Annual Review 2003

Annual Review minority rights 2003 group international 2 Cover: Hazara girl in Afghanistan. Director’s report 3 Iva Zimova/Panos Pictures Below: Palestinian boy walking along concrete barricades in the West Bank Promoting cooperation village of Sawachra. Ahikam Seri/Panos Pictures between communities Minority Rights Group Much of the urgent work of a majority populations societies in Iraq and MRG works all over the world International (MRG) is a non- human rights organization is to understand the needs and Afghanistan. with partner organizations governmental organization expose abuses of rights concerns of minorities, abuses representing minorities and (NGO) working to secure the wherever they occur, and to will decrease. And preventing No two societies are the same, indigenous peoples who are rights of ethnic, religious and push for them to be stopped. violations of human rights is a and each will have its own anxious to play a fuller part in linguistic minorities and The appalling treatment of lot better than publicizing pattern of ethnic, religious and the societies in which they live. minority indigenous peoples worldwide Haitian migrants in the violations after they occur. linguistic traditions. The Yet too often, through poverty rights and to promote cooperation Caribbean, the threat to the Constitution and laws of each or through prejudice, they are and understanding between intellectual property rights of Although politicians and country need to reflect and excluded from the institutions group communities. indigenous and tribal peoples governments often talk about manage that diversity. But of government, the media and in Asia, and the grave situation promoting harmony, they rarely common to all is the need to the economy. This annual international Our activities are focused on faced by the Batwa people of appreciate what is needed to ensure protection for minorities. review highlights our efforts to international advocacy, Central Africa are just three of translate fine words into That includes implementing overcome these barriers and training, publishing and the issues which Minority genuine cooperation on the safeguards for the lives, our work in tandem with outreach. We are guided by Rights Group International ground. This may include freedoms and identities of international development the needs expressed by our (MRG) publicized in 2003. technical issues, such as minorities and establishing agencies to promote genuine worldwide network of partner designing the constitutional effective means of redress if cooperation between organizations which represent But an equally important part structures that can enable the their rights are violated. This is communities. If minorities are minorities and indigenous of our work is to promote public participation of all a particularly difficult task in able to feel a valued part of peoples. MRG works with cooperation and groups in society or achieve an societies with recent society, then mutual over 150 organizations in over understanding between appropriate balance between experience of inter-ethnic understanding and 50 countries. Our governing communities. If there is a base national unity and local conflict – as our work in the cooperation will flourish. The Council, which meets twice a of mutual cooperation autonomy. Last year MRG former Yugoslavia demonstrates benefits in terms of peace, year, has members from 10 between different ethnic or sought to address these – but one that is absolutely democracy and development different countries. religious groups, conflict is questions in the complex essential for reconciliation and are those in which all society less likely to develop. If processes of building new future stability. can share. MRG has consultative Director’s report . .3 status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council Building new societies (ECOSOC), and observer in Iraq and Afghanistan . .4 status with the African Minorities as partners Commission on Human and Mark Lattimer in development . .6 Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). Director Reconciliation in MRG is registered as a South-East Europe . .8 charity and a company limited by guarantee under International networking English law. for change . .10 Financial report 2003 . .12 Getting our message across . .15 4 The most important 5 Building new societies step“ towards the development of a in Iraq and Afghanistan common national identity would be a constitution- drafting process that involved all Iraq’s different communities” MRG writing in The Economist In the first part of 2003 English and Arabic language session on the humanitarian international headlines were versions of the report reached and human rights situation in dominated by the impending some 10,000 people, including Iraq, MRG convened a public war in Iraq. As the war key decision-makers at the meeting on this subject at the became increasingly likely, United Nations (UN), in the US Palais des Nations in Geneva in MRG thought it essential to State Department and April, with the UN Special consider the requirements for Department of Defense, in the Rapporteur on Iraq. preventing inter-communal UK Foreign and Commonwealth conflict and protecting minority Office and Department of MRG has also continued to Right: Young girl with traditional rights, both in the months to International Development, as monitor developments in post- flat bread in a village near Kabul, follow and in the longer-term. well as other major advocacy conflict Afghanistan, and in Afghanistan. We interviewed a panel of targets at national and December published a briefing Karen Robinson/Panos Pictures internationally-renowned international level. MRG held highlighting the growing threats experts in conflict prevention, detailed discussions with to democracy in Afghanistan human rights and individual members of the task and the need to ensure ethnic constitutional law, to help forces established by the UN and religious minority protection draw up ground rules for and its agencies to plan the in the new Constitution. building democracy in post- humanitarian response to the totalitarian Iraq. situation in Iraq. Our technical MRG’s work on Iraq and input came at a time when little Afghanistan was covered Five weeks before the start of other guidance was available, extensively in the media, the war, we published the but there was a real risk of including CNN, BBC World report Building Democracy in Coalition policy exacerbating Service, BBC Radio 4 Today, Iraq. It presented the first tensions between the country’s Voice of America, The Economist, detailed analysis of the options different communities. The Guardian, The Independent, for a constitutional process and Al-Hayat and Al-Quds. the mechanisms for In February MRG submitted establishing inclusive written evidence to a UK democracy. It considered the parliamentary inquiry held by the …good governance, need to entrench those features International Development respect“ for human that are essential to a genuinely Committee on the humanitarian rights and the rule of democratic society, including consequences of military action fair representation, cooperation against Iraq. MRG’s analysis and law are not optional between communities, the rule recommendations were taken when it comes to …an excellent of law and respect for human account of in the Committee’s rebuilding a country, “ rights. In particular, it analysed conclusions and our evidence and very useful the risk posed by inter-ethnic reprinted in the official report. but an intrinsic part of and inter-confessional conflict, Following the decision by the reconstruction report… and the action necessary to try UN Commission on Human Above: Iraqi women pass the scene of ” an attack against US troops in Baghdad. senior advisor to the UN High ” and avoid it. Rights not to hold a special MRG writing in The Guardian Farah Nosh/Panos Pictures Commissioner for Human Rights 6 This study is 7 really“ important … [it] has the potential to influence other development and funding agencies” World Bank staff commenting on MRG’s study on Afro-descendants in Latin America It is now accepted that lose their jobs or livelihoods as development. Last year MRG development cooperation is a consequence of economic and its partner, the Centre for Minorities as best conducted as a change. In other cases, Minority Rights in Development partnership between donors indigenous peoples are forced (CEMIRIDE) in Nairobi and less-developed countries. off their land to make way for published Kenya’s Castaways, partners However, it is a partnership big infrastructure projects. So- highlighting the situation of the from which minorities and called ‘development’ can thus Ogiek in Kenya’s national indigenous peoples are often lead to social division – or even development process. At the in development excluded, threatening the violent conflict. launch of the study, the Kenyan success of development minister for lands and initiatives and the attainment Since 1999 MRG has worked settlement finally pledged a of the Millennium with minority partner review of the policy on land for Development Goals. organizations in some 20 marginalized groups. countries to publicize their Development programmes may experiences of development Other action-oriented research Your case is attempt to follow a strategic policies and to ensure that they published last year focused on similar“ to that of the approach to poverty reduction, can genuinely participate in the the experiences of the Kihals in but they can have the effect of development

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