NORDEM NORWEGIAN RESOURCE BANK FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS ANNUAL REPORT 2003

Transcription

1 NORDEM NORWEGIAN RESOURCE BANK FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS NORDEM Report 01/2004

2 Copyright: the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights/NORDEM. NORDEM, the Norwegian Resource Bank for Democracy and Human Rights, is one out of four different programmes at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR), and has as its main objective to actively promote international human rights. NORDEM is jointly administered by NCHR and the Norwegian Refugee Council. NORDEM works mainly in relation to multilateral institutions. The operative mandate of the programme is realised primarily through the recruitment and deployment of qualified Norwegian personnel to international assignments which promote democratisation and respect for human rights. The programme is responsible for the training of personnel before deployment, reporting on completed assignments, and plays a role in research related to areas of active involvement. The vast majority of assignments are channelled through the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. NORDEM Report is a series of reports documenting NORDEM activities and is published jointly by NORDEM and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights. Series editor: Gry Kval Series consultants: Hege Mørk, Ingrid K. Ekker, Christian Boe Astrup The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. ISSN: ISBN: NORDEM Report is available online at:

3 Contents I. Introduction and background Deployment of personnel...2 Long-term assignments (minimum 6 months)...2 Election observation...3 Other types of projects Follow-up on NORDEM evaluation Recruitment Courses and training activities...6 Basic Training Course in Human Rights Fieldwork...6 Course in election observation methods...6 Course for the Ministry of Justice s Styrkebrønn...6 Election-related programme for Tanzanian delegation...7 Other training activities...7 Pre-deployment briefing of personnel Education and information material...8 NORDEM manual...8 Information materials for specific assignments...8 NORDEM Reports Networking...8 Field visits Tenth anniversary...9 Appendices... 10

4 1 I. Introduction and background The Norwegian Resource Bank for Democracy and Human Rights, NORDEM, was established to accommodate international organisations request for qualified personnel available at short notice for assignments which promote democracy and respect for human rights. NORDEM is run by the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) in close collaboration with the Norwegian Refugee Council. Most requests for personnel come through the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which also finances the majority of NORDEM assignments. The NORDEM Secretariat is composed of three positions at the NCHR. In 2003, these were as follows: Project Director Siri Skåre (on leave from mid-october), Project Director Gry Kval (during Skåre s leave of absence, from October), Project Coordinators Bergljot Hovland (until September), Hege Mørk (from September), and Ingrid Kvammen Ekker. These three positions are financed through the NCHR s five-year agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which came into effect in June In addition, several members of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) are actively involved in running NORDEM. Their work in the administration of NORDEM activities is covered by a 10% administration charge applied to all NORDEM secondments. Work in 2003 has focused on NORDEM s core areas of activity: Responding to ongoing requests for personnel, recruiting new members, providing training courses, and developing contacts with international partners. In 2003, NORDEM received a variety of requests for secondment of personnel mainly from the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and OSCE ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights), from the EUMM (European Union Monitoring Mission for the Balkans) and UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo). From the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs came requests for personnel to several election observation missions under EU auspices. All requests were answered; the 38 projects involved deploying 111 trained individuals to assignments that totalled some 360 work-months altogether. Of the personnel seconded in 2003, 46% were women. Some 45% of the total were on long term assignments (minimum 6 months) and 87% on assignments in the OSCE region. More than half of all assignments (55%) were in connection with election observation and monitoring; out of these, 59% involved short term observation of between seven and ten days in the field. NORDEM also identifies suitable candidates for assignments that are not secondments. Information on available positions in the UN Peacekeeping Operations is for instance forwarded to members of the NORDEM Stand-by Force. Any further contact between

5 2 the requesting organisation and the candidates then proceeds directly. In addition, NORDEM regularly receives a large number of requests for various types of expertise, such as lecturers for courses and other information activities. NORDEM s total turnover for 2003 was slightly more than NOK 30 million, including administrative supplements. 2. Deployment of personnel Long-term assignments (minimum 6 months) At the end of the year 2003, NORDEM had 23 persons on long-term secondment in the OSCE region, primarily the Balkans. Eight of these were seconded to the OSCE. The remainder were seconded mainly to the EUMM, which in 2003 had between five and eight secondments at any given time. Five legal officers were seconded to UNMIK s Housing and Property Directorate (HPD). Below follows a more detailed specification of all long-term secondments in 2003: Bosnia (10): OSCE: One Project Manager, one Regional Education Coordinator and one Youth Politics Project Manager. OHR, Office of the High Representative: One Political Adviser and one Veterinary. EUPM, the EU s policing operation in Bosnia: One Political Adviser. EUMM: Three Political Analysts and one Head of Delegation. Croatia (1): OSCE: One Legal Adviser to the regional office in Sisak. Serbia (3): OSCE: One Trafficking Adviser to the Head Office in Belgrade. EUMM: One leader of the office in Belgrade and one Political Analyst to the regional office in Bujanovac in South Serbia. Kosovo (7): UNMIK HPD: Five Legal Officers. UNMIK Office for Missing Persons and Forensics: One Identification Officer. OSCE: One Print-media Training Officer to the Head Office in Pristina. Macedonia (1): EUMM: One Political Analyst.

6 3 Albania (1): EUMM: One Political Analyst. Moldova (1): OSCE: One Human Dimension Officer (responsible for OSCE human rights activities) to the Head Office in Chisinau. Kyrgyzstan (1): OSCE: One Human Dimension Officer to Osh. Tajikistan (1): OSCE: One Senior Economic Affairs Officer to the Head Office in Dushanbe. The Netherlands (1): OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, The Hague: One Project Officer. Austria (2): OSCE Secretariat, Vienna: One Analyst/Researcher and one Junior Mission Program Officer to the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre. Afghanistan (1) One Adviser for Afghanistan s authorities within the area of sports. Among other duties, preparations for the 2004 Olympic Games and women s participation. Election observation Throughout the year, NORDEM recruited observers to various elections in the OSCE region; these activities have been coordinated by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR): Armenia (3): One long term and two short term observers to the first and second rounds of the presidential elections, February and March. Montenegro (2): Two short term observers to the presidential elections in February. Armenia (3): One long term and two short term observers to the parliamentary elections in May. Montenegro (2): Two short term observers to the new round of the presidential elections in May. Moldova (2): Two short term observers to the general elections in May. Albania (3): One long term observer and two short term observers to the local elections in October. Azerbaijan (4): One long term and three short term observers to the presidential elections in October. Georgia (4): One long term and three short term observers to the parliamentary elections in November.

7 4 Serbia (3): One long term and two short term observers to the presidential elections in November. Croatia (1): One long term observer to the parliamentary elections in November. Serbia (3): One long term and two short term observers to the parliamentary elections in December. Russia (4): Two long term observers and two short term observers to the parliamentary elections in December. Additionally, NORDEM recruited two long term observers to the EU s observation missions in connection with the parliamentary and presidential elections in Nigeria in March, and two short term observers to the elections in Guatemala in November NORDEM recruited its own teams of experts to the following election assignments: Presidential elections in Somaliland in April 2003; Two experts spent one month in Somaliland before, during and after the election, conducting an analysis of the election process; see NORDEM Report 08/2003. By-elections to the House of Representatives in Pemba, Zanzibar, in May 2003: Two experts were in Pemba during the elections; see NORDEM Report 05/2003. Presidential and parliamentary elections in Rwanda in August and September 2003: Two experts spent altogether one month in Rwanda during the elections; see NORDEM Report 12/2003. Parliamentary elections on Northern Cyprus in December 2003: Three experts conducted a study of the election process in November and December. The project is to result in a report analysing and evaluating the election process in Northern Cyprus, to be published in the series NORDEM Report Other types of projects The NCHR continued its project in Ethiopia in 2003, involving observation of the Derg trials since NORDEM has administered the project in close collaboration with researcher Kjetil Tronvoll of the NCHR. NORDEM was requested to prepare and administer an evaluation of the development and results of the Balkan Dialogue project which was supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Two members of the NORDEM Stand-by Force were asked to carry out the study and write a final report; see NORDEM Report 13/03.

8 5 3. Follow-up on NORDEM evaluation Also in 2003 NORDEM has worked on following up the external evaluation of NORDEM instigated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001 and issued in January In this connection, an advisory council was established in March Three meetings were held in the course of the year. A written mandate has now been prepared for NORDEM, describing its core activities and organisation. (See Annex 1) Four times a year an electronic newsletter is prepared and sent to members of the NORDEM Stand-by Force and the NORDEM Resource Base; this comes in addition to the NCHR newsletter, which was started in 2002 and continued in The NORDEM database is continually updated. There is a strong need for even more thorough updating of information on members expertise, as well as for a better overview of which members can be considered to be truly on stand-by for long-term assignments. NORDEM also wishes to be aware of changed needs for personnel for the future; in this connection, work has begun on preparing the terms of reference to map the demand for international personnel. Work has continued on improving our registration and analysis of number of persons seconded, gender distribution, financing, number of work-months, etc. 4. Recruitment The deadline for applications for this year s NORDEM recruitment was in June This was announced in the leading Oslo/national daily newspaper, Aftenposten, in the major regional newspapers, as well as in Klassekampen, Kapital and the development periodical Bistandsaktuelt. The text was also displayed on the NCHR website for over one month, and was distributed to the homepages of relevant networking partners. Altogether 280 applications were received; these were evaluated in the course of the summer, followed by interviews during the autumn. In all, 60 candidates were interviewed, resulting in the recruitment of 43 new NORDEM members. Approximately half of these attended the basic training course in November.

9 6 5. Courses and training activities Basic Training Course in Human Rights Fieldwork All newly recruited members of the NORDEM Stand-by Force participate in a six days Basic Training Course in Democratization- and Human Rights-related Fieldwork (see Annex 3). Out of the new members recruited in autumn 2003, 19 attended the basic course in November. Additional participants were Noel Twagiramungu from Rwanda, Head of the Ligue des Droits de la Personne dans la Region des Grands Lacs; and a representative from the International Civilian Peace Keeping and Peace Building Training Programme at the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR). This centre is involved in training activities similar to those of NORDEM, making ASPR s participation an important part of our networking in relation to the European Union. The course, which was conducted in English, was extended by one day compared to earlier years. The main aim of the course is to provide a basic understanding of the international human rights system as a framework for democracy building and the promotion of human rights in practice. This is supplemented by an introduction to the practical realities of work in the field, and how NORDEM functions as a mechanism for seconding personnel. Main lecturers were resource persons William O Neill and Øyvind Hoel. A new element in the 2003 course involved bringing in specific experiences from some of the organisations to which NORDEM seconds personnel. NORDEM personnel with field experience gave brief presentations of their work within the EUMM and UNMIK HPD; and Thomas Neufing from the OSCE Secretariat presented his organisation. Course in election observation methods NORDEM arranged a three-day course in election observation methods in May. Sixteen members of the Stand-by Force attended the course, together with one participant from the Berlin Centre for International Peace Operations (Zentrum für Internationale Friedenseinsätze, ZIF). The course followed the same lines as NORDEM election observation courses of previous years (see Annex 4). Resource persons were Kåre Vollan, Siri Skåre, Bergljot Hovland, Bernt Aardal, Mark Stevens and Miles Martin. Mark Stevens is the director of the EU Network of Europeans for Electoral and Democracy Support (NEEDS) Project. Course for the Ministry of Justice s Styrkebrønn In autumn 2003, the Norwegian Ministry of Justice established a roster for civil crisis management, the so-called Styrkebrønn, with 28 representatives from all parts of the judiciary chain. In that connection, NORDEM was requested to prepare a course module in Rule of Law Fieldwork Preparations, for a course to be held in January 2004.

10 7 Election-related programme for Tanzanian delegation In connection with the Norwegian local elections in September 2003, NORDEM prepared a special programme for a delegation from Tanzania, who visited Norway on invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The delegation consisted of members of the Tanzanian National Election Commission and MPs from both the governing party and the opposition. The course included lectures on the Norwegian election system and local governance model, supplemented by visits to the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (Kommunenes sentralforbund) and two Norwegian political parties. On election day the delegation visited several polling stations in Oslo and in nearby Lier municipality, and were given a briefing by NORDEM in methods of election observation. Other training activities In September, project leader Siri Skåre lectured on international election observation for a delegation from Haiti who was visiting Norway. This visit was arranged by FAFO, Institute for Applied Social Science, Norwegian Church Aid and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Skåre also lectured on international election observation and on NORDEM for election observation students at Norway s University of Bergen in January. Pre-deployment briefing of personnel NORDEM arranges briefings at the NCHR before every secondment of personnel. The aim is to prepare personnel for the specific context of their assignment. A standard briefing will cover: Updating on the political situation and on human rights conditions in the country in question Review of the work methods Information about the organisation in question Personal security in the field Review of contract, insurance arrangements, etc. Reporting routines for NORDEM

11 8 6. Education and information material NORDEM manual The NORDEM Manual on Human Rights Monitoring is the primary source of reference used in the training of NORDEM personnel. It has been widely distributed and is also available on the Internet. The manual is used in connection with training courses, and provides an introduction to human rights, to the UN s human rights work, various human rights instruments, and the range of actors involved in human rights work. It deals with how to conduct human rights monitoring in the field, with monitoring of the police and judiciary system, observation of trials, election observation, preparation of cases for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and, finally, practical aspects of working in the field, such as personal security and health. The manual is concise and intended as a tool for personnel who will be deployed for work with international organisations. Information materials for specific assignments With each new assignment, NORDEM compiles information material relevant for the task, the organisation and the country in question. The material is then sent to the person(s) recruited to the assignment. It includes informative articles, country information, human rights reports, earlier NORDEM reports from the country and reports from the organisation in question. With election assignments, any available documentation on election laws in the relevant country is also included. NORDEM Reports All personnel recruited by NORDEM goes through a debriefing upon return from the field, and are requested to sum up their experiences and observations in a final written report. Several of these reports, especially those prepared following election observation assignments, are then issued as NORDEM Reports and made available on the Internet (see list, Annex 2). Unpublished reports are available on the Internet or from the NCHR upon request. 7. Networking NORDEM realises the importance of making visible its mechanism and its long experience in recruiting, training and seconding personnel. As the first mechanism established to recruit and train personnel for assignments with international organisations, NORDEM has been able to serve as a model for many countries in Europe, as well as for Canada. Participation in courses arranged by other European

12 9 organisations has provided useful insights and ideas, as NORDEM aims to continue to improve and further develop our training and briefing activities. External guests at NORDEM courses have provided positive feedback on this aspect of our work. In October 2003, NORDEM Project Coordinators Hege Mørk and Ingrid Kvammen Ekker attended a one-week NEEDS course held in Åbo, Finland. This course was a result of the EU s work on developing common training standards for election monitoring, the so-called NEEDS Project. NORDEM considers it important to continue and further develop its informal collaboration with NEEDS and the EU. In connection with following up the EU collaboration, Project Director Siri Skåre participated in a human rights course in March at the Scuola Superiore Sant Anna, in Pisa, Italy. Skåre also visited the European Commission in Brussels in July, where she had meetings with the Election Section, the Department for External Relations (RELEX) and AIDCO, among others. In April/May, NORDEM resource person Øyvind Hoel attended the fieldwork-preparation course in Rule of Law, arranged under EU auspices at ZIF. Project Director Gry Kval attended the EU Conference on Training held in Rome in October, presenting NORDEM. During the final plenary summing-up of the conference, NORDEM was cited as an example of a smoothly functioning recruitment mechanism with well established routines for screening and follow-up of personnel. Project Coordinator Ingrid Kvammen Ekker attended the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw in October. This is a forum for discussing status and plans for further work. Field visits Skåre and Fjellhaug of the Norwegian Refugee Council travelled to Bosnia/Herzegovina and Kosovo in May to follow up NORDEM secondees. Meetings were held with all seconded personnel, as well as with the Norwegian Embassy and with representatives of the receiving organisations: OSCE, EUMM, EUPM, OHR, UNMIK/HPD. In September, Skåre and Braathu, from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had meetings with the OSCE mission in Croatia. 8. Tenth anniversary NORDEM was established in January 1993, thus ten years of activity could be celebrated in The occasion was marked by distributing Njål Høstmælingen s book Internasjonale menneskerettigheter [International Human Rights] to all members of the Stand-by Force in December, an initiative that has been met with considerable enthusiasm.

13 10 Appendices 1. NORDEM mandate 2. List of NORDEM Reports Programme for NORDEM Basic Training for Democratization- and Human Rights-related Fieldwork, November 2003 (Not available in the pdf format) 4. Programme for NORDEM Election Observation Training Course, May 2003 (Not available in the pdf format)

14 11 NORDEM mandate The Norwegian Resource Bank for Democracy and Human Rights, NORDEM, was established in order to respond to the need for qualified personnel available on short notice, for assignments which promote democracy and respect for human rights. NORDEM is a project at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights. NORDEM is intended to cover a wide range of expertise in connection with democracy building and the promotion of human rights, including: good governance, human rights monitoring, human rights training and education, election monitoring and advice, election regulations and legislation, political analysis, investigation of serious breaches of human rights, development of democratic institutions, independent judiciary, legal reform, the promotion of free media, political pluralism, decentralisation/local administration, minority rights, women s rights, general administration and financial management. NORDEM s main function is to recruit and train personnel for secondment to international organisations working to promote democracy and human rights. The initiative may come from The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the receiving organisations or from NORDEM itself. Secondment is to take place on the basis of consultations with the Foreign Ministry. NORDEM will at all times have at its disposal a roster of qualified personnel able to leave at short notice for assignments of up to six months. Additionally, NORDEM will maintain a database of individuals and institutions in Norway with relevant competence. These are not necessarily expected to be available at short notice, but may be contacted in connection with potential assignments. NORDEM can also initiate projects of its own, applying for separate funding. With its database of relevant expertise in Norway NORDEM can also pass on competent personnel to other institutions/organisations. NORDEM is to maintain contact with international organisations and similar mechanisms, exchanging experience with regard to recruitment routines, training, deployment, reporting and follow-up. NORDEM is to keep abreast of any changes in the needs of the various receiving organisations and the Foreign Ministry, adjusting its recruitment as necessary.

15 12 All assignments are to be documented and reported. Some of these reports will be published in the series NORDEM Report, and will be available in print and on the web. NORDEM s annual report is to be issued as NORDEM Report no. 1. Organisation NORDEM is a project at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR), under the Faculty of Law of the University of Oslo, and is thus under the purview of the NCHR Board of Directors. NORDEM is run in cooperation with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) according to a formalised collaboration agreement. NORDEM works in close cooperation with the Foreign Ministry. An advisory council has been established, composed of three representatives: The Foreign Ministry, NRC and NCHR, as well as two observers, one from NORAD and the head of the NORDEM secretariat. The council meets three times a year to discuss general questions of mutual interest to the parties. Signed by NCHR Board of Directors 24 September 2003

16 13 List of NORDEM Reports 2003: NORDEM Annual Report ISBN: Carl Emil Petersen and Kenneth de Figueiredo: Serbia: Presidential Elections ISBN Jon Roar Strandenes: Riven and Cleansed, Stabilised and Democratised: The ongoing experiment of Bosnia and Herzegovina. ISBN Britt Schumann: Madagascar: National Assembly Elections ISBN Ingvild Burkey: Zanzibar: House of Representatives By-Elections ISBN Heidi Sødergren and Rune Fimreite: Montenegro: Elections ISBN Nils Gunnar Songstad: Kenya: Presidential, Parliamentary and Civic Elections ISBN Berit Nising Lindeman and Stig Jarle Hansen: Somaliland: Presidential Election ISBN Jostein L. Hoel: Armenia: Presidential Elections ISBN Jeremy M. Franklin: Armenia: Parliamentary Elections ISBN Sigurd Gramstad: Nigeria: Parliamentary, Presidential and States Elections (pdf) ISBN

17 14 Ingrid Samset and Orrvar Dalby: Rwanda: Presidential and Parliamentary Elections (pdf) ISBN Anne Hushagen and Ingrid Vik: The Western Balkans: Community Based Peacebuilding. A Review of the Balkan Dialogue Project (pdf) ISBN