On September 4 (Sunday) before the start of the 2nd week of the HDIM, ICARE will organize a Civil Society Preparation meeting (with the support of ODIHR/TnD), from 4 pm to 7 pm. This in order to prepare NGOs at the HDIM for the tolerance subjects of the 2nd week and the meeting on Monday October 5 with the special representatives of the OSCE Chair in Office. Aim of the meeting is to prepare and draft a set of joint recommendations that will be presented to the plenary meeting on Monday, October 5. By creating a joint set of recommendations to the OSCE Participating states we can ensure that all issues get the attention they deserve.
On 5 October after the morning session there will be the roundtable with personal representatives from 3 pm to 6 pm followed by a reception from 6 to 7 pm. More info here!
Can’t come to the HDIM but still want to contribute?
Send us your thoughts and recommendations on your tolerance issue. We will try to mainstream this into the NGO contributions. Mail us at hdim@icare.to
What's the Buzz?
Talk about / discuss / prepare
We have a HDIM 2009 mailing list up and running, hdimtopics@icare.to. Subscribe to it by sending an e-mail to hdim@icare.to
What can NGOs do and is it useful, this whole OSCE/ODIHR? Absolutely. Have a look here for a snazzy PowerPoint about that.
Interventions
The main thing you have to know is that you can make a contribution during the meeting in the form of a statement you read out, or as it is called mostly at the OSCE, an 'intervention'.
Depending on the total number of speakers of a session the time allowed to you will be 3 to 5 minutes. So make sure you take that into account when you write one.
Here’s a list of written examples of Interventions:
For some useful video-footage on procedures (HDIM 2007),click here.
Sometimes the NGOs make a joint statement of recommendations at OSCE conferences, facilitated by the Tolerance and non-Discrimination program of ODIHR. Here's an example of such a statement.
The Tolerance days / issues
Wednesday, 30 September 2009 - Working session 5: Tolerance and non-discrimination I, including:
Address by the OSCE High Commissioner on National
Minorities;
National minorities;
Preventing aggressive nationalism, racism and chauvinism.
Monday, 5 October 2009 - Working session 10: Tolerance and non-discrimination II (continued):
Review of the implementation of commitments, promotion of mutual
respect and understanding
Prevention and response to hate crimes in the OSCE area;
Follow-up of the 2009 Supplementary Human Dimension
Meeting on Hate Crimes – Effective Implementation of
Legislation;
Combating racism, xenophobia, and discrimination, also
focusing on intolerance and discrimination against Christians
and members of other religions;
Combating anti-Semitism;
Combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims.
Working session 11: Humanitarian issues and other commitments II,
including:
Migrant workers, the integration of legal migrants;
Refugees and displaced persons;
Treatment of citizens of other participating States.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Working session 14 and 15 (specifically selected topic): Roma/Sinti and, in
particular, early education for Roma and Sinti children
Earlier ICARE Reporting on the HDIM and OSCE Conferences
Live reporting from the OSCE High-Level Conference on Combating Discrimination and Promoting Mutual Respect and Understanding
June 7 and 8, 2007, Bucharest, Romania.
Live reporting from the OSCE Human Dimensions Implemetation Meeting (HDIM) October 2 -15, 2006, Warsaw, Poland.
