OSCE Parallel Civil Society Conference

The Civic Solidarity Platform invites representatives of non-governmental organisations from throughout the OSCE region to participate in an OSCE Parallel Civil Society Conference that will take place 2-4 December 2013 in Kiev, Ukraine.

Increasing comprehensive security as Helsinki + 40 approaches
OSCE Parallel Civil Society Conference  
2-4 December, 2013, Kyiv

(Hotel Rus, Hospital’na str. 4)

 

2 December 2013 (Monday)

14.30 - 15.30 - Registration and Welcoming Coffee-Break

15.30 – 16.00 - Official opening. Welcome statements

Moderator: Harry Hummel, Netherlands Helsinki Committee

Welcome words:

1. Yuri Dzhibladze, on behalf of the Civic Solidarity Platform
2. Olexandra Matviichuk, on behalf of the Ukrainian NGO Coalition on the Ukrainian OSCE Chairmanship
3. Andrey Yermolayev, on behalf of the National Institute for Strategic Studies
4. ..., on behalf of the Ukrainian OSCE Chairmanship Taskforce, tbc

Overview of the conference agenda – Harry Hummel

16.00 – 17.00 - Session 1. “How to increase comprehensive security as we approach Helsinki + 40”. Introductory statements

Moderator: Yuri Dzhibladze, Centre for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights (Russia)

Speakers:

1. Hanna Shelest, Odessa Regional Branch of the National Institute for Strategic Studies (Ukraine)
2. Olga Zakharova, Freedom Files (Russia)
3. Thomas Greminger, Ambassador of Switzerland to the OSCE, on behalf of the incoming Swiss OSCE Chairmanship-2014
4. Isabel Santos, Chair of the OSCE PA Committee for Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, tbc
5. Matthias Bieri, Center for Security Studies (Switzerland)    

17.00 -17.30 Coffee-break

17.30 - 19.00 - Session 2. “How to increase comprehensive security as we approach Helsinki + 40”. Panel discussion  

19.00 - 20.00 Dinner

 

3 December 2013 (Tuesday)

09.30 – 11.00 - Session 3. Freedom of expression, including media and internet

Moderator:  Jeff Goldstein, Open Society Foundations

Speakers:

1. Charlotte Gill, Article 19 (UK), presentation of the Outcome Document
2. Emin Huseinov, Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety (Azerbaijan)
3. Andrei Alexandrau, Index on Censorship (UK)
4. Erol Onderoglu, Bianet (Turkey)
5. Denis Dzhivaga, Kazakhstani International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law

11.00 - 11.30 – Coffee-Break

11:30 - 13:00 – Session 4. Freedom of Assembly

Moderator: Sergey Ostaf, Member of OSCE/ODIHR Expert Panel on Freedom of Assembly, Human Rights Resource Centre CREDO (Moldova)

Speakers:

1. Dmitry Makarov, International Civic Initiative for OSCE (Russia), presentation of the Outcome Document
2. Eldar Zeynalov, Azerbaijan Human Rights Centre
3. Vladimir Chemeris, Institute “Respublika” (Ukraine)
4. Omer Fisher, OSCE/ ODIHR 

13.00 - 14.00 – Lunch

14.00 - 15.30 - Session 5. Freedom of Association

Moderator: Andrey Yurov, International Civic Initiative for OSCE (Russia)

Speakers:

1. Konstantin Baranov, International Youth Human Rights Movement (Russia), presentation of the Outcome Document
2. Maksym Lacyba, Ukrainian Independent Center for Political Studies
3. Almaz Esengeldiev, Voice of Freedom, Kyrgyzstan
4. Vardine Grigoryan, Helsinki Citizens Assembly-Vanadzor (Armenia), tbc

15:30 – 17:00 - Session 6. Combating Xenophobia and Discrimination

Moderator: Ralph du Long, United for Intercultural Action (the Netherlands)

Speakers:

1. Ralph du Long, United for Intercultural Action (the Netherlands), presentation of the Outcome Document
2. Agit Mirzoev, Analytical Centre for Inter-Ethnic Cooperation and Consultations (Georgia)
3. Milan Antonijevic, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights – YUCOM (Serbia), tbc
4. Konstantin Baranov, International Youth Human Rights Movement (Russia)
5. Irene Fedorovych, Social Action Center/No borders project (Ukraine)

17:00 – 17:30 Break

17.30 - 19.00 – Session 7. Democratic development, including elections and political pluralism

Moderator: Ivar Dale, Norwegian Helsinki Committee

Speakers:

1. Maria Yasenovska, “Public Alternative” Foundation (Ukraine) - presentation of the Outcome Document
2. Grigory Melkoniants, Golos Association (Russia)
3. Pavel Lobachev, Echo (Kazakhstan)
4. Rasul Jafarov, Human Rights Club (Azerbaijan)

19.00 – 20.00 – Dinner

20.00 – 22.00 – Side event: Conflict and Post-Conflict Regions

Participants:

1. Representatives of the Minsk Civic Group - on the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, tbc
2. Alex Postica, Promo Lex (Moldova) and an NGO representative from Transnistria, tbc – on the Transnistria conflict
3. Agit Mirzoev, Analytical Centre for Inter-Ethnic Cooperation and Consultations (Georgia) – on the South Ossetia and Abkhazia conflicts
4. NGO representatives from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina – on conflicts and post-conflict situations in Western Balkans, tbc

 

4 December 2013 (Wednesday)

09.30 – 11.30 – Session 8. Ukraine special session, looking back at the Ukrainian chairmanship and forward to Ukraine’s development prospects

Moderators: Olexandra Matviichuk, Centre for Civil Liberties and Olexander Sushko, Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation

Speakers:        

1. Valeriya Lutkovska, the Commissioner for Human Rights of Ukraine, tbc
2. Oksana Romanyuk, Institute of Mass Information
3. Roman Romanov, International Renaissance Foundation
4. Arkadiy Bushenko, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union
5. Oleg Martynenko, doctor of law

11:30 – 12.00 – Coffee-break

12.00 – 13.30 – Session 9. Combating torture

Moderator: Alexandra Delemenchuk, Centre for Civil Liberties (Ukraine)

Speakers:

1. Asmik Novikova, Public Verdict Foundation (Russia), tbc - presentation of the Outcome Document
2. Vadim Pivovarov, Association of Monitors of Law Enforcement (Ukraine)
3. Nigina Bakhrieva, Nota Bene (Tajikistan)
4. Lenur Kerymov, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (Poland)
5. Izabella Kisic, Serbian Helsinki Committee, tbc

13.30 – 14.30 – Lunch

14.30 – 16.00 – Session 10. Security of Human Rights Defenders

Moderator: Konstantin Baranov, International Youth Human Rights Movement (Russia)

Speakers:

1. Yuri Dzhibladze, Centre for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights (Russia)
2. Avetik Ishkhanyan, Armenian Helsinki Committee
3. Antonina Maslyko, The Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House (Belarus), tbc
4. Omer Fisher, OSCE/ ODIHR

14.30 – 16.00 – Parallel session 11. First dimension issues. Organised by Ukrainian Association of Analytical Centres

14.30 – 16.00 – Parallel session 12. Second dimension issues. Organised by Ukrainian Association of Analytical Centres

16.00 – 16.30 – Coffee-break

16.30 – 17.30 – Presentation and Handing Over of Civil Society Recommendations and the Kiev Declaration to the Chairmanship-in-Office

Moderator: Brigitte Dufour, International Partnership for Human Rigths

Accepting:

- ..., representative of the Ukrainian OSCE Chairmanship, tbc

- Ambassador Heidi Grau, Head of the Taskforce of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship-2014

17.30 – 18.00 – Closing statement by organizers

 

This event will take place on the margins of the annual OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting, building on the tradition of Parallel Conferences held in Astana (2010), Vilnius (2011) and Dublin (2012).  These conferences have provided a forum for independent civil society to seek answers to current challenges in the human dimension and develop strategies to try to empower OSCE institutions.

“Civil society should put constant pressure on governments of the OSCE participating states to remind them of their international commitments. This is essentially the main objective of the Parallel Conference,” says Harry Hummel, the Executive Director of the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and a member of the Organising Committee of the Conference. “The annual Ministerial Council Meeting is the most important meeting within the OSCE framework. The Parallel Conference will allow civil society to focus the ministers’ attention on negative trends in the human dimension we see developing in a number of OSCE states. This year, governments will also discuss the so-called Helsinki +40 process, a roadmap to improve the OSCE’s functioning due to culminate in 2015, the year of the 40th anniversary of the OSCE. The Parallel Conference will provide a venue for civil society to prepare its own agenda for this process.”

Civil society recommendations prepared during the Parallel Conference will be passed to OSCE participating states and institutions during the Ministerial Council Meeting.

“The Parallel Conference provides civil society organisations with an excellent opportunity not only to ‘synchronize the clocks’ on the implementation of OSCE commitments in their countries and the region as a whole, but also to formulate a program of action targeting the OSCE,” says Yuri Dzhibladze, the President of the Centre for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights (Russia) and a member of the Organising Committee of the Conference. “The experience of previous Parallel Conferences shows that the OSCE and its participating states pay close attention to our recommendations. Civil society is playing a growing role in efforts to reform the OSCE and increase its effectiveness. We consider our meeting in Kiev to be an important step towards ensuring that the OSCE is able to react successfully to new and existing challenges in countries both to the East and West of Vienna.”

The Civic Solidarity Platform is organizing the Parallel Conference with the active cooperation of the National Institute for Strategic Studies (Ukraine), the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation (Ukraine) and the Coalition of Ukrainian NGOs on Ukraine’s OSCE Chairmanship in 2013.

“When Ukraine began its OSCE chairmanship a year ago, the Coalition of Ukrainian NGOs announced a list of issues that caused us the greatest concern in in the human dimension in Ukraine and that required the most progress from the chairing country. We will dedicate a separate session of the conference to an ‘international human rights audit’ of the results of Ukrainian chairmanship this year,” says Oleksandra Matviychuk, the chairperson of the Centre of Civil Liberties (Ukraine), another member of the Organising Committee of the Conference.

Interested NGO activists may register for the Parallel Conference here.

The deadline for registration is 18 November 2013. The international Organising Committee will finalise the list of participants before 22 November 2013, guided by the need to ensure balanced geographical representation and experience on topics that are included in the agenda.

Please address any questions you might have to the Organising Committee of the Parallel Conference at parallel.conference@gmail.com

 

OSCE Parallel Conference of Civil Society

2-4 of December, 2013, Kyiv

“Increasing comprehensive security as Helsinki + 40 approaches”

 

2 December 2013 (Monday)

14.00 - 15.00 - Registration and Welcoming Coffee-Break

15.00 – 15.30 - Official opening

15.30 – 16.30 - Keynote speeches

16.30 -17.00 - Coffee-Break

17.00 - 19.00 - Panel discussion “How to increase comprehensive security as we approach Helsinki + 40”

19.00 - 20.00 - Dinner

 

3 December 2013 (Tuesday)

09.30 - 11.30 - Freedom of Expression (incl. Media, Internet Freedom, Privacy on the Internet)

11:30 - 12.00 - Coffee-Break

12.00 - 13.30 - Freedom of Assembly

13.30 - 14.30 – Lunch

14.30 - 16.00 - Freedom of Association (incl. freedom for human rights defense NGOs)

16.00 - 16.30 - Coffee-Break

16.30- 17.30 - Freedom of Movement

17.30 -19.00 - Democratic life (incl. fair elections and persecution of political opponents)

19.00 – 20.00 – Dinner

 

4 December 2013 (Wednesday)

09.30 - 11.30 - Ukraine special session, looking back at Ukrainian chairmanship

11:30 - 12.00 - Coffee-Break

12.00 - 13.00 - Second dimension issues

13.00 - 14.00 – Lunch

14.00 - 16.00 - Tolerance and Anti-Discrimination

16.00 - 16.30 - Coffee-Break

16.30- 17.30 - Presentation CSP Recommendations to CiO

17.30 – 18.00 - Closing statement by organizers

Please, note that exact timing and list of the side-events will be available later.