RE: Human Rights Seminar: UPR Implementation in Laos - Information in Lao & Eng...

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Feb 17, 2011, 9:18:45 PM2/17/11
to agnieszka....@helvetas.org, lao...@googlegroups.com, Agnieszka, ADRA, Grant Hillier, Angela Kahl, GAA, Anne Sophie Gindroz, Asia Foundation,Somphou Keomounmany, Asian Foundation, Gretchen A. Kunze, CARE, Suzie Albone, Christina Warning GAA, CIDSE, CIDSE, Khankham, Cord, Dennis McMahon, CORD, Luisa Perticucci, CRWRC, Mike Fennema, DED, Simon Freund, DED; Siegfried Moser, Friends International, Mark Turgesen, GAA Lao, GAA, Holger Grages, GAA, Peter Greindl, GDG, Boutsady Khounnouvong, HIB, Christa WEICHERT, ICS, Cathrine Whybrow, INGO Network, Phonemany, LEAP, phoutthasinh, Mona Girgis, CARE, NCA, Henrik Schmith, Oxfam-Novib, Babeth Lefur, PCF,Ounkham Souksavanh, rik delnoye, Sara Alexander CRS, SCA, Matthew Pickard, SCA, Sarah Morgan, SCN, John Reinstein, sigrun....@welthaus.at, SNV, Nicolette Matthijsen, Swiss Red Cross(SRC); Jean-Marc Thomé, Timo Kuronen, KEPA, amphone.so...@gmail.com, inthana bouphasavanh, ouk...@yahoo.co.th, sisa...@rrdtc.org, khamphoui, Sombath Somphone, THONGDAM PHONGPHICHITH, innakhone vorachak, in...@lao-npa-network.org
Hi Agnieszka,

Thanks for sharing the information, and I agree with you that it's important
to coordinate on these issues. As I indicated earlier on LaoSHEL, the iNGO
Network was not invited, nor was I aware of the fact that the meeting took
place. So I would like to encourage all members to share information about
meetings they feel are relevant for more iNGOs and NPAs, then the Network
could follow up and coordinate.

Cheers,

Rio

_________________________

Rio Pals,

INGO Coordinator and Liaison Officer

INGO Network in Lao PDR

<blocked::http://www.directoryofngos.org/> www.directoryofngos.org

+856 (0)20 55599006

In case you need information in Lao Language, please contact Sapphasine at:
<mailto:ingonetw...@directoryofngos.org>
ingonetw...@directoryofngos.org

_____

From: Agnieszka Kroskowska [mailto:agni...@gmail.com] On Behalf Of
Agnieszka Kroskowska
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 10:44 PM
To: lao...@googlegroups.com; 'Agnieszka'; 'ADRA, Grant Hillier'; 'Angela
Kahl, GAA'; 'Anne Sophie Gindroz'; 'Asia Foundation,Somphou Keomounmany ';
'Asian Foundation, Gretchen A. Kunze '; 'CARE, Suzie Albone'; 'Christina
Warning GAA'; 'CIDSE'; 'CIDSE, Khankham'; 'Cord, Dennis McMahon'; 'CORD,
Luisa Perticucci'; 'CRWRC, Mike Fennema'; 'DED, Simon Freund'; 'DED;
Siegfried Moser'; 'Friends International, Mark Turgesen '; 'GAA Lao '; 'GAA,
Holger Grages'; 'GAA, Peter Greindl'; 'GDG, Boutsady Khounnouvong'; 'HIB,
Christa WEICHERT'; 'ICS, Cathrine Whybrow'; 'INGO Network Rio'; 'INGO
Network, Phonemany'; 'LEAP, phoutthasinh'; 'Mona Girgis, CARE'; 'NCA, Henrik
Schmith'; 'Oxfam-Novib, Babeth Lefur'; 'PCF,Ounkham Souksavanh '; 'rik
delnoye'; 'Sara Alexander CRS'; 'SCA, Matthew Pickard'; 'SCA, Sarah Morgan';
'SCN, John Reinstein'; sigrun....@welthaus.at; 'SNV, Nicolette
Matthijsen'; 'Swiss Red Cross(SRC); Jean-Marc Thomé'; 'Timo Kuronen, KEPA'
Cc: amphone.so...@gmail.com; 'inthana bouphasavanh';
ouk...@yahoo.co.th; sisa...@rrdtc.org; 'khamphoui'; 'Oulayvanh'; 'Sombath
Somphone'; 'THONGDAM PHONGPHICHITH'; 'innakhone vorachak';
in...@lao-npa-network.org
Subject: FW: Human Rights Seminar: UPR Implementation in Laos - Information
in Lao & Eng...
Importance: High

Dear all

I wanted to take a moment to share with some information related to the
Human Rights Seminar I attended yesterday on behalf of Helvetas.

National, regional and international representatives and ambassadors of
countries, EU, UN, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights along
with MOFA and GoL Ministries were all in attendance, however regretfully
Helvetas was the only I/NGO - civil society participant.

I am not sure who did or did not get invited, but I do know that our
presence was encouraged and welcome. Regretfully the many times I/NGOs and
Civil Society were referenced by presenters & speakers (from the UN, EU,
Donors, Country Ambassadors and yes GoL)as key partners in development who
should be engaged and included in participatory planning and implementing
processes, 'our' presence was not there to reaffirm these statements and
demonstrate 'our' unified commitment to turn these statements into action by
'showing up' first and foremost. I am concerned that donors and other
agencies will begin to grow tired of waving our flag for us if we are not
there to then bear it and own it. I fear we are potentially self-sabotaging
by not being more consistent in our participation when these types of
opportunities present themselves. I would like to propose we establish an
improved system among and between us to engage each other when we receive
invitations to multi-stakeholder meetings ensuring we all are aware of the
opportunities and we can together, INGO and CSO/NPA better strategize our
combined participation both in numbers and active contribution? What do you
think?

In any case, as mentioned I also wanted to share with you in the experience
of the meeting. The one day seminar was an information and exchange session
to update on the process of implementation the Universal Periodic Review
(UPR) recommendations made to Laos in regard to Human Rights. Today they
had a follow up internal session.

As a UN member State, Laos is partaking in this review process, which is
carried out as a peer review. All UN member states are undergoing and
carrying out these peer reviews, rotating between being a reviewer and being
reviewed.

The outcome of the review process for Laos, identified 107 recommendations/
broad scope. Laos has accepted in full 71 of these recommendations,
supports in part 15 and does not currently support 21. "These 21
recommendations do not enjoy support of the Lao PDR as they do not reflect
the realities in the country or the country is not yet ready to implement
them in the near future such as the abolition of death penalty, ratification
of international legal instruments allowing individual complaints to treaty
bodies, open or standing invitations to UN Special Rapporteurs,
establishment of an independent national human rights institution, and
release of the prisoners convicted for criminal offences, among others. On
the unsupported recommendations relating to ethnic minorities the reason
provided is that under Lao constitution all citizens are equal so
'minorities' and so recommendations on minorities are not applicable in
Laos."

For more info in Lao and English please see below & attached.

<http://www.ilp.gov.la/> http://www.ilp.gov.la/

I also took the opportunity when relevant to contribute. Please see
attached the statement I made with link to the Sayaboury dam and a remark
about Aid Effectiveness. I am happy to report that the PNPCA question I
raised in relation to planning and decision making processes for the
Sayaboury Dam was further discussed during today's internal bi-lateral
proceedings as part of good governance dialogue. I will follow up to know
if there are immediate outputs/responses.

For more information on the Sayaboury Dam in Lao & Eng:

Sayaboury_Factsheet_Lao
<http://lao44.org/2008-07-22-13-04-34.html?func=fileinfo&id=2128>

SEA_Factsheet_Lao
<http://lao44.org/2008-07-22-13-04-34.html?func=fileinfo&id=2129>

Sayaboury_FactSheet_Eng
<https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B4vRAJHY
OpKdZDhjOWMzNzgtNmU0My00MTlmLTgzODctMzAwMjA1NzRmOWM3&hl=en&authkey=COCG28YD>


SEA_Factsheet_Eng
<https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B4vRAJHY
OpKdMTM1M2E2NjktMGE3Ni00ZDQ3LTliYjYtNWNiZjVjYTU3OWI3&hl=en&authkey=CJrewOQB>


Sayaboury_Feasability_Study_Eng
<http://lao44.org/2008-07-22-13-04-34.html?func=fileinfo&id=2156>

Dam_Maps
<https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B4vRAJHY
OpKdZjY4M2VlMmQtMDEwNC00YWE0LWI5N2YtOGQ5OTZlYzY5N2Jj&hl=en&authkey=CK7v4tsD>


Sayaboury_Current_Update_Eng
<https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B4vRAJHY
OpKdZmNjNGQyZDgtMWIyMS00ZDA5LTk0YzItMzQ2Y2VkMjk0MWIx&hl=en&authkey=CMjp7KgN>


Sayaboury_Current_Update_Lao
<https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B4vRAJHY
OpKdNDM4YmEzMjAtMmQ1My00YzBjLTkzYzMtMjhkODE0MmI3NTUy&hl=en&authkey=CKq9k_QC>


Enjoy reading and please feel free to share/ pass on the information.

Take care,

Agnieszka KROSKOWSKA

Program & Communications Advisor

Gender Focal Point

HELVETAS Laos

Swiss Association for International Cooperation

Tel : (856-21) 263 189 ; 486 037 / 038

Tel/Fax : (856-21) 263 190

<http://www.helvetas-laos.org> www.helvetas-laos.org

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