge WCAR to strengthen the role of the
United Nations in dealing with racism and racial discrimination,
specifically with regard to the work of CERD, by:
- Ensuring CERD's efficacy as a state monitoring body by introducing
effective sanctions in cases where CERD's Concluding Observations are
not complied with by governments of the International Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) states
parties within a reasonable period of time;
- Introducing a mechanism of judicial review by CERD via making
CERD's decisions with regard to individual complaints to ICERD state
parties legally binding, as well as by providing for enforceable
sanctions in cases of failure by states to comply within a reasonable
period of time;

3. WCAR should strengthen the role of CERD by:
- Introducing a transparent process in the appointment of CERD
members on the basis of criteria such as proven competence and
distinguished achievement in anti-racism and providing for NGO input
into selection process in each country;
- Providing adequate funding to ensure legal aid to individual
complainants;
- Televising all CERD sessions in which country reports are reviewed
so they can be broadcast for the purpose of public education and
oversight; translating the reports of these sessions into all official
UN languages; and recommending that states provide and widely
circulate print versions of these proceedings;Document 2
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NGOs FORUM
which will be held parallel to the World Conference Against Racism,
Racial discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in South
Africa 2001

We, representatives of 115 non-governmental organizations from the
countries of Eastern and Central Europe, including all the countries
of the former Soviet Union, gathered in Warsaw on November 15-18,
2000, as participants in the preparatory process for WCAR, recommend
the NGOs Forum organize the following activities:

GENERAL
Region specific situations to be highlighted during the NGO Forum:
- Chechnya
- Kosovo
- Krasnodar province

What should be the responsibility of the international community
towards the state sponsored gross violations.

The NGO Forum shall ensure for full access (and accessibility) for the
organisations of the disabled.

Involvement of young people (volunteers).

PLENARY
ROOTS OF RACISM IN CEEC
Plenary discussion on the roots of racism in Central and Eastern
Europe, on specific forms of aggressive nationalism, ethnocentrism and
discrimination.
Influence of nationalist and communist ideology.

ROLE OF NGOs IN DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ON INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Examples of good practice, development of strategies and plans.

REFORM OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
Reform of international instruments to reflect changed situation and
to strengthen them.

MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION / INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
Plenary discussion on multicultural education and/or intercultural
learning: methodology, resource materials and training courses for
teachers or students, curricula (history, culture).

PANEL DISCUSSION
ROMA IN CEEC
Panel discussion on Roma - issues of slavery in Romania, Roma
holocaust, non-territorial nation, Roma language and identity.

MASS MEDIA AND EDUCATION.
Strategies and plans for public awareness campaigns and other
activities.

RACISM IN SPEECH
Speech as an instrument of racism, e.g. need of using gender-neutral
expressions.

MISUSE OF INTERNET
Panel discussion on misuse of INTERNET for racist propaganda.

TARGETED GROUPS ABUSE
Panel discussion on targeted groups abuse - e.g. minority children.

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN THE AREA OF ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
Use of natural resources in Uzbekistan, Kazachstan, Kirgizstan,
Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine.

DISABLED
Panel discussion on discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance towards
disabled people.

WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING SESSIONS
ROLE OF RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS IN COMBATING RASISM
Meeting negative stereotypes and prejudice with positive ideas.
Discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance towards visible minorities
(Roma, Afro-Slovaks, Chinese).

LOBBYING STRATEGIES
Sharing and developing lobbying strategies for the cause of combating
racism.

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

- Effective usage, organization of information on the web, subject
specific resources on the web, subject specific web portals, creation
of digital libraries;

- Disproportional distribution of the Internet accessibility:
information exclusion, strategies for bringing communities "on-line",
creation of alternative networks: "hybrid information delivery".

ROUND TABLES
RACISM ORGANISED BY A STATE
(Meskhetian Turks, Roma, Jews)

THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN COMBATING RACISM

DOUBLE/MULTIPLE DISCRIMINITATION
Women and children from minority groups (e.g. Roma, Turkish); asylum
seekers and migrants (women asylum seekers and women migrants);
disabled; mixed marriages; sexual orientation. Specific issues of rape
in armed conflict. New forms of slavery (usury, labour migrants)

ROLE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN COMBATING RACISM
Inclusion of mayors, local government: examples of good practice,
international cooperation.

DISCRIMINATION OF RELIGIOUS GROUPS
How to monitor discrimination of religious groups and how to deal with
this sort of double discrimination.

REFUGEES AND INTERNAL MIGRANTS

GLOBALISATION
Globalisation and its influence on the growth of racism.

RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE AND RELIGIOUS MINORITIES
Formerly deported peoples: problems of compensation, rehabilitation
and repatriation.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Festivals

Theatre Performances

Concerts:
- Multicultural / ethnic
- Rock / Punk / Hard Core (anti fascist bands of "skinhead
appearance")
- Jazz

Exhibitions
- Visual presentations
- Photographs (including documentary)
- Ethnic art

Silence March
- Roma silence march: standing up for a nation.


Full text please find on the
http://lists.partners-intl.net/pipermail/women-east-west/2000-December/000707.html





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