Side events of OSCE HDIM

DAY 1: Monday, 22 September

10 a.m.–1 p.m.     Opening plenary session

1–3 p.m. Break

3–6 p.m. Working session 1: Democratic institutions, including:

–     Democracy at the national, regional and local levels

–     Citizenship and political rights

–     Democratic elections

DAY 2: Tuesday, 23 September 2013

10 a.m.–1 p.m. Working session 2: Fundamental freedoms I, including:

–     Address by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media

–     Freedom of expression, free media and information, including best practices for protection of journalists

–     The role of civil society in the protection of human rights

1–3 p.m. Break

3–6 p.m. Working session 3: Fundamental freedoms I (continued), including:

–     Freedom of peaceful assembly and association

–     National human rights institutions

Lunch break: Side events

Going illiberal: the Rule of Law and NGOs in Hungary”

(co-organized by CSP member, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee)

Freedom of Expression in the Online World (organised by EU del., CSP member Article 19 will speak)

Evening: Side events

• Helsinki+40 Process: Strengthening of Human Dimension. (sponsored by Austrian del., a CSP rep speaks)
• ODIHR side event to present the ODIHR Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders (CSP members will attend)

- Freedom of Peaceful Assembly: A Right, Not a Privilege (organised by EU delegation, CSP members Kazakhstan Bureau on HR and CCL will speak)

- Freedom of the Media in the Context of the Conflict in Ukraine (sponsored by several delegations; CSP members will attend)

DAY 3: Wednesday, 24 September

10 a.m.–1 p.m.     Working session 4: Rule of law I, including:

–        Protection of human rights and fighting terrorism

–        Prevention of torture

–        Exchange of views on the question of abolition of capital punishment

1–3 p.m. Break

3–6 p.m. Working session 5: Rule of law II, including:

–        Democratic law-making

–        Independence of the judiciary

–        Right to a fair trial

Breakfast: Side event

• Enforced disappearances in OSCE region (sponsored by Nor, Fr, NL, other dels. CSP member Netherlands HC helped to organise and will moderate. CSP provided speakers from Crimea and Turkmenistan)

Lunch break: Side events

• Side event “Ovadan Depe Prison: A black hole in Turkmenistan” (organised by the “Prove They Are Alive!” campaign, CSP member Crude Accountability and the CSP Working Group on Turkmenistan. CSP reps CDDHR, Freedom Files and Crude Accountability will speak)

• "Freedom from torture in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan" (CSP members Polish Helsinki Foundation, Kazakhstan Bureau for HR, Nota Bene, IPHR organise and speak)

Evening: Side events

• Fighting Impunity in Times of Upheaval—the case of Ukraine (CSP members IPHR and CCL sponsor and speak)

• Deterioration of the situation of Freedom of Association in the post-Soviet region (CSP members Kazakh Bureau for HR, Nota Bene, IPHR, TU and others)

DAY 4: Thursday, 25 September

10 a.m.–1 p.m. Working Session 6: Humanitarian issues and

other commitments, including:

–        Address by the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings

–        Combating trafficking in human beings

1–3 p.m. Break

3–6 p.m. Working session 7: Tolerance and non-discrimination I, including:

–        Equality of opportunity for women and men

–        Implementation of the OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality

Lunch Break: Side event

• Human rights defenders in Azerbaijan (CSP members Netherlands HC, Polish Helsinki Foundation organise)

Evening: Side event

• Situation in Belarus 15 years after political disappearances. Discussion and screening of the film “Belarus Unstable Elements: Dangerous Acts” (organised by Civic Movement “European Belarus” with support of CSP)

DAY 5: Friday, 26 September

10 a.m.–1 p.m. Working session 8 (specifically selected topic):

Violence against women and children

1–3 p.m. Break

3–6 p.m. Working session 9 (specifically selected topic):

Violence against women and children (continued)

Lunch break side event (13.00-15.00)

Presumption of Guilt: The Global Overuse of Pretrial Detention (organized by Open Society Justice Initiative and Association for the Defense of Human Rights in Romania – the Helsinki Committee)

Day 6: Monday, 29 September

10 a.m.–1 p.m. Working session 10 (specifically selected topic):

Rights of persons belonging to national minorities, including:

– Address by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities

1–3 p.m. Break

3–6 p.m. Working session 11 (specifically selected topic):

Rights of persons belonging to national minorities (continued)

Day 7: Tuesday, 30 September

10 a.m.–1 p.m. Working session 12:

Tolerance and non-discrimination II, including:

–        Roma and Sinti issues, including: Implementation of the OSCE Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti

–        Prevention and responses to hate crimes in the OSCE area

–        Preventing aggressive nationalism, racism and chauvinism

1–3 p.m. Break

3–6 p.m. Working session 13:

Tolerance and non-discrimination II (continued), including:

–        Combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, also focusing on intolerance and discrimination against Christians and members of other religions

–        Combating anti-Semitism

–        Combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims

Evening: Side events

• Briefing of the Serbian delegation on priorities and plans of their incoming 2015 Chairmanship. Representatives of CSP and Serbian NGO Coalition plan to speak from the floor on their priorities in 2015.

• Understanding Hate Crimes in the context of Eastern Europe (CSP member Polish Helsinki Foundation and others organise and speak)

Day 8: Wednesday, 1 October

10 a.m.–1 p.m. Working session 14:

Fundamental freedoms II, including:

–        Freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief

1–3 p.m. Break

3–6 p.m. Working session 15:

Fundamental freedoms II (continued), including:

–        Freedom of movement

–        Human rights education

Lunch Break: Side events

• Freedom of Religion and Belief in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (organised by CSP member Norwegian HC)

• Implementing OSCE human dimension commitments: a responsibility by the OSCE Chairmanship. A briefing on self-assessment of OSCE Chairmanship. Organised by Swiss OSCE Chairmanship. CSP rep will speak.

Evening Side events

- In Search of new lives: the situation of IDPs in Ukraine (CSP members IPHR, CCL and others organise)

• Systemic Violations of Human Dimension Commitments in the Russian Federation (CSP members CDDHR, Public Verdict and other Russian NGOs organise and speak)

Day 9: Thursday, 2 October 2013

10 a.m.–1 p.m. Working session 16 (specifically selected topic):

Rights of migrants, including:

–        Migrant workers, the integration of regular migrants

1–3 p.m. Break

3–6 p.m. Working session 17 (specifically selected topic):

Rights of migrants (continued), including:

–        Refugees and displaced persons

–        Treatment of citizens of other participating States

Day 10: Friday, 3 October 2013

10 a.m.–1 p.m. Working session 18:

Discussion of human dimension activities (with special emphasis on project work), including:

–     Presentation of activities of the ODIHR and other OSCE institutions and field operations to implement priorities and tasks contained in relevant OSCE decisions and other documents

Closing reinforced plenary session (reinforced by participation of HR directors, OSCE ambassadors and heads of OSCE institutions):

–        Any other business

–        Closing of the meeting