‐ INVITATION ‐
International Human Rights Training Program
SpeakOut! 2012
Date: 8th -10th August 2012
Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael
Venue: The Hague – The Netherlands
On behalf of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO), you are
cordially invited to attend the 4th UNPO International Human Rights Training
Programme, SpeakOut! taking place in the International City of Peace and Justice – The Hague, between the 8th – 10th August 2012.
SpeakOut! is designed to bring together UNPO youth members from a wide range of
nations and backgrounds along side young professionals in The Netherlands with a deep
interest in Human Rights, in order to learn and develop a mutual understanding and
working knowledge of human rights advocacy, United Nations tools and mechanisms,
effective lobbying practices in the European Parliament, and enjoy an opportunity to
network with peers.
THE EVENT OFFERS
‐ Informative Lectures with Experienced Human Rights Defenders
- Shared Experience Learning and Training Workshops
- International Human Rights Networking
Kindly note that UNPO is unable to arrange and pay for your travel and accommodation. We can recommend accommodation upon request. A small participation fee of €40 is requested in order to cover facilitation, lunches and publishing of training manuals.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED AND MUST BE SUBMITTED BEFORE JULY 27th
PLEASE VISIT THE WEBSITE FOR REGISTRATION: http://www.unpo.org/article/14389
FOR ANY QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT
Sipora Suripatty ‐ Phone: 0031 703 646 504 ‐ s.suripatty@unpo.org
About UNPO
MISSION AND ACTIVITIES.
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) is an international, nonviolent, and democratic membership organisation. Its members are indigenous peoples, minorities, and unrecognised or occupied territories who have joined together to protect and promote their human and cultural rights, to preserve their environments, and to find nonviolent solutions to conflicts which affect them.
Although the aspirations of UNPO Members differ greatly, they are all united by one shared condition – they are not adequately represented at major international fora, such as the United Nations. As a consequence, their opportunity to participate on the international stage is significantly limited, as is their ability to access and draw upon the support of the global bodies mandated to defend their rights, protect their environments, and mitigate the effects of conflict.
In today’s world where over 90 percent of conflicts are intra-state, UNPO has been established to fill this gap, providing an international forum through which its Members can become effective participants and contributors to the international community. In an increasingly interdependent world it is ever more important that those who continue to be denied their rights or remain excluded be given an opportunity to present their case. UNPO works therefore to address the consequences of marginalisation, working with its Members to promote their democratic causes, to provide information, and to articulate creative and nonviolent strategies for progress, above all however, UNPO works to ensure their voices are heard.
Founded in 1991 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, UNPO is unique as an international organisation in that it is built entirely by its Members. Through this strong connection to those suffering the consequences of the exclusion the organisation seeks to address, UNPO has since grown into a prominent and respected international forum.
UNPO’s membership has also grown steadily from its original fifteen founders, representing now almost 70 Members worldwide. Although the work of UNPO adapts continually to meet the challenges of its Members and the nature of the international political climate, each Member remains committed to respecting the five principles enshrined in the UNPO Covenant: nonviolence, human rights, democracy and self-determination, environmental protection, and tolerance.
UNPO remains committed to offering an increasing number of nations and peoples an entry point into the international community, enabling its Members also to learn from one another; lending their support where there are setbacks and sharing their experiences in success.
UNPO Membership
Participation is open to all Nations and Peoples who are not adequately represented at the UN and whose representative body, as defined in Article 6 of this title fulfils all requirements set out in this title. Prospective participants have to:
1) Believe in the equality of all Nations and Peoples and the inalienable right to self-determination
2) Adhere to internationally accepted human rights standards
3) Adhere to the principle of democratic pluralism and reject totalitarianism or any form of religious intolerance
4) Reject terrorism as a form of policy
5) Have respect for all Peoples and population groups, including minority and majority populations within territories inhabited by the participant but belonging to different ethnic, religious or linguistic groups
The prospective participant has to be a Nation or People, possessing the will to be identified as a Nation or People and is bound to a common heritage which can be historical, racial, ethnic, religious or territorial. The prospective participant can also be a section of a People, constituting a minority, living on a portion of its ancestral territory, incorporated into a State other than a State represented by that People. According to article 7 of the UNPO Covenant, as amended in October 2006:
A Nation or People, through its Representative Body, may apply to become a Participant in the Organization by submitting the following information to the Secretariat for consideration of Membership to the Organization by the Presidency:
a) a brief history of the Nation or People;
b) the reasons for the desire to become a Participant in the Organization;
c) adequate evidence of the recognition of the Representative Body as an organ of leadership by the people it claims to represent;
d) a formal declaration of adhesion to the present Covenant and the principle of non-violence;
e) evidence of the democratic character of the Representative Body’s leadership structure;
f) the statute of the Representative Body;
g) the latest annual financial- and activity report of the Representative Body.
h) payment of the application fee.
For enquiries on membership or to request the Application form, please email: membership@unpo.org
To see the full membership of UNPO which includes Somaliland visit http://www.unpo.org/members
