I.P.O. ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Vienna, 22 December 2021

P/RE/28243c

NEW PUBLICATIONS

  • Austria, Neutrality and Non-alignment. Studies in International Relations, Vol. XXXVI. Vienna: International Progress Organization, 2021. ISBN 978-3-900704-28-5, 59 pp.

  • Arabische Gespräche: Eine Dialogreihe mit dem österreichischen Philosophen Hans Köchler für die marokkanische Zeitung Al-Massa. Moderation: Dr. Hamid Lechhab. German version. Vienna: International Progress Organization, 2021. ISBN 978-3-900704-30-8, 101 pp. (Limited Edition)

International Conferences

Due to the ongoing global health crisis all international meetings had to be postponed until further notice. This also relates to the project on "Responsibility in International Relations."

UNITED NATIONS

On 31 October 2021 the President of the I.P.O. delivered a keynote address at the United Nations Day celebration of the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA), Long Beach Branch, California. The title of the speech was, "Unity in Diversity -- The United Nations in the 21st Century." Among the keynote speakers were the Executive Director of UNA-USA, Ms. Rachel Bowen-Pittman, and the Ambassador of the United States to the United Nations, Ms. Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

On 26 November 2021 the President of the I.P.O. delivered a speech on the theme, "Can the Notion of the Rule of Law Be Applied to the UN System?," at a special meeting of the Faculty of Law and Management, University of Szczecin, Poland.

On 29 November 2021 the International Progress Organization, representing civil society, took part in a special event in commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The meeting was held under the auspices of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The President of the I.P.O. delivered a statement on "Palestine and the International Rule of Law." The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, the Non-aligned Movement, the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, the King of Morocco and the President of Turkey sent special messages.

Law of the Sea

Prior to the resumption of talks between Greece and Turkey on disputes over maritime jurisdiction, the International Progress Organization (I.P.O.) on 21 January 2021 renewed its call for the convening of a Mediterranean Conference on Maritime Demarcation and Cooperation that will bring together all regional states to deal with the legal, political and economic disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean in particular.

The International Progress Organization continued consultations with experts on problems of the law of the sea in the context of delimitation disputes in the Mediterranean. An international meeting of experts on maritime boundaries and international peace will be held as soon as global health conditions allow. Cooperation is also envisaged with the International Maritime Law Institute (IOM) in Malta.

Non-Alignment

The International Progress Organization took part in the international conference, "The Rise of Asia in Global History and Perspective: 60 Years after Belgrade - What Non-alignment in a Multipolar World?" (Université Le Havre Normandie, France, 11 February 2021). The conference was co-sponsored by Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya (Indonesia), and Kirori Mal College, University of New Delhi (India).

On 27 November 2021 the I.P.O. took part in a consultation on the nomination of the Archives of the First Summit Meeting of the Non-aligned Movement for inclusion in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

Human Rights

On 8 April 2021 the I.P.O. took part in an international human rights conference organized by the China Society for Human Rights Studies in Changchun, China. The International Progress Organization presented a report on "The Divergence of Human Rights Perceptions and Peaceful Co-existence between States." The I.P.O. called for a global dialogue on human rights within the framework of the United Nations.

International Criminal Law / Lockerbie Case

On 21 December 2021, coinciding with the 33rd anniversary of the air disaster over Lockerbie, the President of the I.P.O. issued a statement on recently declassified documents on the Lockerbie investigation. (In the period 2000-2002, Dr. Hans Köchler acted as International Observer of the I.P.O., nominated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands.)

Nuclear Disarmament

The International Progress Organization endorsed the appeal of international civil society, "Protect People and Planet: Appeal for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World."

ECONOMIC SANCTIONS

On 8 May 2021 the International Progress Organization took part in a virtual international conference on "The Quest for a New Paradigm in International Relations." The President of the I.P.O. delivered a speech on "Unilateral Economic Sanctions: Immorality and Arrogance of Great Power Politics." Among the speakers of the conference were Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban, Political and Media Advisor to the Syrian Presidency, Col. Richard H. Black, former head of the US Army’s Criminal Law Division at the Pentagon, and Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former Surgeon General of the United States.

Afghanistan

On 22 September 2021 the International Progress Organization issued an international media statement, "Afghanistan 2021: Graveyard of Empires – Test Case for Global Justice." The I.P.O. called for an end to interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and urged the IMF and other entities to immediately release funds owned by the Afghan State.


Statement against animal cruelty

On 17 September 2021 the International Progress Organization sent an urgent message to the Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands urging the government to put an end to the mass slaughter of cetacean animals in the North Atlantic. In the message, the I.P.O. stated, inter alia, that "dolphins are one of the most intelligent and sentient animal species on earth. Their ruthless and inhumane butchering constitutes a most serious case of animal cruelty that is in violation of international conventions."

SPECIAL LECTURES BY THE PRESIDENT

  • "Neutralität und Friedenspolitik." Readers' Circle, Journal "Current Concerns," Savognin, Switzerland, 30 July 2021.

  • "Gemeinwohl oder Staatsraison? Gedanken zum Frieden im Globalzeitalter." International Conference, "Courage for Ethics," Sirnach, Switzerland, 4 September 2021.

MEDIA INTERVIEWS

  • Interview for Curve Media (London) on the Lockerbie case (3 February 2021)

  • Exclusive interview for  مجلة حكمة  (Magazine Hekmah), Beirut, Lebanon, on global and Arab affairs  (April 2021)

  • Interview for the daily newspaper جريدة الأخبار (Journal Al Akhbar), Morocco, on the state of the Arab world (10 April 2021)

  • Interview on cultural identity, Società Dante Alighieri / Dante Alighieri Society (Italy) (28 May 2021)

  • Interview for a research project at the School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University, Australia, on Belarus election monitoring (20 October 2021)

  • Dialogue series for the Moroccan newspaper المساء (Al-Massa) on activities of the International Progress Organization (October 2021)

CO-OPERATION WITH international NGOs

The International Progress Organization took part in the inaugural meeting of the NGO Committee on Language and Languages in the framework of the Conference of Non-governmental Organizations (CONGO) accredited with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (7 December 2021). - The I.P.O. continued cooperation with the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy (Berlin, Germany); with UNFOLD ZERO, a platform for United Nations focused initiatives for the achievement of a nuclear weapons free world; and with the Conference of Non-governmental Organizations (CONGO) associated with the United Nations.

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