Sunday, May 27
Back to the calendar
Today there was a combined meeting of the International Steering Committee (ISC) and the Joint Regional Coordinating Committees. During the meeting the Steering Committee presented a number of issues that had to be dealt with, also with a view on the fact that the WCAR is only 3 months away.
The ISC first proposed to call the Regional CCs, together in a meeting, the Joint Coordinating Council (JCC). After this there was a discussion about the responsibilities and mandate of the several bodies. Paul Divikar presented a short history of the structures from the First PrepCom on till today. A debate followed about the distribution of the scholarships (350 from the UN).
The proposal for the distribution of scholarships went as follows:
20 % to Africa, 25 % to the Americas, 35% to Asia-Pacific and 20% to Europe.
The meeting broke up into groups discussing with their ISC member(s) the several proposals which were made, groups being: CC Europe, CC Asia-Pacific, CC Africa, CC Americas, the Youth Caucus, the CC of the INGOs and the Indigenous caucus.
Back in the plenary, each group reported on their points of view. From this, three proposals were put up for a vote:
- the ISC (16 members) will be broadened to 20 members, to include a representative from the Dalits, one Roma representative, one Indigenous African and one Indigenous representative from the Americas. This proposal was agreed upon by acclamation.
- There ought to be at ;east two more meetings of the JCC. One in Geneva coming Wednesday or Thursday and one in Durban during the first or second day of the NGO forum. This proposal was also agreed upon by acclamation.
- The European CC proposed to add two extra people to the ISC to guarantee the good flow of information between the ISC and the Regional CCs. After some debate this proposal was withdrawn.
Furthermore, it was broadly agreed upon that the ISC primarily makes logistical and administrative decisions while the elected members in the ISC report back to their CCs for confirmation on political decisions.
The other points of the agenda, strategies for lobbying for the WCAR and updates from regions and caucuses will be
covered during the next JCC meeting which is planned for Wednesday or Thursday. Before finally ending the meeting, Major Kobese from Sangoco reported on the progress of the drafting committee for the NGO declaration. There was some confusion last week about who the members were of this drafting committee but a group of seven volunteers drawn from all caucuses present started work yesterday morning at 8 a.m., worked until 1 o’clock at night and is working at present to get the English draft done by Monday. Depending on the length of the document, translations in French and Spanish will be done on Tuesday. Recommendations and amendments on this second draft can be send Major Kobese at Sangoco before the 15th of June.
We finish this report with the wise words of a representative of the Sexual Orientation/Related Intolerance caucus:
"Please keep diversity always in mind at all levels of the process"
ICARE Newsteam
Contribution by others:
Committee for the Defense
Of Human Rights in Mauritania
94 St Marks Avenue#1
Brooklyn New, Ny 11217
Phone:(718)62271-16,Fax(718)636-1880
Human Rights Abuses in Mauritania (version française ci-dessous)
At the very moment that the international community is focusing on human rights, the regime in power in Mauritania is continuing on its path of contempt for human dignity. The United Democratic Forces( UFD-New Era)was arbritrarily outlawed on October 28, 2000.The UFD-new era was one of the leading political opposition parties in Mauritania. On April 08, 2001, the security forces arrested Mr Mohamed Lamine Ch'bih Ould Melainine, President of The Popular Front, an opposition party. Mr. Mohamed Lamine Ch’bih is currently being detained in Aioun at 850 from Nouakchott. Because of the harsh conditions of detention, his health and life are in danger. Considering the serious violations of human rights, we are urging the participants of the second PrepCom of the world conference Against Racism,Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance to support our demand for his immediate release.
Also, we would like to take this occasion to remind the international community that President Taya's repressive tactics include racial discrimination, chattel slavery mass jailing, murder and torture and his government continues to mislead the international community with false information campaigns.
About 100,000 men, women and children live in bondage. The enslaved have no freedom and no control over their lives. Despite the fact that it has been " officially" abolished, slavery does exist in Mauritania and anti-slavery activists are regularly arrested.
In 1989 the government deported about 80,000 black Mauritanians to Senegal and Mali where they still live in refugee camps. In accordance with its ethnic cleansing program in early 1990, the regime in power had more than 3,000 black civilians and military officers arbitrarily arrested, and more than 500 of them were killed in jail.The only reasons for those abject deeds were to further the arabization process that was aimed at destroying black African culture in Mauritania and preventing activists from speaking.The call for justice by their orphans and widows has been ignored by the government. in other words black Mauritanians are pushed to the edge and cannot take any more.It is our concern that this could lead to an explosion.
Considering those degrading and inhuman practices,the international community should not remain silent.The Committee for the Defense for Human Rights is urging the Secretary General of the United Nations Koffi Annan to appoint a Special Rapporteur on Mauritania for the sake of preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention.
New York
May19, 2001
Committee for the Defense
of Human Rights in Mauritania
94 St Marks Ave# 1
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone# (718) 6227-116, Fax#(718) 636-1880
Abus de Droits de l’homme en Mauritanie
Au moment meme où la communauté Internationale se focalise sur les Droits de l’ Homme, le regime au pouvoir en Mauritanie continue a exprimer son mepris pour la dignite humaine. L ‘ Union des Forces Democratiques Ere-Nouvelle ( UFD Ere-Nouvelle) a ete dissoute le 28 Octobre 2000. L` UFD Ere-Nouvelle etait l’ un des principaux partis politiques en Mauritanie. Le 8 Avril 2001, les forces de securite ont arbitrairement arrete Mr. Mohamed Lamine Ch ‘bih Ould Mohamed Melainine, President du Front Populaire, un parti d’opposition. Mr.Mohamed Lamine Ch’bih Ould Melainine est actuellement detenu a Ainoun a 850 KM de Nouakchott. Considerant les conditions de detention severes, la sante et la vie de Mr. Ch’bih sont en danger. Nous voudrions demander aux participants de la seconde conference du Prepcom pour la Conference Mondiale Contre le Racism, La Discrimination Raciale, la Xenophobie et l’ Intolerance qui s’y attache de soutenir votre demande de liberation immediate.
Aussi, nous voudrions profiter de cette occasion pour rappeler a la Communaute Internationale que les tactiques de repression du President Taya incluent : la discrimination raciale,l’ esclavage, les emprisonnements massifs , des meurtres et la torture.Et son gouvernement continue a derouter la Communaute Internationale par de campagnes de fausses informations.
Environ 100000 hommes, femmes et enfants vivent dans l’esclavage. Les claves n’ont aucun contrôle sur leur liberte et leur vie. Malgre que le gouvernement ait aboli « officiellement » l’ esclavage, il continue d’exister et les activistes anti-esclavagistes sont regulierement arretes.
En 1989 le gouvernement Mauritanien a deporte environ 80000 noirs Mauritaniens vers le Senegal et Mali ou ils vivent dans les camps des refugies. Conformement a son program de nettoyage ethnique, en 1990-1991, le regime au pouvoir avait arbitrairement arretes plus de 3000 noirs des civils et des militaires dont plus de 500 avaient ete tues en prison.Les seules raisons de ces actes abjectes etait de faire avancer le processus d ‘ arabisation visant a detruire la culture noire en Mauritanie et d’ empecher les activistes de parler. L’ appel de justice lance par leur orphelins et veuves restent ignore par le gouvernement. En d’ autres termes , les noirs Mauritaniens sont pousses jusqu’ a leurs limites et ils n’ en peuvent plus. Notre souci est que ceci peut conduire a une explosion.
Considerant ces pratiques degradantes et inhumaines, la Communaute Internationale ne devrait pas restee silencieuse. Au nom de la diplomacie preventive et de la prevention des conflits, le Comite pour la Defense des Droits de l’ Homme en Mauritanie voudrait demander au Secretare General des Nations Unies Kofi Annan de nommer un Rapporteur Special pour le cas de la Mauritanie.
New York, le 19 Mai 2001
Le 28 Mai 2001