ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 1 5 Liberal International Human Rights Committeee ANNUAL REPORT | 3 LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL is Table of Contents the world federation of over 100 liberal and progressive democratic political parties. It was founded in 1947 to strengthen liberal ideas against totalitarianism and communism. Foreword.................................................................................4 Committee Overview..........................................................5 It has become the pre-eminent network for Priority Areas of Work..........................................................6 promoting liberalism, human rights, the rule of law, social justice, a market economy and free trade. Freedom of Belief...........................................................7 LGBT Rights.....................................................................8 Liberal International is the only political Women’s Rights...........................................................10 international with a human rights committee that Responsibility to Protect..........................................12 actively contributes to the working mechanisms of the United Nations through its UN ECOSOC Geneva Summit for Human Rights...............................16 consultative status. Human Rights Council......................................................18 Annual Parliamentarians Meeting.........................19 Search for ‘Liberal International’ on: Participation at 28-30th Sessions...........................20 LI Human Rights Bulletin.................................................22 LI Prize for Freedom...........................................................23 Or simply visit us at liberal-international.org 4 | ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT | 5 Building a global Committee coalition for freedom Overview A belief in fundamental human rights is intrinsic to all liberals; our belief in these basic values – liberty, equality, the rule of law to name but three, define us. But if we wish to make human rights universal we must find ways to convince leaders beyond our The 193rd LI Executive Committee held in Hong Kong in November 2014 renewed the mandate of the LI Human Rights Committee own political family. Throughout the calendar year 2015, the Liberal International Human Rights Committee has been expanding for a second three year period (2015-2017) which saw an increase in both its membership and priority work areas. its influence and finding new partners to spread our human rights ambitions. In total, 13 representatives from 11 countries, across 5 continents were selected to deliver on the Committee’s newly ratified Throughout its numerous and varied activities in 2015, the LI HRC marked a number of successes within and beyond the field priorities which include the promotion and advancement of Women’s Rights, LGBTI rights, Responsibility to Protect Principle of international politics: with our quarterly LI Human Rights Bulletin we are communicating liberal values on human rights and Freedom of Belief. issues to a wider audience than ever before while our hosting of the first liberal debate on the future of the responsibility to protect principle, following its inception 10 years ago, drew multi-national and multi-latereral representation, helping to find Further to this, the LI Bureau had re-confirmed Frank Van Dalen as the Chairman of the LI LGBTI Rights Working Group (VVD, LI new partners to better promote universal human rights. full-member) and had selected Dr. Ketty Chen as the Chairwoman of the LI Women Rights Working Group (DPP, LI full-member). More information about the new committee and its work along with the biography of all Committee members can be found Liberals have been vocal and present in taking on the biggest threats to human rights, wherever they might occur. In Dakar, on the LI website. Senegal Liberal International convened a panel on the rise of religious extremism in Africa, within the fringes of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Pacific, Africa and Caribbean (ALDE PAC) conference, paving the way for this timely topic to be foregrounded in LI’s future work. Alongside this, LI has championed global human rights issues by strengthening strategic partnerships with the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York, with the robust participation of liberals in contributing to the work of these institutions. LI has been at the forefront of global voices in developing international dialogue on, and calling for, the globalization of the Council of Europe’s Liberals have been vocal Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence Against Women while the worldwide LGBTI movement has received sustained and present in taking support through the exponential work of our LGBTI Working Group. on the biggest threats to The LI Human Rights Committee has a bright future and twinned with this, liberals around the world can be proud and assured that, as human rights, wherever the Committee prepares to begin a second mandate, authoritarians, despots, and oppressors of people cannot rest easy; liberals around they might occur. the world, united by a fundamental belief in freedom, will not rest. As we prepare to welcome a new committee in 2016, I would like to thank my colleagues for their dedication to unveiling and challenging those who stifle liberty and look forward to working with the same determination and purpose with an even larger cadre of human rights defenders. Yours sincerely Markus Löning Vice-President on the Bureau of Liberal International Chairman of LI Human Rights Committee 6 | ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT | 7 PRIORITY WORK Freedom of Belief AREAS In partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF - LI cooperating organisation) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group in the European Parliament (ALDE Group - LI full-member), Liberal International hosted a fringe event on forming robust liberal strategies to counter the rise of religious extremism in Africa. The discussions focused on tackling youth radicalisation, promoting inter-faith dialogue and balancing the role of cultural values. Key questions were posed to understand the truths and myths behind the notion of tolerance and recognition, vis-a-vis the respect for religious pluralism and the right not to believe along with the feasibility of regulating hate speech. The event was chaired by the Head of LI Human Rights Programme Tamara Dancheva and featured as speakers the Parliamentary Leader of the Senegalese Democratic Party Mamadou Diagne Fada MP (PDS - LI full-member), the South African Deputy Shadow Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Santosh Kalyan MP (DA - LI full-member) and the International Officer of the Senegalese Movement of Patriots for Development Dr. Mamadou Diallo (MPD Liggey). 8 | ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT | 9 SOFIA PRIDE EVENT LI Launches LGBTQI Strategies many good reasons to have homosexuality FOR MEMBER parties decriminalized and social acceptance Speaking at the 8th Annual Sofia Pride stimulated” emphasized Van Dalen. Event (held on 26-27 June), the largest- In a key-note address delivered during The World Bank estimates that the cost ever LGBT Pride gathering in Bulgaria, an international seminar on LGBTI Rights of homophobia in India alone is nearly Frank van Dalen delivered the keynote organized by the Liberal Gay and Lesbian 31 billion dollars. speech to the event under the title Network of Germany, Chair of LI LGBTI Winning or Losing: Global LGBTI politics Working Group, Frank Van Dalen, intro- This was the first seminar in a series of and developments. duced a document outlining key LGBTIQ seminars aimed at delivering a global strategies for liberal parties across the liberal diversity agenda. Future seminars Predicting that Bulgaria will eventually world (please see table below). might focus on issues such as refugees, join the growing list of countries with education, health, family, liberal coopera- legalised same-sex marriage, he praised The main focus for the discussions was tion, relations with the private sector as the recent progress of same-sex marriage the active participation of Liberal Interna- well as the role of the market economy in Ireland, Greenland, and the United tional in the lobby for better safeguards and party strategies. States and noted the victory for liberal at the World Bank, in order to secure the values in a number of other countries position of LGBTI people in homophobic The seminar was attended by participants across the globe. and criminalised environments and create from 15 countries from around the world a more LGBTI-friendly world. and it was held in the Theodor Heuss Academy of FNF in Gummersbach. The “Whereas LGBTI organisations are fighting Swedish International Liberal Centre “Liberal values to improve the situation for LGBTI people (SILC - LI cooperating organisation) around the world, no other political co-hosted the event, having supported are key for ideology other than liberalism actually the participation of delegates from across embraces the fight for individual freedom, Eastern Europe. LGBTI Rights LGBTI people non-discrimination and the rule of law protecting people. For liberals, there are to build a safe, Liberal International lends support to the global pride movement inclusive future” SIX CORNERSTONES FOR LIBERAL / LGBTIQ STRATEGIES Providing support for the Global Pride Movement is a primary Frank van Dalen delivered statements as part of an