Oral statements delivered at the Forum/Written Submissions of the Forum on Minority Issues 2015

I. Opening meeting

• Statement by the President of the Human Rights Council, Mr Joachim Rücker
• Statement by the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Flavia Pansieri
• Statement by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Ms Rita Izsák
• Remarks by the Chair of the Forum on Minority Issues, Mr Joshua Castellino

II. Legal framework and key concepts

Assigned Speakers

• Ms Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, President, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
• Mr Régis de Gouttes, Premier Avocat Général honoraire à la Cour de Cassation, Former member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
• Ms Gay McDougall, Former Independent expert on minority issues and member-elect of CERD.
• Mr Asbjørn Eide, Senior fellow of the Norwegian Center for Human Rights and former Chairman of the UN Working Group on Minorities
• Mr Henrik Villadsen, Director, Office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities, OSCE

Participants

• European Union of Coptic Org HR
• United Copts of Great Britain
• Defence for Children International – Terres des Hommes
• Institute for Youth Development, Kyrgyzstan
• Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist and Christians Unity Council - Europe
• Mexico
• Association for Human Rights in Kurdistan of Iran - Geneva
• Lithuania
• National Dalit Movement for Justice - NCDHR
• Colombia
• Stitching Ezidis Charity Association Nederland
• Kurdocide Watch-CHAK
• Hazara United Movement (HUM)

III. 15:00--18:00: Minorities and the exercise of police powers

Assigned Speakers

• Mr György Makula, Deputy head of Communication Service of National Police Headquarters, Hungary and Chairman of Fraternal Association of European Roma Law Enforcement Officers
• Ms Jennifer Robinson, Lawyer at Bertha Foundation
• Ms Nimalka Fernando President, The International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR)
• Mr John Lamberth, Phd, President of Lamberth Consulting

Participants

• Freedom Front Plus South Africa
• Ogaden Youth and Students Union
• Centre Zagros pour les Droits de l’Homme
• AHRAZ – Association for the Human Rights of the people in Iran
• Direction Aux Affaires Savoisiennes
• Association des Nations de l’Hexagone
• Association ARC pour la défense des droits de l’homme du peuple Azerbaïdjan
• Nationalities Unities and Progress Association of China
• Fokus Women
• Attorney Team for Victims of Illegal Investigation against Muslims
• Corporation Afro-Cristian para la Investigacion y DH
• YASA (Kurdish Center for Studies and Legal Consultancies)
• Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace
• Sudanese Human Rights Activist Expert
• Swedish Achehnese Association
• National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka
• Yezidy Minority
• Support Nepal
• Minority Rights Group International
• Legal Clinic Network
• World Uyghur Congress
• African Rights Monitor
• Council Popular of Chaldean Syriac Assyrians
• Association for the Defense of Ahlubayt Rights
• Association de Lutte Contre La Dependance
• Comitato per il Censimento Internazionale del Popolo Veneto
• Ahwaz Human Rights Organization
• Social Action Center – No Borders Project
• China
• Bangladesh, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council Europe

IV. Challenges of criminal justice systems in addressing the needs and demands of minorities

Assigned Speakers

• Mr André Salvador Bezerra, President of Associação dos Juízes para a Democracia (Judges Association for Democracy), Brazil
• Ms Taghreed Jaber, Regional Director Middle East & North Africa Office, Penal Reform International
• Mr. András László Pap, Professor of Law, Hungarian Academic of Sciences and former Rapporteur for the European parliament on ethnicity and race based profiling in counter-terrorism law enforcement and border control
• Ms Durga Sob, Feminist Dalit Organization, Nepal
• Ms Salimata Lam, Programme Coordinator at SOS-Esclave, Mauritania

Participants

• Anti-discrimination Centre Memorial/Center for Civil Liberties
• AfriForum
• Zakir Amanbaev
• China
• Youth Organization of Helsinki Citizens Assembly of Moldova
• Quaker United Nations Office
• Unrepresented Nations and People Organisation (UNPO)
• Sinjar Foundation for Human Development
• Public Defender of Georgia
• Nuba Mountain Peoples Foundation
• Baha’i International Community
• Suham Vacek
• Croatia
• ABTTF – Federation of Western Thrace Turcs in Europe
• Austria
• Norway
• Penal reform International
• USA
• Universala Esperanto-Asocio (UEA)
• Acheh Sumatra National Liberation Front
• Association pour la Promotion de la Francophonie en Flandre (APFF)
• Canada
• Arab Center for Research and Studies
• Autistic Minority International
• Mauritania
• Indonesia National Commission on Violence against Women
• Sawra for Human Rights
• European Union
• Nourredine Bessadi
• Faycel Didi
• Abdelmalek Joubair Elidrissi Iammari
• Gabooye Minority Organisation Europe and North America
• Russian Federation
• Mexico

V.  Addressing the root causes of discrimination in the administration of justice

Assigned speakers

• M. Mutuma Ruteree, UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
• Ms Louise Finer, Senior Policy Officer and National Preventive Mechanism Coordinator, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons for England and Wales
• Mr Francis Kpatindé, Journalist and Maître de conférences à l'Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (SciencesPo.)
• Mr Kadayam S. Subramanian, Journalist, Former Director General of Police for Tripura State, India.

Participants

• Nareen Shammo
• Greece
• Navsarjan Trust
• Italy
• Salam For Democracy and Human Rights
• Pakistan
• Secular Bangladesh Movement
• Ogaden People’s Rights
• Kurdish Committee for Human Rights
• Ilays Media
• Organization for Defending Victims of Violence (ODVV)
• Serbia
• Legal Information Centre for Human Rights
• Brazil
• Center for Research and Protection of Fundamental Rights
• Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
• Harikar NGO
• US Human Rights Network
• Syrian Arab Republic
• Indonesia
• Civil Centre for Peace, Justice and Development (CCPJD)
• Hazara United Movement
• Council Popular of Chaldean Syriac Assyrian
• Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights
• Stitching Ezidis Charity Association Nederland
• Centre Zagros pour les Droits de l’Homme
• Elono Veliu
• Ahwaz Human Rights Organization
• Ethiopia

VI. Concluding remarks by the Chairperson of the Forum on Minority Issues and the Special Rapporteur on minority issues.

• Chairperson of the Forum on Minority Issues, Mr Joshua Castellino
• Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Ms Rita Izsak