MIGRANT.NEWS

Joint Initiative by December 18 and Migrant Rights International.

MIGRANT.NEWS, November 26, 2001

1. Special UN Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants

The Special Rapporteur, Ms. Gabriela Rodriguez, visited Ecuador from November 5 until November 15, 2001.

A UN press release is available at :

http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/677252DF05BAED1CC1256AF8003714E0?opendocument (Spanish only)

Reports by Ecuadorian NGOs on this visit are most welcome at info@december18.net.

The UN allegation form is right now available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Creole and Italian at http://www.december18.net/UNreportingform.htm

If your organization has a translation available in a local language, December 18 would be pleased to post it online or to establish a link to your site. Please send us the text or the URL.

2. The Global Campaign and the UN Steering Committee for the ratification of the UN 1990 Convention

The UN Steering Committee for the ratification of the International Migrantsí Convention will meet on November 29 and December 4 (to be confirmed) in Geneva. The Special Rapporteur will be attending the November meeting. The following points will be discussed: update WCAR, update Campaign, agenda for the coming months. For more information, please contact the Genevieve Gencianos at the SC Secretariat : gencianosmri@yahoo.com

On the occasion of the "International Human Rights Day", the Welfare Association of Repatriated Bangladeshi Employees (WARBE), will organize a seminar on the "Importance of the Ratification of ILO & UN Conventions for Migrantsí Human Rights" at Dhaka CIRDAP Auditorium, Bangladesh. For more information, please contact Syed Saiful Haque at warbe@bangla.net

SOLIDAR based in Brussels, Belgium is organising on December 7 an informal introduction meeting on the International Migrantsí Convention. The main speaker is Mr. Jan Niessen from the Migration Policy Group. This meeting is aimed at international NGOs following the EU policies. For more information, please contact Amaya Fernandez Gordillo at Amaya@Solidar.org

The Korean WCAR NGO Network is organising on December 7th in front of the Myong-dong cathedral (Seoul) an activity in support of the ratification of the UN Convention for the protection of the human rights of migrants. In view of the International Human Rights Day on December 10, they are also campaigning for a change of the immigration law for mixed couples. Right now, migrant workers married to a Korean woman can not be issued a resident visa. For information, please contact Cecilia at afi21@hanmail.net.

The Dutch Migrant Week 2001, organised from November 11 till November 19, included several activities on the Convention. An article on The Netherlands and the Convention by Eke Gerritsma, Forum can be viewed at:

http://www.december18.net/d-NederlandConventie.htm (in Dutch only).

Wereldsolidariteit (WSM, NGO of the Belgian Christian Workers Movement) also based in Brussels (Belgium) is preparing itís 2002 spring campaign. Their 2001 campaign focused on ëMigration: Donít stop the people, stop the abuseí. The 2002 spring campaign is focusing on the human rights of domestic migrant workers. It includes information and action on the International Migrantís Convention. For details, please contact Jaklien Broekx at jaklien.broekx@wsm.be

Please inform us about your activities at:

info@december18.net and gencianosmri@yahoo.com

3. UN and ILO Migrant Conventions

On 15 October, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) announced the first new ratification of an ILO Convention on migrant workers in more than 10 years. Madagascar ratified the ILO Migration for Employment Convention (No. 97), 1949, bringing the total to 44 ratifications for this instrument. The date of ratification is registered as 14 June 2001, the date of receipt by ILO of the instrument of ratification. For more information, please contact Patrick Taran at taran@ilo.org

To-date, the UN 1990 Convention is ratified by 16 countries. It needs four more ratifications to be enforced.

4. International Migrantís Day - 18/12/01

We are celebrating soon the International Migrantís Day. December 18 created an IMD screensaver. It can be viewed on our homepage. If you wish to receive the animation, please contact us at info@december18.net.

An elaborated IMD programme - see http://www.december18.net/IMD.htm was received from

Welfare Association of Repatriated Bangladeshi Employees (WARBE)

Syed Saiful Haque at warbe@bangla.net

BANGLADESH

Hotline for Migrant Workers

Myriam Darmoni Sharvit at myriamd@oumail.openu.ac.il

ISRAEL

Refugees Resource Group

Atta ur Rehman at atrehman@yahoo.com

PAKISTAN

Migrant Services Centre

David Soysa at migrant@sltnet.lk

SRI LANKA

Dutch IMD Steering Committee

Stichting Ayni-Bolivia

Cultureel Centrum Kurdistan

Stichting DIR (Ethiopia)

Federation of Filipino Organisations in The Netherlands

Regionale Steunfunctie Allochtonen-ZHW

Stichting Hirda-Somalia

Stichting OIKOS

NOVIB

December 18

Contact: Yuksel Karakut, Regionale Steunfunctie Allochtonen at

THE NETHERLANDS

Send us your scheduled activities and we will add it to our promotion package and our site.

Governments and multilateral agencies are welcome to send us information about their initiatives. We also post or link to press releases and other statements on the IMD and would be pleased to receive yours (text and/or URL).

Also available in translation at:

Spanish page: http://www.december18.net/e-IMD.htm

French page: http://www.december18.net/f-IMD.htm

Italian page: http://www.december18.net/i-IMD.htm

Dutch page : http://www.december18.net/d-IMD.htm

5. 2002 UN Commission on Human Rights

It is time again to think about the fifty-eighth session of the UN Commission on Human Rights to be held from 18 March to 26 April 2002 in Geneva.

As NGOs are often invited to read their oral statements late at night before an empty room, the International Catholic Commission on Migration and December 18 encourage all ECOSOC accredited NGOs to prepare a written statement on the human rights of migrants from their own perspective. Written statements submitted by NGOs and government delegations are issued as UN documents and made available as such to member and observer governments and NGO participants. Written statements submitted by NGOs should be sent to Mr. Mika Kanervavuori, 1-050 (PW), UNOG, CH-1211 Geneva 10 (Tel.: (41 22) 917 94 31 Fax: (41 22) 917 90 11; E-mail address: mkanervavuori.hchr@unog.ch as soon as possible, and in any case before 15 January 2002. Organizations are encouraged, if possible, to provide the UN CHR Secretariat with the text of their statements in the different working languages of the United Nations (English, French and Spanish) on diskettes or by e-mail (mkanervavuori.hchr@unog.ch). The maximum length of written statements is 2,000 words for NGOs in general consultative status and 1,500 words for NGOs in special consultative status and for NGOs on the Roster. See NGO information note on the HCHR website:

http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/58chr/58main.htm

If your organisation is planning to write a written statement, please let us know before December 1st at info@december18.net

6. Update December 18 web site

We added a special page on trafficking of humans. It provides you with links to international and regional instruments and to various documents from governmental, multilateral and non-governmental sources.

To check it out, have a look at http://www.december18.net/traffickingconventions.htm

The page is right now available in English only but we are preparing a French and Spanish version. If you would know any useful related documents and reports that are not included yet, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@december18.net.

Our updated legislation page (in English) provides you with new links to governments sites that have their immigration and labour legislation posted. The page includes links to information about pre-departure programmes. It can be found at

http://www.december18.net/countrylegislation.htm

Articles and papers in English:

ECRI report on racism and intolerance in The Netherlands, 13 November 2001

ECRI report on racism and intolerance in the Russian Federation, 13 November 2001

Racial Discrimination in Hong Kong, Asian Migrant Centre, November 8, 2001

Sorry tale about an undocumented Bangladeshi migrant worker in Korea, October 22, 2001

The Belgian Presidency Conference on Migration, October 16-17, 2001

Remittance Economy of Nepal

Chinese workers in Israel, September 2001

See http://www.december18.net/papers.htm

EU:

PICUMís (Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants) recommendations for the Laeken Summit (in English), November 2001.

EU Legislation in preparation (also in French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch)

EU Legislation enforced (also in French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch)

Link to the Belgian Presidency and their priorities on migration (also in French and Dutch)

Belgian Presidency Conference on Migration, 16/17 October 2001 ñ A brief report by Don Flynn, JCWI, UK

Report on the European Commission Communication on Legal Immigration and on a Community Immigration Policy, 14 September 2001

No EU quotas for economic immigrants, September 13, 2001 (also in French)

See http://www.december18.net/instrumentsregion.htm

http://www.december18.net/f-instrumentsregion.htm

http://www.december18.net/e-instrumentsregion.htm

http://www.december18.net/i-instrumentsregion.htm

http://www.december18.net/d-instrumentsregion.htm

We also updated the following sections:

UN World Conference against Racism

Press releases

Publications:

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS : A legal guide for household employees in Switzerland

Published by the Geneva Forum for Philippine Concerns ñ Cost: Swiss Francs 7.00 plus postage plus SF 2.00 handling fee - Available in: English, French and Spanish

For information, please contact Cecilia Jimenez at cejjimenez@hotmail.com

To order from abroad, please ask for order form and payment instructions.

International Calendar ñ For details, check http://www.december18.net/calendar.htm

ICFTU-APRO Regional Symposium on UN Global Compact and OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, Singapore

50th Anniversary IOM

Trade Unions and Migration in an Enlarged EU, London, United Kingdom

Reconciliation, A Conversation Beyond Cultural Boundaries, Australia

Round table on Carriers' Liability related to Illegal Immigration, Belgium

Central Law Training: Immigration Law, United Kingdom

ECMI Conference: Implementation of Minority Rights Standards, Germany

International AIDS Day

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

Southeast Asia Regional School in Forced Migration, Thailand

Effects of European Migration Politics on the Social Situation of Refugees and Migrants, Germany

Indigenous and Refugee Women's Human Rights Forum and Roundtable meetings, Australia.

Immigration to the EU Countries: Political approaches on national and European levels, Belgium

Les droits des Ètrangers face ý l'administration : quels recours?, France.

For The refugee Convention-where to go from here ?, Australia

Immigration and housing, Belgium

European trade union demonstration on the occasion of the European summit in Laeken, Belgium

Laeken Citizen's Assembly, Belgium.

7th Conference of Ministers responsible for Migration in the EU, Finland.

Conference on Racism in Metropolitan Areas, Belgium.

The Dutch page was completely updated with new links to Belgian and Dutch related sites and articles. On the occasion of the International Day of Childrenís rights, a press release was issued by the Medisch Steunpunt, Brussels (Belgium) on access to medical assistance for under aged undocumented youth with chronic diseases, see http://www.december18.net/d-introduction.htm

Other

The November issue of Entre Redes, an e-mail newsletter from Sin Fronteras, Mexico was added to the Spanish page of December 18. Entre Redes is an initiative from Sin Fronteras, I.A.P. and is part of the Strengthening Project of Cooperation Networks between Mexico and Central American Organizations. It provides information about migration issues in the region. For more information or if you are interested to contribute an informative or an opinion article, contact Gabriela DÌaz Prieto, Educational, Link and Dissemination Coordinator in Sin Fronteras at sinfronteras@laneta.apc.org

7. Other : jobs

The ComitÈ Catholique contre la Faim et pour le DÈveloppement based in Paris, France is looking for a ëChef du Service MÈditerranee et Migrants. For information, please contact Nathalie Marzano, Directrice des Ressources Humaines et de líOrganisation, CCFD, 4 rue Jean Lantier , 75001 Paris with reference 239 at 01.44.82.80.08.

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