I.P.O. ANNUAL REPORT 2009

Vienna, 18 December 2009

P/RE/22031c
 

NEW PUBLICATIONS

  • World Order: Vision and Reality. Collected Essays Edited by David Armstrong. Studies in International Relations, XXXI. New Delhi: Manak, 2009, ISBN 978-81-7831-200-2, 587 pages.

  • Culture and Empire: The Imperial Claim to Cultural Supremacy versus the Dialectics of Cultural Identity. I.P.O. Online Paper. March 2009.

  • The Collapse of Neoliberal Globalization and the Quest for a Just World Order. I.P.O. Online Paper. May 2009.

 

DIALOGUE OF CIVILIZATIONS

In the course of 2009, the International Progress Organization continued its participation in the global discourse on the dialogue among civilizations as basis of peaceful co-existence among peoples and states. Among the international meetings the I.P.O. co-organized or participated in are: -- "Les musulmans et l'occident," Public forum and book launching event on the occasion of Salon international de l'édition et du livre (Siel) in Casablanca, Morocco (15 February 2009); -- International Conference on "Unity in Diversity: Eurasia's Contribution to Civilizational Dialogue," organized by the World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations" in Almaty, Kazakhstan (9-10 June 2009); -- Global Dialogue Conference 2009, organized by Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark (5-6 November 2009).

On 7 October 2009 the President of the I.P.O. spoke at a press conference at the National Press Club of Greece in Athens (Greece) on the role of civil society in the dialogue of civilizations.

The President of the I.P.O. further gave exclusive interviews for the daily newspaper Libération (Casablanca, Morocco) (January 2009) and for the weekly magazine Raiffeisenzeitung (Austria) on the dialogue of civilizations (10 October 2009).

The I.P.O. participated in the meetings of the International Co-ordinating Committee (ICC) of the World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations" in Vienna, Austria (12-13 February 2009 and 1 September 2009).

 

POWER, JUSTICE AND WORLD ORDER

The book "World Order: Vision and Reality" (Vol. XXXI of the I.P.O. series "Studies in International Relations") was presented at a lecture meeting at the University of Innsbruck (Austria), which was co-sponsored by the International Progress Organization (30 November 2009). The book was presented by the editor, Mr. David Armstrong (University of Cambridge). Other speakers at the meeting were Prof. Türkkaya Ataöv (Ankara, Turkey) and Dr. Lyal Sunga (Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute for International Humanitarian Law, Sweden).

 

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC CRISIS

On 21 February 2009, the President of the International Progress Organization delivered a keynote speech on "The 'New International Economic Order' Revisited: Philosophical Considerations on the Collapse of Neoliberal Globalization" at the International Conference "Rebuilding the World Economy after the Systemic Crisis" in Rüsselsheim, Germany.

A delegation of the International Progress Organization participated in the International Conference "Prague Dialogue on Europe in the XXI Century," which was organized under the patronage of the President of the Czech Parliament by the World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations" (WPFDC) and Klub Rusko in  Prague, Czech Republic (14-15 May 2009). The President of the I.P.O. delivered a keynote address at the opening session.

On 21 October 2009, the President of the I.P.O. delivered a lecture on "The Global Economic Crisis and the Role of Religion" at the Seventh Doha Interfaith Dialogue Conference in Doha, State of Qatar.

 

Human Rights

  • Human Right to Peace: The International Progress Organization has joined a group of over 120 non-governmental organizations accredited to the United Nations in an initiative aimed at the promotion of the dialogue of civilizations and a culture of peace. The NGO initiative is meant as follow-up to the declaration adopted by the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance on 8 September 2001 (Durban Declaration). The statement entitled "Human Right to peace versus racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination" was submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva (February 2009).

  • "Swiss minaret ban violates basic human rights and threatens religious peace in Europe": In a statement issued on 2 December 2009, the International Progress Organization strongly condemned the amendment to the Constitution of the Swiss Confederation, which bans the building of minarets.

 

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE

  • On 6 April 2009, the President of the International Progress Organization delivered a lecture on "Global Justice or Global Revenge? The ICC and the Politicization of International Criminal Justice" at the World Conference for International Justice -- "United against the politicization of justice," which was organized by the General Sudanese Students Union in Khartoum, Sudan.

  • After consultations in New Delhi, India, the International Progress Organization announced on 27 April 2009 the establishment of a transnational research network devoted to issues of the evolving system of international criminal justice and the dangers of politicization of international courts.

  • Together with the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) and the National Lawyers Guild (United States), the International Progress Organization co-sponsored an independent conference on the legacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) from the defence perspective (The Hague, Netherlands,14-15 November 2009).

 

FOLLOW-UP TO THE LOCKERBIE OBSERVER MISSION

In an article for the 2009 edition of the National Law School of India Review (NLSIR), Dr. Hans Koechler, international observer at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands, summarized his evaluation of the handling of the Lockerbie case by the Scottish and British authorities.

On 6 August 2009 Dr. Koechler gave an interview for BBC Newsnight (London) on the question of the  release of the only person convicted in the Lockerbie case. On 21 August 2009 Dr. Koechler issued a statement on the compassionate release of the Lockerbie prisoner by the Scottish authorities. In connection with the prisoner's release, Dr. Koechler gave a  number of live interviews for international newspapers, TV and radio stations, including Al-Jazeera News (Qatar), BBC Radio 4 (London), Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) (Sydney), Irish Radio (RTÉ), Sunday Express (London), and Le Temps (Geneva, Switzerland).

 

NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT

In connection with the Summit Conference of the Non-aligned Movement in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) the President of the I.P.O. gave live interviews to Deutsche Welle/German Radio (13 July 2009), South African Radio and Al-Jazeera TV ("Inside Story"), Qatar (15 July 2009), and Student Radio in Ljubljana (Slovenia) (17 July 2009).

 

ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE

In a statement issued on 8 January 2009, the International Progress Organization called upon the United Nations Organization to establish a War Crimes Commission with the mandate to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of occupied Gaza (Palestine), to record them and help prepare indictments in conformity with the mandatory provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of August 12, 1949 (Fourth Geneva Convention).

 

INITIATIVE IN SUPPORT OF THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

On 5 January 2009 the President of the I.P.O. sent urgent messages to the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, the President of the UN Human Rights Council, Ambassador Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethem Pillay, transmitting the text of a resolution adopted by the participants of the conference on "The Protection and Promotion of Indigenous Peoples' Rights" in Manila, Philippines.

 

SPECIAL LECTURES BY THE PRESIDENT

  • "Les relations entre le monde arabe et l'Occident": Lecture meeting, Parti Socialiste Unifié (PSU), Casablanca, Morocco, 14 February 2009.

  • "Cultural Identity, Truth and the Fear of Empire":  Second Peoples' Forum -- "Without Fear of Empire: Global People's Resistance," Bogotá, Colombia, 22 March 2009.

  • "Multiculturalism and the Future of Europe": Moderator's Statement, International Conference "The Wider Europe: West-East Dialogue," organized by the Odessa National Law Academy and Kharkiv National 'Karazin' University in co-operation with the World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations," Odessa, Ukraine, 18 September 2009.

  • "The Shifting Balance of Power and the Future of Sovereign States": Rhodes Forum 2009, Rhodes, Greece, 10 October 2009.

  • "The Philosophy and Politics of Dialogue": Keynote Lecture, Global Dialogue Conference 2009, Ĺrhus University, Ĺrhus, Denmark, 6 November 2009.

  • "Turkey and Europe: The Geopolitics of Regional Integration": 2nd Turkey-Europe Forum - "European Integration and Turkey," Mardin, Turkey, 11 December 2009.

 

PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES

  • Thirty Eighth Annual Conference, Indian Society of International Law, New Delhi, India, 18 April 2009.

  • Seventh General Meeting of the World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations" in Rhodes, Greece, 8-11 October 2009.

  • Seventh Doha Interfaith Dialogue Conference, Doha, State of Qatar, 20-22 October 2009.


INFORMATION VISITS BY THE PRESIDENT

Within the framework of the I.P.O.'s activities, Prof. Hans Koechler undertook information visits to India (14-18 April 2009), Ukraine (17-20 September 2009), Lebanon (24-27 September 2009), and Turkey (10-13 December 2009).
 

SPECIAL MEETINGS OF THE PRESIDENT

  • 18 March 2009: Meeting with Ms. Fadwa Khawaja, Director-General of the NGO Department at the Ministry of Interior of the Palestinian National Authority, at the head office of the I.P.O. in Vienna, Austria.

  • 24 March 2009: Meeting with Senator Piedad Córdoba at the Senate of the Republic of Colombia in Bogotá, Colombia.

  • 6 April 2009: Meeting with Field Marshal Abdul Rahman Sowar el-Dahab, former President of the Republic of Sudan, in Khartoum, Sudan.

  • 15 April 2009: Meeting with Shri Niwas Mirdha, President of the Indian Society of International Law (ISIL), in New Delhi, India.

  • 14 September 2009: Meeting with Mr. Halit Şahin, Director of Peace -- Institute for Dialogue, in Vienna, Austria.

  • 10 October 2009: Meeting with Mr. Vladimir Yakunin, President of the World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations," in Rhodes, Greece.

 

CO-OPERATION WITH OTHER NGOs

The International Progress Organization agreed to continue co-operation with the World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations" (Moscow/Vienna), the Doha International Centre for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) (Doha, Qatar), Peace for Life (Manila, Philippines), the International Movement for a Just World / JUST (Malaysia), and the NGO Committee on Peace at the United Nations Office at Vienna.

 

INTERNSHIP

Mr. Nathan Mundell (Cornell College, Muscatine, USA) served as intern at the head office of the I.P.O. in Vienna.
 

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