ACTION PLAN

Transcription

1 ACTION PLAN (Focus 2007)

2 Table of contents INTRODUCTION PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS SUPPORTING INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE GLOBALISATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS WOMEN S RIGHTS COUNTER-TERRORISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS OBSERVING, PREVENTING AND PROTECTING: DAILY MONITORING ACTIVITIES, INVESTIGATIVE AND JUDICIAL OBSERVATION MISSIONS PREVENTING VIOLATIONS AND SUPPORTING LOCAL CIVIL SOCIETY MOBILISING THE COMMUNITY OF STATES: ACTING WITHIN INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS INFORMING, RAISING AWARENESS, COMMUNICATING INTERNAL ORGANISATION...24 FIDH/2

3 INTRODUCTION FIDH s core mandate is to work for the effective implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights instruments, to support its member and partner organisations, and to strengthen their capacity at the national, regional and international levels. FIDH is a federation uniting 141 member organisations, in over 100 countries. The 36 th FIDH Congress will take place in April 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal. On this occasion, an assesment will be made of activities undertaken since the last Congress, which took place in Quito, Ecuador, in January FIDH s political priorities will be updated, in particular concerning Migration and Human Rights, the theme chosen for the Congress, and it is anticipated that several new member organisations will be admitted. Finally, the Congress will elect a new International Board. In 2007, FIDH will seek to stabilise and consolidate the volume of activities, in accordance with the decision of the International Board. This objective will be adapted according to the outcomes of the 36 th Congress and decisions taken accordingly by the International Board and the Executive Board. 1. PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS Legislative restrictions on freedoms of association, assembly and expression, arbitrary arrests and detention continue to be used to silence and sanction human rights defenders throughout the world. In some countries, defenders are targeted by increasing violence, including assassinations, serious attacks, kidnapping, torture and other forms of ill treatment. These severe acts of violence are carried out both by police forces and by non-state actors, but in both cases, those responsible often enjoy total impunity, due to the state s inability or unwillingness to identify and prosecute them. In response to this situation, FIDH will continue its activities, initiated in 1997 in cooperation with the World Organisation Against Torture (Organisation mondiale contre la torture OMCT), through the programme, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. The singularity of the Observatory s action lies in its capacity to carry out three types of activity in parallel: alerting, investigating (in particular through investigative and trial observation missions), and mobilising national, regional and international bodies. This specificity enables the Observatory to respond as systematically as possible to the repression of human rights defenders and to contribute to their protection. Finally, the Observatory s Annual Report remains a unique instrument, presenting a compilation of all the cases monitored and their follow-up, and providing an analysis of the regional trends and developments in the repression of human rights defenders. Alerting Urgent interventions: The Observatory will maintain its alert system (urgent appeals, press releases, letters to the authorities). The Observatory intends to release approximately 25 urgent interventions per month in 2007 this goal takes into account the increase in the actions of the Observatory in Investigating Missions: In 2007, the Observatory intends to increase the number of international investigative missions and to maintain the number of trial observation missions, conducted in response to attacks on defenders, arbitrary prosecutions for their activities commitment to human rights or the proposal or adoption of new repressive legislation. FIDH/3

4 The impact of investigative missions has been widely recognised, in terms of solidarity as well as protection. These activities should therefore be developed in each region. This point was raised during an external assessment of FIDH s activities conducted in 2006, which focused, in part, on the activites of the Observatory. Investigative missions are planned, inter alia, in Gambia, Eritrea, Syria, Timor and Indonesia. Mobilising regional and international intergovernmental organisations Amongst its priorities, the Observatory aims to: - Promote the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders and strengthen its cooperation with the new Special Representative; - Continue to support the implementation of the European Union Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders (2004); - Support the establishment of protection mechanisms for human rights defenders within the Council of Europe and the OSCE, the creation of which was announced in 2006 in part as a result of the activities of the Observatory; - Pursue its cooperation with the Defenders Unit of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth s next Summit in November 2007 in Uganda will be the object of particular mobilisation by the Observatory. Material assistance The Observatory intends to maintain this activity, in the framework of an emergency fund complementing other specific programs of FIDH and OMCT, in cooperation with relevant regional and international NGOs. 2. SUPPORTING INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE Impunity for perpetrators of international crimes constitutes a major obstacle to conflict resolution and processes of democratic transition. Impunity creates condtions which favour the repetition of international crimes and violates the rights of victims to truth, justice and reparation as defined in international law. Fighting impunity includes: preventing and punishing crimes, providing justice and reparation to victims, and contributing to the establishment of a more just society and lasting peace. In 2006, FIDH completed a three-year program, with the principal objectives of supporting the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and raising awareness of the local NGOs concerned on the system of complementarity adopted by the ICC. In 2007, FIDH and its national partners will strengthen their use of mechanisms of criminal and transitional justice as tools for the implementation of victims rights, to improve the administration of justice at the national level, and to deter the commission of crimes under international law, in particular in situations of armed conflict, or to support transition processes. Consolidated use of international and transitional justice mechanisms In 2007, FIDH will consolidate its use of national and international criminal justice mechanisms, and transitional justice mechamisms, including by providing direct support to victims. FIDH has acquired a specific and recognised experience in the protection and implementation of the right to effective remedy, in particular through its Legal Action Group (Groupe d action judiciaire GAJ). Composed of legal experts and lawyers from every continent, GAJ is involved in national legal FIDH/4

5 proceedings, on the basis of, inter alia, extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction, as well as in international criminal justice proceedings before the ICC. At the national level, FIDH is currently supporting victims of international crimes in 15 cases. In most of these proceedings FIDH is also a civil party (partie civile) alongside its national member organisation. In 2006, FIDH co-signed a complaint filed in Germany against Donald Rumsfeld and other US officials, for acts of torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. In 2007, GAJ will initiate other investigative missions and proceedings (including in the Probo Koala case in Côte d'ivoire), pursue its commitment in ongoing proceedings and continue to provide support to victims. These activities will concern in particular the Disappeared of the Beach case (Republic of Congo), following the ruling of the French Supreme Court (Cour de cassation) of 10 January 2007, overturning the decision of the Investigative Chamber of the Court of Appeal in Paris (Chambre d'instruction de la Cour d'appel de Paris) which had annuled proceedings in France; the Hissène Habré case (Chad); the Pinochet case (Chile); the Relizane Militias case (Algeria); the Ely Ould Dah case (Mauritania); the case of the Rwandan genocide victims; the Ung Bunh case (Cambodia); the CIA flights case; and cases concerning victims of torture in Mauritania, Tunisia, Iraq and Syria. At the international level, GAJ has been representing victims before the ICC since Having received a specific mandate to do so, FIDH transmitted the first applications for participation from victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In response, Pre-Trial Chamber I delivered a historic decision, on 17 January 2006, accepting the victims applications for participation at the stage of the investigation in DRC and defining the modalities of victims participation at the various stages of proceedings before the ICC. In 2007, FIDH will strengthen its activities aimed at facilitating access to the ICC for a greater number of victims and their legal representation by GAJ. In the context of a new three-year program starting in 2007, FIDH will reinforce activities aimed at training and supporting access to the ICC for local partner NGOs and victims (in particular victims of sexual violence) in situations under investigation by the ICC (DRC, Uganda, Sudan) and in Central African Republic (a possible fourth situation to be investigated in 2007). FIDH will continue to analyse national justice systems in each of these countries, in the context of the implementation of the complementarity principle that governs the ICC. This program will include investigative missions and training seminars. Interfaces/ training sessions will also be organised by the FIDH permanent delegation at the ICC in The Hague, establishing unique dialogue between participant civil society representatives and the Court. In cooperation with its member organisations, FIDH will continue to submit communications to the Prosecutor s Office. In particular, in support of its member organisations in Colombia, FIDH will increase the submission of communications on the situation in Colombia to the Prosecutor s Office, aimed at the opening of an investigation. A one-year program will monitor the implementation of the Justice and Peace Act, through observation and assessment of the activities of the Justice and Peace Courts in Bogota, Medellin and Barranquilla. These activities fall within the scope of the advanced analysis of the Colombian situation by the Prosecutor s Office and its regular dialogue with FIDH and its member organisations since In 2007, FIDH will also monitor the operation of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), with jurisdiction to try the crimes of the Khmer Rouge, and the establishment, anticipated in 2007, of other international or mixed tribunals, such as the Special Tribunal for Lebanon or the Special Chamber to be appointed to try Hissène Habré in Senegal. FIDH, alongside with its member organisations, will will pursue the goal of ensuring that the Statute and/or the internal regulations of these Tribunals and Chambers are in accordance with international standards and grant the strongest protection and, if relevant, the best modalities of participation, for victims and witnesses. Furthermore, in response to the development of these Tribunals and Chambers, FIDH will consider analysing their operation, monitoring certain trials and representing victims. FIDH/5

6 Moreover, the FIDH International Justice Desk will support the Regional Desks in the submission of individual communications to United Nations Treaty Bodies and Working Groups and of amicus curiae to regional human rights courts and commissions. Finally, FIDH and its local partners will develop their activities aimed at reinforcing the operation of transitional justice mechanisms, including, as relevant, the implementation of recommendations concerning reparation, reform of justice systems, and guarantees for non-repetition. In this regard, the experiences in Morocco and Peru will be focussed upon in particular. Support and development of institutions and action mechanisms In 2007, the ICC will enter in a new phase: the first trial is expected to open against Thomas Lubanga (former leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots); arrest warrants should be launched against other suspected perpetrators of international crimes in DRC and Darfur; arrest warrants against Ugandan rebels launched in 2005 should result in arrests. Furthermore, the ICC Trust Fund for Victims will become fully operational following the re-election of its Board of Directors and the appointment of its Secretariat. This phase presents new opportunities for the recognition and respect of the rights of victims a priority for FIDH. FIDH will monitor the judicial activities of the Court and actively contribute, including, as relevant, in cooperation with teams of the International Coalition for the ICC and the Victims Rights Working Group. FIDH will continue contact with the various organs of the Court and its participation in the semestrial NGO/ICC meetings, the annual session of the Assembly of States Parties and, as relevant, the meetings of its working groups, as well as the sessions on the ICC of the Council Working Group on International Justice of the European Union (COJUR). In the context of follow-up to past activities, FIDH will support the initiatives of its local partners aimed at the ratification and implementation of the Statute, in particular in countries in Asia, the Middle East and the Gulf. It will continue its cooperation with the International Coalition for the ICC, including by participating, where relevant, in its regional activities. FIDH will support the activities of the Gulf NGOs Coalition for the ICC, created in Bahrain in 2006 at the request of regional NGOs that had participated in the interface organised by FIDH in The Hague in June FIDH will also follow up its recommendations on the implementation of the ICC Statute into national legislation in Morocco and Cambodia, which were the objects of specific analysis in In 2007, FIDH will publish a guide on the rights of victims before ICC, in English, French and Spanish. In the context of its activities on national justice, FIDH will work in particular on reform of the justice systems in the North Africa and Middle-East region (a regional seminar on this issue will be organised in Cairo and a mission to Lebanon is scheduled) as well as on a comparative and systematic analysis of access to justice of victims of international crimes in certain countries in Latin America. In the context of its activities on the establishment of transitional justice mechanisms, in 2007 FIDH intends, inter alia, to organise with its local partners a meeting in Kabul to launch a publication on the ICC and transitional justice in Afghanistan, to be published in Farsi in February This compilation, which will first be widely distributed in the various provinces, will be the first such book in this language. It follows from various missions organised by FIDH in Afghanistan in In addition, FIDH is a partner in a conference on the establishment of a transitional justice mechanism in Algeria organised by the Committee of families of disappeared persons in Algeria. FIDH will develop its research concerning the establishment of such a mechanism in Lebanon. Finally, in cooperation with the REDRESS Trust, FIDH will finalise a joint project aimed at strengthening European mechanisms of investigation and prosecution of crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of torture, on the basis of universal jurisdiction. Following a previous joint program carried out in 2003 on judicial remedies for victims of international crimes (cf. FIDH/6

7 FIDH/REDRESS report Fostering an EU Approach to Extraterritorial Jurisdiction ), this project aims to increase consistency between practices and procedures within EU member states and the EU itself, in order to favour more effective repression of international crimes on the basis of universal jurisdiction. A conference was organised on November 2006 in Brussels, which gathered together representatives of European institutions working on this issue, representatives of EU member states (in particular new members), investigators, judges, lawyers, academics and representatives of human rights organisations working on the implementation of universal jurisdiction. The conclusions and recommendations of the Conference will be published and implemented in GLOBALISATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS FIDH works for a better implementation and the justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights, the recognition of the primacy of human rights over trade agreements and in development policies, and the development and drafting of norms on the human rights responsibility of companies. In order to achieve the objectives of these three types of activity, in 2007 FIDH intends to multiply the number of investigative missions to document violations of economic, social and cultural rights in the context of globalisation. In addition, these international missions will enable a more precise assessment of the responsibility of all actors concerned and will provide the basis for lobbying campaigns, tools for constructive dialogue on how to remedy the human rights violations observed, public denunciation, and potentially legal proceedings against states and/or private actors. For the primacy of human rights over trade agreements and in economic and development policies Since the blockages at the WTO during the ministerial conference in Hong Kong in December 2005, FIDH proposed to direct its work in 2006 and 2007 towards regional trade agreements (NAFTA agreements, CAFTA, ACP-EU economic partnership agreements, EU-Chile and EU-Mexico association agreements, and future EU-Central America and EU-Andean Community association agreements). This objective is carried out through investigations and training for FIDH member and partner organisations. In 2007, FIDH will publish a report on the human rights impact of trade and investment policies in Kenya. This theme will also be at the heart of FIDH activities during the World Social Forum in Nairobi. On the issue of migration (the theme chosen for the FIDH Congress in April 2007), the Globalisation Desk has decided to focus on the rights of migrant workers. Several investigative missions will be organised on this theme in Malaysia, the Gulf states, Russia and South Africa. FIDH s commitment to the right to cultural diversity could be reaffirmed. FIDH contributed to the adoption of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions in It would be justified to join in the campaign for its ratification as well as in other relevant actions in view of the importance of this issue. Justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights FIDH will continue to submit reports to the existing mechanisms of protection of economic and social rights, such as the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and to submit complaints to national and international jurisdictions (in particular the Indian Supreme Court or the Committee of the European Social Charter). FIDH/7

8 In 2007, FIDH will work especially on the justiciability of the right to housing, in particular through the publication of a report on forced evictions in China. FIDH will also pursue its normative activities aimed at reinforcing the justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights. This will include in particular active participation in the campaign for the adoption of an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (within the Steering Committee of the International NGO Coalition in favour of the Protocol). FIDH will also actively participate to the elaboration of a draft protocol, in particular during the session of the UN working group in March Responsibility of non-state economic actors FIDH is also strongly committed to the issue of the responsibility of non-state economic actors, first and foremost of companies. FIDH works at the European and international levels for the consolidation of the normative framework setting out and regulating the human rights obligations of companies. At the UN level, FIDH supports the adoption of an international instrument on the responsibility of transnational companies. FIDH undertakes advocacy to encourage companies to commit themselves to to an international legal standard. FIDH also actively participates to the work of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, whose end of mandate report will be presented in March In 2007, FIDH will also pursue its actions to monitor and denounce the activities of companies that violate human rights, through awareness-raising campaigns (such as the campaign Keep Your Eyes Open on China), reports (for example, the upcoming report on the human rights impact of gold extraction in Mali and Burkina), and lobbying activities with public authorities and companies. FIDH will continue its activities with the distribution group Carrefour (promoting a framework of mandatory standards on the responsibilities of companies, including within its European workers Council). Finally, in 2007, FIDH will work to reinforce its links with trade unions, in particular European and international and, above all, the International Trade-Union Confederation, on issues of corporate responsibility. All these activities are carried out in particular through a program on globalisation (2005-mid 2007), which should be renewed in mid FIDH/8

9 4. WOMEN S RIGHTS The FIDH Action Group for Women s Rights, established following the 35 th FIDH Congress (at which the decision was taken to make this theme a priority), will continue its mobilisation of FIDH member organisations and regional and thematic desks, in order to include this issue more systematically in their activities. Priority activites in 2007 will focus on the following areas: - FIDH will continue its activities aimed at raising awareness of its member and partner organisations in order to promote equal access for women to decision-making positions within their organisations; - FIDH will pursue the campaign for the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in national legislation, for the withdrawal of reservations to the Convention, and for the ratification of its Optional Protocol, including through development of partnerships with regional and national NGOs working on women s rights. In 2006, this objective was carried out, in particular, through the organisation of a regional conference for the Broader Middle East and North Africa in Morocco, in collaboration with the Democratic Association of Moroccan Women (Association démocratique des femmes marocaines), entitled Equality without reservation. A large number of follow-up activities (mobilisation campaigns, lobbying activities) were carried out at national, regional and international levels, and will be developed in For instance, around International Women s Day on March 8, 2007, FIDH is planning to organise an interface at the League of Arab States with the participation of human rights and women s rights organisations from the region. On the basis of this experience, in 2007 FIDH will continue preparatory work for the organisation of a conference on this theme in countries of Sub-Saharan Africa leading to the launch of an awarenessraising campaign on women s rights in the region. This campaign will also focus on the ratification and implementation of the new regional protection instrument, the Optional Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. - FIDH will continue to monitor violations of women s rights, focusing on the themes of crimes of sexual violence and women s rights in the workplace. FIDH also intends to develop its activities on the theme of women s participation in public life. FIDH will also continue to support its member organisations to document other aspects of discrimination against women, within the framework of the assessment of the implementation of the CEDAW Convention. The activities undertaken in 2005 and 2006 on those themes, in particular in Togo, Central African Republic, DRC, Mali, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Mexico, will continue in 2007 in Bahrain, Kuwait, Niger, Mozambique, Pakistan, Jordan, Syria, Peru, Nicaragua, and Brazil. - FIDH intends to continue to develop lobbying activities on women s rights, in particular before the CEDAW Committee through the submission of alternative reports (eg. Mauritania, Niger, Mozambique, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Peru, Jordan, Syria, Kenya, Brazil). FIDH will also develop activities on the submission of complaints under the Optional Protocol to CEDAW and under the Optional Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (which entered into force in 2005). FIDH intends to support the effective implementation of the African Union Declaration on Gender Equality and develop a close cooperation with the AU office in charge of following up this issue. FIDH will also develop its lobbying work with the League of Arab States. At the European Union, FIDH will pursue lobbying activities on the drafting of EU Guidelines on Women s Rights. The implementation of these activities will depend on the resources obtained through crosscutting (regional and thematic) programs of FIDH, with the mid-term goal of establishing a specific program on this issue. The internal mainstreaming capacity was reinforced in late 2006 with the recruitment of a coordinator on women s rights at the International Secretariat. FIDH/9

10 5. COUNTER-TERRORISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS Acts of terrorism continue to multiply and the responses to them have drawn very serious concerns from NGOs, but also international and regional human rights bodies and mechanisms. Current international events are of particular concern: reports of abuses against prisoners are multiplying, the CIA is accused of transporting suspects in violation of applicable rules and principles, and the US Congress adopted a law in October 2006 that brought an end to the fundamental principle of habeas corpus since it took away from prisoners in Guantanamo and other non-us nationals detained in the context of the war on terror, the right to challenge the legality and conditions of their detention before the courts. As a result, the practice of torture has considerably increased and the prevention of torture in the context of the fight against terrorism is therefore a priority objective. FIDH has obtained funding on this issue for the period, which makes it possible to continue its work and: - To strengthen monitoring and reporting on human rights violations in the context of the fight against terrorism, including torture, the death penalty, arbitrary detention, forced disappearances and arbitrary transfers, extraordinary renditions and diplomatic assurances. In 2007, investigative missions will be organised in four countries: Mauritania, Philippines, Colombia and Egypt. Moreover, FIDH intends to continue its very fruitful cooperation with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), its member organisation in the United States, in particular to reinforce the contacts between CCR lawyers and FIDH member organisaitons to identify, gather information, and defend Guantanamo detainees and their families, to continue supporting CCR public statements and as in 2006 complaints filed by CCR on the basis of universal jurisdiction against persons involved at the highest level in abuses in the context of counter-terrorism. FIDH is also committed to support in the field, through its member organisations, a two-year multidisciplinary project of CCR and the University of Berkeley, California, which will study the impact of detentions in Guantanamo. This cooperation with CCR, which was successful in 2006, was facilitated by the presence of a permanent FIDH delegate in New York, who works in the CCR offices in constant cooperation with CCR staff. - To increase lobbying activities, in particular with the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, a mechanism created in 2005, the African Union and the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, and other regional organisations and domestic and regional jurisdictions as relevant. For example, FIDH will carry out the necessary follow-up to the communication submitted jointly with CCR in October 2006 to five UN special rapporteurs on the new US legislation on military commissions and on the revision of war crimes punishable in the United States. FIDH will also examine the remedies available at international and regional levels on the issue of the transfer of prisoners suspected of terrorism to European countries in secret detention centres. FIDH will organise interfaces for NGO representatives from various countries with relevant intergovernmental organisations, for example with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative during the next Commonwealth Summit in November To examine, in collaboration with member organisations and partners, strategies and means to encourage ratification by all states of the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance adopted by the General Assembly in December The possibility of a mission to Sri Lanka on this issue is currently under examination. FIDH/10

11 6. OBSERVING, PREVENTING AND PROTECTING: DAILY MONITORING ACTIVITIES, INVESTIGATIVE AND JUDICIAL OBSERVATION MISSIONS In light of FIDH s mandate and federative structure, the main axis of FIDH s activities centres on daily activities of observation, investigation, prevention and monitoring, labelled as reactive activities. Through these activities, the core objective is to alert international public opinion on human rights violations, with the aims of protecting human rights, preventing violations and fighting impunity. In accordance with decisions of the FIDH Congress, for each regional area, these activities focus first on the 5 thematic priorities. In 2007, FIDH intends inter alia to organise missions and other monitoring activities on the issue of human righs defenders and freedom of association in Syria, Timor or Indonesia, Eritrea, Gambia, Peru, Colombia and Guatemala; on economic and social rights and globalisation in Kenya, Pakistan (on shipbreaking), and in China; missions on international justice and the fight against impunity in DRC, CAR, Sudan, Uganda, Côte d Ivoire, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Lebanon and Colombia; on discrimination against women in Niger, Mozambique, Pakistan, Jordan and Syria; and on human rights and counter-terrorism in Mauritania, Philippines, USA, Egypt and Colombia. In addition to monitoring activities on these priority themes, FIDH has strengthened its investigative expertise on the administration of justice and death penalty in 2006, through missions in, inter alia, Azerbaijan, Botswana and Pakistan. In 2007, FIDH also plans to support the working group on death penalty of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, which FIDH contributed to establishing in 2006, and to organise further missions in Morocco and Burundi. FIDH also intends to carry out a series of missions on the issue of migration (migrant workers, right to asylum, discrimination) in Malaysia, Bahrain, Qatar, South Africa, Russia, Mexico, Ecuador and France. These missions come within the context of preparations for the 2007 FIDH Congress, which is on the theme of Migration and Human Rights. Finally, FIDH intends to strengthen its capacity to react immediately to specific and urgent requests from member and partner organisations, which have been steadily increasing in number, to changes at the national level, and to developments in domestic, regional or international issues. These activities can sometimes be foreseen. For instance, in 2007, FIDH plans to organise a mission on the state of freedoms in Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Thailand and Rwanda. The situation in Iraq remains a priority and FIDH will examine possibilities to strengthen its work on this conflict. FIDH/11

12 7. PREVENTING VIOLATIONS AND SUPPORTING LOCAL CIVIL SOCIETY Strengthening the capacity of local human rights NGOs and supporting civil society contribute to the prevention of human rights violations and the reinforcement of the rule of law. Requests from member and partner organisations result in programs which are adapted to the national and regional issues and priorities. For , the objective is to launch such programs in at least 4 regions. Americas In 2006, FIDH completed a three-year program on supporting civil society in Latin America by strengthening capacity to act at the national, regional and international levels for the promotion of democracy and respect for human rights. Activities focused on training, documentation and lobbying, each of which allowed for networking between NGOs, thereby facilitating exchanges of experience sharing and stregthening regional synergies, and for reinforcing dialogue between NGOs and national authorities. FIDH has designed a new program of support to civil society in Latin America, which will start in Three overriding themes have been selected: the fight against impunity; counter-terrorism, national security and human rights; and globalisation and human rights. This program follows on from the previous regional program and draws on the lessons learnt. The new program will seek to develop advocacy activities at the Organisation of American States and the European Union, raise awareness through regional campaigns and ensure systematic follow-up. The program will include investigative missions to document national situations in relation to the three overriding themes. The issues explored by the mission will then be the subjects of an analytic and strategic study during a sub-regional workshop (Andean Zone/ Central America/ Southern Cone). In parallel, regional forums will be organised to provide training to activists on relevant protection mechanisms, to identify regional trends, to create synergies at national and regional levels, and to launch mobilisation campaigns. Advocacy activities before relevant intergovernmental bodies will be systematically conducted on the basis of the documents and reports published and recommendations adopted in the context of this program. Africa In 2006, FIDH completed the implementation of a program aimed at providing support to victims of serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and to NGOs in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR). Aimed at fighting impunity as a condition for political transition and preventing the commission of international crimes, this program enabled FIDH to assess the lack of willingness and capacity of national jurisdictions to offer impartial and independent justice to victims of international crimes. It also contributed to providing NGOs and victims with training on international justice, in particular the ICC mechanism, through sessions organised in the countries concerned, as well as in The Hague with FIDH s permanent delegation. This program has also led to the elaboration and implementation of strategies on participation, representation and protection of victims before the ICC, as a result in particular of the ICC s decision in 2006 allowing victims from DRC, supported by FIDH, to participate in proceedings. Finally, this program established Focal Points contact persons in DRC FIDH/12

13 and CAR who assist in particular inthe local follow-up to activities of FIDH and its member organisations on the participation and protection of victims. In 2007, FIDH will pursue the same objectives by implementing a three-year program, which follows on from activities initiated in DRC and CAR, and extends them to other situations of serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law brought to the ICC s attention: Uganda and Sudan. In 2007, FIDH will organise missions to assess the fight against impunity in Uganda and Sudan, analyse the cooperation between DRC and the ICC, provide ICC training to Ugandan and Sudanese NGOs and victims, maintain follow-up with Focal Points in DRC and CAR, and support other victims in the DRC seeking to participate to proceedings before the ICC. Middle East In 2007, FIDH will pursue the implementation of its program entitled Contributing to democratic transformations in the Arab world. This two-year program aims to support democratic reforms in the Arab world through the development and use of international and regional institutions, in particular the League of Arab States and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The main objective is to strengthen and promote cooperation between regional civil society and intergovernmental bodies. The activities planned (seminars, assessment missions and interfaces with the European Union, the League of Arab States and the Gulf Cooperation Council) will focus on three issues: women s rights; freedom of association and expression; and the fight against impunity. In 2007, activities will include a seminar on human rights defenders in the region, with a focus on the situation in Syria; a seminar on reforming the administration of justice; and a regional conference on the Arab Charter on Human Rights in parallel to the Summit of the League of Arab States. A second program is also being developed over 3 years, in partnership with the Arab Institute of Human Rights (Institut arabe des droits de l'homme) based in Tunis, since late This program entitled, Strengthening the capacity of civil society for effective participation in democratic transformations and elaboration and implementation of national strategies for the promotion of human rights in the region, comes within the framework of the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights and will comprise regional training sessions, including on NGO management, protection of defenders, access to justice, women s participation in public affairs, transitional justice, and procedures concerning regional human rights protection mechanisms. These sessions are aimed at local NGOs but some will also be open to government officials and parliamentarians. FIDH will be responsible for organising preparatory missions and interfaces with EU institutions on these themes. In 2007, particular emphasis will be placed on activities concerning women s participation in public affairs. Conferences are also planned on the elaboration and implementation of national action plans, in particular in Morocco and Tunisia. FIDH s activities aimed at strengthening political transition processes will necessarily take account of the role of religious political actors. Asia Whilst in 2005, the primary objective was to reinforce FIDH s activities in the countries in which it already had member organisations, in 2006, FIDH placed more focus on activities in countries in which it does not yet have member organisations and on the development of links with new independent organisations in these countries (Afghanistan, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan). In 2007, the objective is to consolidate activities in the region by returning to countries in which activities were carried out in 2006 (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand) and undertaking missions in other countries (Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia or Timor, South Korea, Laos). Concerning the implementation of the desk s activities, it is envisaged to continue using FIDH s crosscutting programs and to include in those under renewal in 2007 an increased amount for FIDH/13

14 activities in Asia. Following the election of the new International Board at the FIDH Congress, consideration could be given to the development of activities surrounding ASEAN with specific funding to this effect if necessary. Eastern Europe and Central Asia In 2007, FIDH plans to implement a new program of support to independent civil society in this region. The central objective of these activities is to provide training to human rights associations to enable them to appropriate and use the bilateral policy instruments between the European Union and the countries of the region, including the national action plans in the context of the new neighbourhood policy and the human rights consultations between the EU and Russia, as tools to contribute to the improvement of the human rights situation at the local level. This program builds on experiences and activities carried out by FIDH in 2005 and 2006, which focused on ensuring that civil society is consulted and human rights defenders are heard, in the context of the human rights consultations between the EU and Russia. Horizontal support to leagues and local partners In addition to these regional programs, in order to undertake activities to support to civil society, FIDH relies on a crosscutting program which has just been renewed for the period and targets approximately sixty countries in the South. This program comes within the context of the strengthening of networks of solidarity and defense of human rights. Its objective is to increase capacity of influence and action of national associations in those countries in the South, in order to ensure that they appropriate and use systematically international and regional remedies protecting human rights and contribute to debates on human rights at the national, regional and international levels. It also aims to provide the necessary means to national NGOs to optimise the circulation of information on human rights and strengthen their capacity of alert and action. Finally, this program includes a section on the protection of defenders under threat or associations targeted by repression. International migration Finally, FIDH has set up a new program on international migration entitled Supporting civil society and raising awareness of state bodies in countries in the South on the management of migratory flows and the protection of the rights of migrants and refugees. This program focuses on North Africa, the Middle East, Gulf States, Turkey and Sub-Saharan Africa. The activities planned aim to document the situation of migrants in the target countries, provide training to and raise awareness of local associations as well as state institutions, and mobilise intergovernmental organisations, in particular the African Union, the League of Arab States, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Its implementation will be adapted to decisions taken by the FIDH Congress on this theme. FIDH/14

15 8. MOBILISING THE COMMUNITY OF STATES: ACTING WITHIN INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS FIDH will maintain its significant commitment within intergovernmental organisations and continue to act as a liaison for its member and partner organisations. United Nations Through the permanent delegation with the UN in Geneva, FIDH is in contact with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other intergovernmental organisations based in Geneva, diplomatic representations and the main international NGOs. In 2005, FIDH also opened a liaison office with the UN in New York. This access allows for a wider circulation of FIDH s information and the development of capacity of action of FIDH s member and partner organisations. It also allows for the systematic monitoring of the sessions of the Human Rights Council and the process of reform of UN human rights protection mechanisms. Maintaining FIDH action with Treaty Bodies and follow-up to recommendations Since April 2000, FIDH has implemented a training program on Treaty Bodies for NGOs at the time of the preparation and presentation by states of their periodic reports. Within this program, FIDH has invited in the last five years some 150 representatives of its member or partner organisations to meet with the experts of the committees and has submitted a corresponding number of alternative reports to the various committees. The meetings are organised during training sessions in Geneva or New York, and are preceded and/or followed by complementary missions in the field to complete the information available and assist in the follow-up and assessment of the implementation of the recommendations adopted. In 2006, FIDH renewed funding for these activities, extending the sphere of intervention to the monitoring of sessions of the Human Rights Council and to referrals to Special Procedures. In 2007, the implementation of this program will continue, with special attention to the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, as well as the assessment of the implementation of the recommendations made by the Treaty Bodies. There will also be an extension towards other protection mechanisms (see below). Strengthening support to the Special Procedures The information published by FIDH is usually communicated to one or several Special Procedures inherited from the Commission on Human Rights. The funds obtained in 2006 will enable FIDH to develop the communication with special procedures and to provide training to defenders on the use of these procedures. In 2007, FIDH will also work for the strengthening of Special Procedures in the context of reforms of the United Nations, in particular following the Human Rights Council s decision in 2006 to extend the reform of procedures to the elaboration of a code of conduct. Supporting and contributing to the work of the Human Rights Council and ensuring the establishment of procedures to strengthen protection by the international community against human rights violations In 2006, FIDH, which maintained an important and constant presence within the United Nations FIDH/15

16 Commission and Sub-Commission on human rights, obtained resources to support the participation of its member and partner organisations in the sessions of the Human Rights Council. As follow-up to action during the first sessions of the Council, FIDH will accompany human rights defenders before the Council, provide training on the use of human rights protection procedures and participate in the work of the Council with substantive country, thematic and normative contributions. These activities will target in particular the special sessions of the Human Rights Council, in order to enable the representation of local human rights defenders on these occasions, as in 2006 during the special session on Sudan. Since 2005, FIDH has also taken an active part in negotiations on the reform of United Nations human rights protection bodies, with the objective that the Human Rights Council strengthens protection granted by the international community against human rights violations throughout the world. In 2007, FIDH will pursue this commitment, which will come within the framework of the two working groups on the review of mechanisms, in charge of universal periodic review and the review of the the mandates of special procedures, as well as the working group on the agenda and working methods, which are to complete their work by mid In keeping with awareness raising activities carried out in 2006, FIDH will continue its work in cooperation with its member and partner organisations to strengthen their mobilisation on the issue of reform at the local level with their respective authorities. Developing the FIDH liaison office with the United Nations in New York The recently opened liaison office with the United Nations in New York aims to increase the awareness of UN actors in New York about information published by FIDH and its member organisations. In 2007, the office will pursue this action by increasingly involving representatives of its member organisations. This action will deal with three specific themes: 1. Establish a close contact with the new United Nations Secretary General and his team; 2. Strengthen interaction with members of the Security Council, with the aim of increasing consideration of the promotion and protection of human rights in situations coming under its mandate. As in 2006, actions planned in 2007 will focus in particular on situations in Haiti, Central African Republic, Côte d'ivoire, DRC, Sudan, Burma, and in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; 3. Raise awareness on the protection of human rights in the context of counter-terrorism (with the Security Council and the Committee against terrorism, as well as in the context of the draft Convention against Terrorism). FIDH will also continue to monitor the establishment of the Peace-Building Commission and the United Nations Fund for Democracy. It will also maintain its action with the third Commission of the General Assembly, CEDAW (excpected to move to Geneva before the end of 2007) and the Commission on the Status of Women. European Union FIDH s permanent delegation in Brussels ensures liaison between FIDH s member organisations and the institutions of the European Union (EU). This action aims at the following: Orientation and training of FIDH partners By organising a series of meetings between human rights defenders and representatives of the various institutions, FIDH contributes to providing information on and raise awareness of human rights situations in various countries with the different actors of the European Union s foreign policy, and FIDH/16