1. Report on Darfur
The Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement is pleased to
forward the official report of Dr. Francis M. Deng to the United Nations
on his mission to Darfur in July 2004 and his discussions with the
Government of the Sudan. This was Dr. Deng's final mission in his
capacity as Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Internally
Displaced Persons.
In the report, Deng makes recommendations on security and civilian
protection; humanitarian assistance; and addressing the political
dimension of the conflict. The report calls for urgent attention to the
needs of Darfur's internally displaced persons (IDPs), now estimated to
number some 1.6 million. It calls for increased humanitarian access and
funding. It argues that because the Government earlier relied on the
Janjaweed militia to suppress the rebellion of local groups, it cannot
be entirely relied on to disarm the Janjaweed. Consequently, the role of
the international community through the African Union is needed in
disarming or otherwise neutralizing the Janjaweed.
The report advocates for addressing the root causes of the multiple
crises in the Sudan in order to achieve peace in Darfur. Bringing the
negotiations between the Government and the Sudan People's Liberation
Movement/Army (SPLM/A) to a speedy conclusion would significantly
enhance the prospects of resolving the crisis in Darfur as well as the
Sudan's other regional conflicts, and alleviating the suffering of the
Sudan's 5 million internally displaced persons.
The report will be considered by the UN Commission on Human Rights at
its 2005 session.
A copy of the report is attached. [List mod.'s note: See
http://www.brook.edu/fp/projects/idp/20041109_deng.htm.] For further
information, see the Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement website
at: http://www.brook.edu/fp/projects/idp/idp.htm
2. IDP Voting Rights in the OSCE Region
The Brookings Institution - Johns Hopkins SAIS Project on Internal
Displacement
The Voting Rights of Internally Displaced Persons
New Report Examines Obstacles in the OSCE Region
9 November 2004 -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) has recognized that the voting rights of internally
displaced persons (IDPs) should be a matter of "special scrutiny."
To assist the OSCE, a new report by the Brookings Institution-Johns
Hopkins SAIS Project on Internal Displacement examines the extent to
which IDPs in the OSCE region, who currently number some 3 million, are
able to exercise their right to vote.
Entitled The Voting Rights of Internally Displaced Persons: The OSCE
Region, the study assesses the voting rights of IDPs in all thirteen
countries in the OSCE where there are internally displaced populations.
While noting that progress has been made in helping IDPs exercise their
right to vote, the study also finds that many IDPs continue to face
obstacles in exercising this right, sharply reducing their influence
over the political, economic and social decisions affecting their lives.
To address these concerns, the study puts forth a number of
recommendations for particular countries as well as for the OSCE.
Written by Erin Mooney and Balkees Jarrah, the report was presented at
the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Internally Displaced
Persons in Vienna on 4-5 November 2004 so as to assist the OSCE, its
participating states and civil society partners to devote greater
attention to the voting rights of the internally displaced. The
conclusions and recommendations of the report follow.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The OSCE's Copenhagen Document of 1990 stipulates that every person
who has the right to vote be allowed to exercise this right without
distinction of any kind. Voters do not lose this right because they are
internally displaced. And yet, many IDPs in the OSCE region experience
difficulties voting. In particular, this study finds that IDPs have
experienced obstacles such as:
- lack of documentation;
- discriminatory practices;
- obsolete and restrictive residence requirements, ie. propiska;
- inadequate arrangements for absentee voting;
- lack of timely and adequate information about IDP voting
arrangements; and
- insecurity and acts of intimidation.
All of these restrictions have hampered voting by IDPs in recent
elections within the OSCE. In some cases the difficulties that IDPs face
in voting are well documented whereas in others, an absence of
monitoring and reporting on their particular situation has meant that
many problems go unreported and unaddressed. To this end, the following
ten recommendations are put forth:
First, the OSCE should devote greater and more systematic attention to
the voting rights of IDPs, both at the policy level and in the field.
Second, OSCE election monitors must be sensitized to the particular
challenges IDPs often face in exercising their voting rights and should
report on as well as work to address any such difficulties.
Third, participating states of the OSCE should ensure that national
electoral legislation is in line with international human rights
standards and enables IDPs to fully and freely exercise their right to
vote.
Fourth, national and local authorities responsible for the
administration of elections should be sensitized to the particular
challenges that IDPs often face in exercising their right to vote and
should receive guidance on how best to address these challenges.
Fifth, voter registration processes must reach and systematically
include internally displaced voters.
Sixth, IDPs should have the option of having their vote count either in
their place of origin or in their place of temporary residence. To
enable IDPs to cast their ballot in their place of permanent residence,
special arrangements such as absentee voting facilities and
transportation should be put in place.
Seventh, IDPs must be able to cast their ballots in a secure
environment. Under no circumstances should displaced voters be required
to return to or traverse unsafe areas in order to exercise their right
to vote.
Eighth, IDPs should be given a say in the design of any special
electoral procedures created to address their particular situation.
Ninth, information on voting arrangements as well as campaign material
should be available to IDPs in a language that they can understand and
be accessible to those with low literacy.
Tenth, civil society should be encouraged and supported to play a
significant role in promoting awareness among IDPs of their voting
rights as well as in monitoring and reporting on the extent to which
IDPs are able to exercise these rights.
For more information, contact: The Brookings-SAIS Project on Internal
Displacement, a joint undertaking of The Brookings Institution and the
Center for Displacement Studies at the School of Advanced International
Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC.
Tel. (202) 797-6489 Fax (202) 797-6003 Email: [log in to unmask]
[List mod.'s note: See http://www.brook.edu/fp/projects/idp/20041105_osce.htm
for copy of report.]
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