Forums

Second session of the Forum on Minority Issues

Date

12 - 13 November 2009

THEME

Minorities and Effective Political Participation

The second session of the Forum took place on 12 and 13 November 2009 in Room XX of the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Barbara Lee, member of the United States House of Representatives, was appointed as Chairperson for this second session of the Forum focusing on Minorities and Effective Political Participation.

As required by resolution 6/15, the Forum achieved the active participation of representatives of Member States, United Nations mechanisms, bodies and specialized agencies, funds and programmes, intergovernmental organizations, regional organizations and mechanisms in the field of human rights, national human rights institutions and other relevant national bodies, academics and experts on minority issues and NGOs.

In addition to this wide range of stakeholders, this session of the Forum brought together members of minority populations from all regions of the world, who were either elected officials or had been candidates at national or local levels, engaged in political parties, or who were actively engaged in developing programs to encourage greater participation of minorities in the political process. Over 500 individuals were accredited from all categories to participate in this second session of the Forum, including more than 80 minority political actors and special guests, delegates from over 45 States as well as representatives of some 95 NGOs.

Outcome documents

Further information

Oral statements

Item I – Introduction

  • H.E. Amb. Alex Van Meeuwen, President of the Human Rights Council
  • Ms. Gay McDougall, Independent Expert on Minority Issues
  • Ms. Marcia Kran, Director of the Research and Right to Development Division, on behalf of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
  • Ms. Barbara Lee, Chairperson of the Second Session of the Forum on Minority Issues

Item II – International and regional human rights frameworks and core principles on the rights of minorities to political participation

  • Mr. Ion Diaconu, Member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Item III – Obstacles to effective political participation faced by minorities

Assigned speakers

  • Ms. Epsy Campbell, Former candidate for President in Costa Rica
  • Mr Anders Johnsson, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
  • Ms. Jayshree Mangubhai, “Obstacles to the Political Participation of Dalit Women” (India)
  • Mr Simon Woolley, Operation Black Vote, (England), on “Obstacles to Effective Political Participation: the impact of racism and xenophobic political platforms”
  • Ms. Alice Ratyis, NDI’s report on “Assessment of Barriers to Roma Political Participation in Romania” (NDI-Romania)
  • Ms. George-Pau Langevin, French MP on “Obstacles faced by minorities in accessing political responsibilities”
  • Ms. Anastasia Crickley, Chairperson of EUFRA, on ''Minority participation: challenges and opportunities in Ireland and Europe”
  • Ms. Sophia Abdi Noor, Kenyan MP, on “Challenges facing minority women in political participation and their solutions: the case of Kenya and other neighboring countries”

Participants

Item IV – Conditions required for effective political participation

Assigned speakers

  • Amb. Knut Vollebaek, OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities, on projects implemented by his office
  • Ms. Eva Konecna, Secretary of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, on “Examples of monitoring exercises that have led to the adoption of the Commentary on the Framework Convention on the effective participation of national minorities in public life”
  • Mr Francisco Campbell, Member of the Central American Parliament on “Minority Participation: challenges and opportunities in Central America”
  • Mr Azhagan Chenganna, Communication Studies Unit, University of Mauritius, on “The Role and Responsibilities of the Media in enhancing the political participation of Minorities”

Participants

Item V –National practices and real experiences: existing mechanisms providing for the political participation of minorities

Assigned speakers

  • H.E. Mr Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi, The Permanent Representative of Nigeria
  • Ms. Anne Begg, UK Parliament, on the Interim Report of the Speaker’s Conference
  • Mr Márcio Augusto Freitas de Meira, Head of “Fundação Nacional do Índio”, Brazil
  • Mr Yeraly Tugzhanov, Deputy Chair of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan
  • Mr. Norbert Tóth, Senior Research Fellow at the Research Institute for Minority Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on “The institution and practice of the Hungarian minority self-governments”
  • Ms. Bintu Jalia Ngonzi Abwooli, Ugandan MP, on “Existing mechanisms providing for thepolitical participation of minorities in Uganda”
  • Mr John Payton, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, United States of America
  • Ms. Mary Anne Chambers, “Meaningful Representation, Empowerment and the Impact of Racial Discrimination on political participation in Canada”
  • Ms. Liberate Nicayenzi, Membre du Parlement du Burundi: Assemblée nationale, “Les bonnes pratiques et expériences sur les minorités pour les minorités ethniques en politique: cas du Burundi”
  • Ms. Yvette Jarvis, Special Advisor to the mayor of Athens (Greece), on the Greek experience

Participants

Item VI - Impact of electoral systems and role of political parties

Assigned speakers

  • Mr Edward Shalala, Head of DDIP (Design of Democratic Institutions and Processes) at International—IDEA, on “The impact of constitutional and electoral systems design”
  • Mr Denis Kadima, EISA, on the “Impact of Electoral Systems and Role of Political Parties: the Experience in several African Countries”
  • Ms. Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Director Democratic Governance Group, Bureau for Development Policy—UNDP New York, on “ The UNDP Work on Electoral Systems”

Participants

  • Nabil De Freige, MP from Lebanon
  • Mr Bouchoucha, MP from Algeria
  • Mr Abdulhalim Dede, Turkish Minority Greece
  • NGO, European Roma Rights Centre
  • NGO, APRODEPED
  • NGO, Samata foundation Nepal
  • Mr Wade J. Hendersen, Leadership conference on civil rights, United States of America
  • NGO, Roma Education Fund

Item VII - Concrete steps to advance minority political participation and to build capacity of minorities to participate effectively

Assigned speakers

  • Mr Alcee Hastings, U.S. Member of Congress/ Head of the Helsinki Committee
  • Mr Antti Korkeakivi, OHCHR
  • Ms. Graciela Dixon, Attorney and former Chief Justice of the Corte Suprema de Justicia de Panamá (Supreme Court of Panama)
  • Mr Joe Frans, Black European Summit/ Former Chair, UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent
  • Mr Pheroze Nowrojee, Kenyan lawyer
  • Mr Yonadam Kanna, Member of the Council of Representatives of Iraq

Participants

Item VIII - Concluding remarks

  • Ms. Gay McDougall, Independent Expert on Minority Issues

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