NGO Call for UN Convention on Enforced Disappearances
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: March 12, 2006
WUNRN release
enforced disappearances:
NGO
Declaration
“Building
protection for the victims of disappearances cannot be held hostage
to
transitional arrangements”
NGOs
call on Member States to adopt Draft Convention on Enforced Disappearance
at
the 62nd
Commission on Human Rights
We,
the undersigned NGOs call on Member States of the UN Commissionon Human Rights
to adopt the Draft
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance
at the 62nd
and ultimate session and to transmit it to the General Assembly for its final
adoption.
We
fear that the Commission, for reasons of transitional arrangements, would
postpone the adoption of the text to hand it to the Council. Yet, we believe that further delaying
its adoption would jeopardize it.
Postponing
the adoption of such an important text for procedural reasons would be an act of
betrayal for the families of victims that have been working for the adoption of
the text for many years: building protection for the families of victims cannot
be held hostage to transitional arrangements. The Commission has a historical
opportunity to adopt the Draft Convention and it should not let it
pass.
The
Convention fills a huge gap in international law: the absence at the universal
level of a treaty addressing the multiple human rights violations and the
international crime that is enforced disappearance.
This
text, adopted by consensus on 23 September 2005 by the intersessional Working
Group established by the Commission, is the result of several years of work of
the Working Group. The consensus was reached thanks to the constructive spirit
of all delegations. The Draft
Convention
is now before the Commission for its adoption.
Since
1980, when the first ever independent enquiry mechanism of the Commission on
Human Rights, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances was
established, the Commission has made tireless efforts to face this hideous
practice of enforced disappearance. In 1992, the Commission adopted the
Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance.
In 2006, as this work is nearing its end, it would be incomprehensible if the
Commission did not renew its commitment against enforced disappearance and did
not adopt the Draft
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance.
First
Signatories
1
International Commission of Jurists, Nicholas Howen, Secretary
General
2
Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l’Homme (FIDH), Sidiki Kaba,
President
3
Human Rights Watch, Reed Brody
4
SOLIDA (Soutien aux Libanais Détenus Arbitrairement),
Wadih Al-Asmar, Vice Président
5
FEDEFAM (Latin American Federation ofAssociations of Relatives of Disappeared
Detainees),
Patricio
Rice Membre du Conseil d’Administration,
6
TASSC (Torture Abolition Survivors Support Coalition), Patricio Rice Membre du
Conseil d’Administration,
7
International Service for Human Rights, Switzerland, Chris Sidoti, Director,
8
Humanist Committee on Human Rights, Dave Hardy,
9
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) Malawi, Undule Mwakasungura,
Acting Executive Director,
10
Association of World Citizens, Rene Wadlow, chief
representative,
11
People’s Empowerment Consortium (PEC), Heru Atmodjo,
12
Indonesian
Association of Families of the Disappeared (IKOHI), Indonesia, Mugiyanto,
Chairperson
13
May 18 Memorial Foundation, South Korea, Agnes
Gurning,
14
Commite of
Action Solidarity for Munir (KASUM), Indonesia,
Suciwati,member,
15
Prasis,
Jakarta, Indonesia, Ayi Bunyamin, Eksecutive
Secretary,
16 Global Network for the Prevention of
Torture (GNPT), Dhaka, Bangladesh, Mr. Fazlous Satter, coordinator
17
Indonesia’s NGO Coalition for International Human Rights Advocacy (HRWG),
Indonesia, Rafendi Djamin, Coordinator,
18
Nonviolence International – Southeast Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, Alfredo Ferrariz
Lubang, Regional Representative,
19
Institute
of Advocation for Rehabilitation of The Victims of New Order Regime of Indonesia
(shortened in Indonesia LPRKROB), Sumaun Utomo, President,
20
KONTRAS The
Commission of Disappearance and Victims of Violence, Indonesia, Coordinator,
21
Asian Federation Against involuntary disappearances
(AFAD), Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso,
Secretary-General,
22
German Forum Human Rights, Theodor Rathgeber,
23
International Association of democratic lawyers, Belgium, Jitendra Sharma,
President,
24
International Educational Development to the statement, Karen Parker, Chief
delegate to UN,
25
FIACAT,
Marie-Jo Cocher, Secrétaire exécutive,
26
LUCIS
TRUST, Switzerland, Ghislaine de Reydet, Secretary
General,
27
Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de España, Luis
Acebal-Monfort,
Vicepresident
Secretary General
28
Human Rights Lecturer Constitutional Department, Faculty of
Law Airlangga University -Indonesia, R. Herlambang Perdana Wiratraman,
29
Socialist International Women (SIW), United Kingdom, Karin Stasius, Geneva Permanent
Representative of SIW
30
Truth
and Justice Commission (TJC), Pakistan, Mohammad Farooq Niazi ,Chairperson
31
Program
ManagerHuman Rights Center Ateneo de Manila School of Law, Philippines, Ray
Paolo J. Santiago,
32
Franciscans International, Alessandra Aula,
33
Dominicans for Justice and Peace, Philippe LeBlanc,
34
Nord-Sud XXI, Suisse, Ahmad Soueissi, Directeur Général
35
Association
of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), India,
Parvez Imroz, Patron
36
Families
of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND), Raquel Paca-Santos, Secretary
General,
37
Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Renato Mabunga, Secretary
General
38
Coalition Against Involuntary Disappearances (CAID) Philippines, Nilda
L.Sevilla, Head Convenor,
39
Peace Advocates for Truth, Healing
and Justice (PATH), Philippines, Robert Francis
B. Garcia,
Secretary
General,
40
Institute of Advocation for Rehabilitation of The Victims of New Order Regime of
Indonesia (shortened in Indonesia LPRKROB), Sumaun Utomo, President,
41
International Association Against Torture, Fernando Ruiz, Permanent
Representative at Geneva,
42
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Bangkok, Thailand,
Anselmo Lee, Executive Director,
43
Earthjustice, Yves Lador, Permanent Representative at Geneva,
44
YAMAJO, yayasan madani jombang, Muslim Abdilla, Executive
Director,
45
World Student Christian Federation, Michael Wallace, General
Secretary,
46
Amnesty International, Peter Splinter, Permanent Representative at Geneva,
47
Advocacy Forum,
Mandira Sharma, Chair Person,
48 Informal
Sector Service Centre (INSEC), Subodh Raj Pyakurel, Chair Person,
49 Himalayan Human Rights Monitoring (HIMRIGHTS), Anjana
Shakya, Chair Person
50 Child
Workers in Nepal (CWIN), Gauri Pradhan, Chair
Person,
51 INHURED
International, Gopal Siwakoti, Chair Person,
52 National Human
Rights Foundation, Bhwani Kharel, Chair Person,
53 Human Rights
Organization of Nepal (HURON), Charan Prasain, Chair
Person,
54 Forum for Women
Law and Development, Sapana Pradhan Malla, Chair
Person,
55 Children Women
and Social Service and Human Rights (CWISH), Santa Adhikary, Chair
Person,
56 Jagaran Media
Centre, Subas Kumar Darnal, Chair Person,
57 Jagaran Nepal,
Sarmila Karki, Chair Person,
58 Centre for
Victims of Torture, Bhogendra Sharma, Chair Person
59 Rural
Reconstruction Nepal, Rishi Adhikary, General
Secretary
60 Association of
Families of Disappered People by the State, Moti Maya Poudel, Central Committee
Member
61 On behalf of
NGO Federation of Nepal (Umbrella organization of more than 2000 NGOS in Nepal),
Arjun Karki, Chair Person
62 On behalf of
Defend for Human Rights Movement in Nepal, Shovakar Bhudhathoki, Coordinator (27
Human Rights organisaiton’s network)
63 On behalf of
Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP) Network of more than 30 human rights and
peace related NGOs network, Bijaya Guidel, Manager,
64 On behalf of
Treaty Monitoring Coordinating Committee (Network of 44 Human Rights
Organizations), Bidhya Chapagain, Coordinator,
65 On behalf of
Federation of Nepalese Journalists, Purna Basnet, Central Committee
Member(umbrella organization of more than 5000 journalists of
Nepal),
66 On behalf of
Dalit NGO Federation, Durga Sob, Central Committee Member (Umbrella organization
of more than 300 Dalit Organization),
67 On behalf of
Nepal Bar Association, Sambhu Thapa, Chair Person (Umbrella Organization of more
than 8000 lawyers of Nepal),
68 Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l’amitié entre les
peuples (MRAP), Gianfranco Fottorini, Permanent Representative to
UNOG,
69 Women’s
International League for Peace anf Freedom, Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter, Human
Rights Intern,
70 Association for
cold education, David G.Litteman,
71 World Union for
Progressive Judaism, David G.Litteman,
72 World Alliance
of YMCAs, Alexander Geutsch, Representative to CHR,
73 World Young
Women’s Christian Organization (YWCA),
74 Pan Pacific and
South East Asia Women’s Association
International,
75 Pax Romana, Budi Tjahjono, Representative to
UN
Report
date published: 27/04/2005 Save the Children is today calling on world leaders to better protect The report identifies Speaking on the report, Mike Aaronson, Director General for Save “When people picture conflict they think of men |
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