Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- Well, well, well, SURPRISE! Soi now we know where these organisations really stand, RR. --- Francisco Javier Bernal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK > --------------------------------------------- > > "...On top of all the troubles of the NGO Forum, at > the closing ceremony, > the delegates had to listen for over two hours to a > speech by Fidel Castro. > We are offended by the fact that one of the worst > dictators in the > contemporary world, particularly notorious for gross > violations of human > rights, was invited to address this world gathering > of non-governmental > organizations. Listening to Fidel speak, we only had > to wonder why the > organizers had failed to invite Alexander > Lukashenko, Turkmenbashi, Saddam > Hussein, or the Taliban regime...." > > > --------------------- > > Joint Statement by Eastern and Central Europe NGO > Caucus and other NGOs > September 3, 2001 (Durban, South Africa) > > We, WCAR NGO Forum delegates of more than 50 > non-governmental organizations > from more than 20 countries of Eastern and Central > Europe and the former > Soviet Union and other countries of the world, state > that we do not support > the documents allegedly adopted by the NGO Forum and > come forth with a > forward-looking positive proposal. > > First and foremost, we declare that the process of > compilation and adoption > of the NGO Forum Declaration and Program of Action > was neither transparent > nor democratic and permeated with procedural > violations. The draft > documents were not submitted to the delegates in a > timely manner; the rules > of procedure were unclear and repeatedly changed; > the discussion was > heavily restricted. Finally, the delegates were not > given an opportunity to > vote on the draft documents in their entirety. This > enables us to affirm > that the documents cannot be considered adopted by > the NGO Forum and are > not consensus documents. > > We believe that as a result of this flawed process, > the contents of the > documents include unacceptable concepts and > language. We are particularly > concerned with certain ideas included in the > chapters "Globalization," > "Palestine," "Reparations," and a number of > paragraphs of the documents. > > We must emphasize that the language of the chapter > "Palestine" as well as > the deliberate distortions made to the chapter > "Anti-Semitism," is > extremely intolerant, disrespectful and contrary to > the very spirit of the > World Conference Against Racism, Racial > Discrimination, Xenophobia and > Related Intolerance. > > Nevertheless, despite the negative results of the > NGO Forum, we strongly > believe that the international NGO community should > not give up but > continue to work on the basis of the positive > aspects of the entire > preparatory process to the World Conference and the > Forum itself. In > particular, the following achievements represent a > sound foundation for > future consolidated efforts: reinforcement of the > available international > legal mechanisms of protection against racism and > discrimination; > development of national anti-discrimination > legislation and institutions; > creation of national plans of action; recognition of > the slave-trade as a > crime against humanity; acknowledgement of the > scourges of colonialism; > inclusion on the agenda of such issues as denial of > racism; double > discrimination; religious intolerance; state racism; > ethnic cleansing; > racism not rooted in the slave-trade; sexual > orientation; migrants and > internally displaced persons; indigenous peoples; > and specific groups of > victims such as Roma, Chechens, Tibetans, and > Dalits. > > We intend to immediately move on to implementation > of the above > achievements and call upon the international NGO > community to join us in > these efforts. > > * * * * * > > PS: On top of all the troubles of the NGO Forum, at > the closing ceremony, > the delegates had to listen for over two hours to a > speech by Fidel Castro. > We are offended by the fact that one of the worst > dictators in the > contemporary world, particularly notorious for gross > violations of human > rights, was invited to address this world gathering > of non-governmental > organizations. Listening to Fidel speak, we only had > to wonder why the > organizers had failed to invite Alexander > Lukashenko, Turkmenbashi, Saddam > Hussein, or the Taliban regime. > > For information, contact Yuri Dzhibladze at > 082-379-5768 until September 8, > and thereafter at +7-095-203-9196 and > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > The statement was adopted by 36 NGOs from 19 > countries of Eastern and > Central Europe at their Caucus meeting on September > 2, 2001. At the request > by NGOs from countries outside of the region of > Eastern and Central Europe > the Caucus decided on its meeting on September 3, > 2001 to make the document > open for joining by other NGOs from outside of the > region and call it a > "Joint Statement". > > As of 18:00 on September 3, 2001 the statement has > been endorsed by more > than 50 NGOs from the following 23 countries: > Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech > Republic, Estonia, Georgia, > Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, > Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, > Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, > Yugoslavia, Sweden, > Denmark, United States of America > > List of NGOs who have endorsed the statement: > Women's Rights Center (Armenia), "Millenium" > Association for Education and > Research (Armenia), Czech Helsinki Committee (Czech > Republic), GLOBEA > (Czech Republic), Legal Information Center for Human > Rights (Estonia), > Institute for Refugee and Minority Problems > (Georgia), Center for > Development and Cooperation-Center for Pluralism > (Georgia), Georgian Young > Lawyers Association (Georgia), Legal and Information > Service "Dialogue" > (Kazakhstan), Youth Human Rights Group (Kyrgyzstan), > Latvian Center for > Human Rights and Ethnic Studies (Latvia), Lithuanian > Center for Human > Rights (Lithuania), Association for Democratic > Initiative (Macedonia), > Helsinki Citizens Assembly of Moldova (Moldova), > Youth Helsinki Citizens > Assembly of Moldova (Moldova), Helsinki Foundation > for Human Rights > (Poland), "Never Again" Association (Poland), Liga > Pro Europa (Romania), > Romanian Helsinki Committee (Romania), Center for > Development of Democracy > and Human Rights (Russia), Institute for Independent > Sociological Studies > (Russia), Moscow Helsinki Group (Russia), > Information and Research Center > "Panorama" (Russia), Roma National-Cultural Autonomy > (Russia), Stavropol > Regional Human Rights Center (Russia), Minority > Rights Group of the Saint > Petersburg Association of Scientists and Scholars > (Russia), International > Society of Meschetien Turks "Vatan" (Russia), > Anti-Defamation League > (Russia), Youth Human Rights Movement (Russia), > Harold and Selma Lights > Center for Human Rights Advocacy (Russia), The Youth > Center for Human > Rights and Legal Culture (Russia), Human Rights > Center === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: archive@jab.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
