Unpo Brochure 2009

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UNPOs Founding Members in front of the

Peace Palace, The Hague, 1991

UNPO Chairman Erkin Alptekin

witnesses the signing of the covenant

by representative of Scania GranHansson in 1993. His Holiness the Dalai Lama

visits UNPO in 1994

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Founded in 1991 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, UNPO is unique as aninternational organization in that it is built entirely by its Members. Represen-tatives of Armenia, Australian Aboriginals, the Cordillera, the CrimeanTatars, East Turkestan, Estonia, Georgia, the Greek Minority in Albania,Iraqi Kurdistan, Latvia, Palau, Taiwan, Tatarstan, Tibet and West Papua con-vened to found an organization that would embody, promote, and affirm thevalue of the five principles enshrined in the UNPO Covenant: nonviolence,human rights, democracy and self-determination, environmental protection,and tolerance.

Through this strong connection to those suffering the consequences of theexclusion the organization seeks to address, UNPO has since grown into aprominent and respected international forum. UNPO has been awarded the1991 Tolerance Award, 1992 Social Innovation Award (The Body Shop),

1998 Petra Kelly Peace Award (Heinrich Bll Foundation) and was nomi-nated for the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize and 1994 Right to Livelihood Award.

UNPOs membership has also grown steadily from its original fifteen foun-ders, representing now almost 70 Members worldwide. Although the workof UNPO adapts continually to meet the challenges of its Members and thenature of the international political climate, each Member remains commit-ted to respecting the principles of the UNPO Covenant.

UNPO General Assembly in front of the Peace Palace in 2005

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UNPO works closely with its members in developing effectiveprogramming which will support the central aims and goals ofthe organization. Effective participation plays an important rollin all of UNPOs activities, with the dual goals of raising aware-ness of members internationally and allowing UNPO membersto participate in international dialogue. UNPO collaborates andmaintains close relations with the United Nations and the Euro-pean Union, supporting participation of its Members in interna-tional forums.

Through UNPO, Members have opportunities to present theircases to international bodies such as: the United Nations Hu-man Rights Council, the United Nations Permanent Forum onIndigenous Issues, and European Union institutions.

UNPO Membersconcerns are broughtbefore internationalbodies such as the

7th session of the HRCin Geneva.

Ms. Rebiya Kadeer, Presidentof the World Uyghur Congress

(WUC), and leaders of theUyghur community take partin an intensive program of

lectures, discussions, work-shops and meetings at the

European Parliament.

UNPO arranges training programs and seminars on topics ofmajor concern to its Members. These events always bring to-gether international experts in relevant fields and representa-tives of governments, international organizations and NGOs.Participants are normally trained in human rights, democracy,self-determination, nonviolent methodology and internationallaw. The purpose of these programs is to provide UNPOMembers with tools and knowledge to effectively participate ininternational institutions which can promote their causes.

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Responding to requests from Members, UNPO has organized fact-finding or diplomatic missions to Member areas. The objective ofUNPO missions has been to investigate and report on UNPO Membersituations or to facilitate a peaceful outcome of disputes. UNPO mis-sion reports are distributed to concerned international actors and ac-tion programs are developed as a result.

UNPO Assistant General Secretary for Eastern Europeand Former Soviet Union, Dr. Linnart Mall, and UNPOchairperson, Mr. Erkin Alptekin, in a UNPO Mission toChechnya to monitor elections in 1997.

Charles Uwiragiye,Representative of theBatwa, in a mission toinvestigate the 1994

Genocide in Rwanda.

UNPO ConsultantMichael Gibb and H.E.President Barzani.

UNPO visited Kurdistan-Iraq as a guest of theKurdistan Regional

Government (KRG) inJuly 2007.

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Abkhazia

Aboriginals of Australia

Afrikaner

Ahwazi

Assyria

Balochistan

Batwa

Buffalo River Dene Nation

Burma

Buryatia

Cabinda

Chechen Republic of IchkeriaChin

Chittagong Hill Tracts

Circassia19

Cordillera

Crimean Tatars

East Turkestan

Gilgit BaltistanGreek Minority in Albania

Hmong

Hungarian Minority in Romania

Inkeri

Inner Mongolia

Iranian Kurdistan

Iraqi KurdistanIraqi Turkmen

Kalahui Hawaii

Karenni State 21

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Khmer Krom

Komi

Kosova

MaasaiMapuche

Mari

Mon

Montagnards

Nagalim

Ogoni

OromoRehoboth Basters

Sanjak

Scania

Shan

Sindh

Somaliland

South MoluccasSouthern Azerbaijan

Southern Cameroons

Taiwan

Tibet

Tsimshian

Tuva

UdmurtVhavenda

West Balochistan

Zanzibar

Last update: 19-01-2009


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Documents

Unpo Brochure 2009