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CEMARD will accomplish its
goals, aims and objectives through human rights education, training,
workshop, dissemination, documentation, fact-finding, research,
publications, advocacy, campaign and networking
PAST ACTIVITIES
October 2004:CEMARD-Bhutan
participated in a Follow-up Workshop on Capacity Building to
Protect Minority Rights and Defend Diversity in South Asia, Mount
Lavinia, Sri Lanka, October 1-3, 2004. The programme was sponsored
by the International Centre For Ethnic Studies (ICES), Sri Lanka .
June 2004:
CEMARD-Bhutan organized a Training
Seminar on International Minority/Human Rights in Kathmandu, Nepal
on June 15-19, 2004. The programme was sponsored by the
International Centre For Ethnic Studies (ICES), Sri Lanka and
Canadian Human Rights Foundation.
March 2004:
CEMARD
attend a meeting
on “The Rights of Non-Citizens: A Discussion among Global Advocates”
on February 28-29, 2004 in Geneva Switzerland and a thematic session on the
rights of non-citizens convened by the United Nations Committee on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva,
Switzerland on March 1-2, 2004. It presented a paper to the CERD
Committee on the plight of Bhutanese refugees and issue of citizenship in
Bhutan It was sponsored by the Open Society Justice Initiative, USA
October, 2003: CEMARD participated in a
Regional
Training Workshop on Capacity Building to Promote and Defend Diversity in
South Asia,
Waduwa, Sri Lanka,
October 4-9,
2003,
organised by International
Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES), Sri Lanka and Canadian Human Rights
Foundation
Some of the activities taken in the past are
enumerated below:
In March, 2001, CEMARD
translated and published a book “A Compilation of International Minority
Rights” from English into Nepali language in the form of one document. The
book contains the principles and provisions for the promotion and
protection of minority rights enshrined in 38 international instruments,
declarations and conventions.
Since 1997, CEMARD's
Executive Director has been publishing articles campaigning and advocating
for establishment of human rights in Bhutan, repatriation of Bhutanese
refugees and highlighting the abuses of human rights in Bhutan in the
leading English daily news papers and magazines of Nepal. He has already
published over 65 articles.
CEMARD organised a human
rights training seminar in June, 2000
CEMARD participated in the
Global Youth Meet held in Kathmandu, Nepal on December 27, 1999 to January
03, 2000 and presented a paper on " Bhutanese refugees: Challenges for
International Community in New Millennium".
CEMARD
participated in a
Seminar on Reporting Mechanisms under the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of
Child held from 13 to 15 December, 1999 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, organised by
the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Geneva, Switzerland in
collaboration with the Centre for Human Rights Studies (CHRS), Colombo, Sri
Lanka.
CEMARD
organised a training seminar on the Human Rights in
July, 1999 and a training seminar on the International Minority Standards in
August, 1999.
CEMARD's
Executive Director participated as an expert participant in the Fifth session of the
United Nations Human Rights Commission’s UN Working Group on Minorities,
Geneva, May 25-31, 1999 and presented his intervention on the Bhutanese
refugee situation.
CEMARD's
Executive Director also
attended an International seminar on Minority Rights organised by the
Minority Rights Group London in Geneva (17-22 May, 1999).
CEMARD's
Executive Director
attended an
international seminar on the Representatives of Minorities in Geneva on 23
May, 1999.
CEMARD presented a Country
Paper on Bhutan entitled, “Bhutanese refugees Trapped between the Three
Nations Geopolitical and Security Concerns” at the Regional Consultation on
Refugees, Displaced Persons and the Statelessness, New Delhi, September 5-7,
1998, organised By the South Asian Forum For Human Rights and the Other
Media, New Delhi, India.
CEMARD
participated in a regional
Consultation on Minority Rights in South Asia, August 21-22, 1998,
Kathmandu, Nepal, organised by the South Asian Forum for Human Rights and ODHIKAR, Bangladesh.
CEMARD's
Executive Director participated as an expert participant in the Fourth session of the UN
Working Group on Minorities, Geneva, May 25-29, 1998 and presented his
intervention on the Bhutanese refugee situation.
CEMARD's
Executive Director
attended an Expert Seminar
on the Role of the Media in Protecting Minorities, Geneva, (May 22-23,
1998), organised by the Minority Rights Group, (INGO) London and
International Services for Human Rights, Geneva.
CEMARD's
Executive Director
also attended a Training
Seminar on International Minority Rights, Geneva, May 18-22, 1998, organised
by the Minority Rights Group, (INGO) London.
CEMARD organised and
completed a training/seminar on Women’s Human Rights and Human Rights for
Bhutanese refugee women, at Kathmandu in July 1997.
Two members of CEMARD
participated in the International Youth Camp and the seminar on the Rights
of Child held in Germany in 1994.
CURRENT
PROGRAMMES/ACTIVITIES
Preparing a report on the “Ethnic
Cleansing of Nepali Speaking Lhotshampa citizens of Southern Bhutan”
Working on a report on the “Violation of
the Rights of Bhutanese Children and their current status of Statelessness”.
Preparing a Directory of the Minority
Groups of Bhutan
Working on a new Democratic Constitution
of Bhutan
ADVOCACY AND
INTERVENTION AT UN
CEMARD participates at the UN and other international
forums. It has presented two interventions at the UN Working Group on
Minorities in UN Human rights Commission in Geneva in 1998 and 1999. It
presented its intervention on the status of minorities and Bhutanese refugees
PUBLICATIONS
CEMARD publishes articles in the leading English news papers in Nepal
and elsewhere
These articles are found at :
Articles on Bhutan
website
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