Registration, Accreditation and Scholarship Final Deadlines
News Flash
- Registration for the NGO Forum has been extended until June 30, 2001
- Applications for travel scholarships MUST be received by 15 June in Geneva!!
- You can still get your organization accredited to the WCAR (governmental meeting). See information below.
- A 3rd PrepCom has been established for 30 July – 10 August 2001 in Geneva.
- The United States will come before the CERD Committee in Geneva the 3rd and 6th of August.
- The Youth Summit in South Africa will be held 26 – 27 August 2001.
- The dates for the US National Strategy Meeting for the WCAR have been changed. The new dates are 20-21 July.
- Recommendations for Keynote Speakers, Respondents, and Facilitators should be sent to Juana Majel. You must include a bio or profile on the person and their contact information. See below.
Files Attached
- Application for Travel Grant to attend the WCAR
- Accreditation Application
NGO Travel Grants
For important and essential information concerning the application process for the travel grants, please see the appropriate attached file, or go to www.hri.ca/racism and click on Travel Scholarships.
Applications must be received by 15 June. Given the time difference and last minute rush, it would be good if you get it in by the 14th at the latest. The European Commission has provided 350 scholarships (of approximately $2,500 each) for the World Conference Against Racism.
Of that amount, the Americas (which includes North, South, Central America and the Caribbean) will receive 20% of that total. Therefore, 70 grants will be given for this region.
It is still important to apply, but it is important for you to understand the small number of grants that will be given.
Please note that only one person from an organization will be eligible for a travel grant and there is a preference for youth and young adults in the United States to receive the grant.
Please also note that only individuals from NGOs already accredited to the WCAR (and those who have submitted applications) will be eligible for these travel grants.
You must send your application to funding.hchr@unog.ch, and not to any other e-mail address. Please write in the "subject" field which region (Asia, Americas, Europe, Africa) and/or which group (Indigenous, Youth) you are from.
The United States government is attempting to secure resources to contribute to the High Commissioner’s fund to support NGOs attending the NGO Forum and WCAR (the travel grants), but they have stipulated that it not be for US NGOs, but to assist NGOs in other regions.
While NGOs from other regions of the world need funding to attend the WCAR, it is also true that no other government is going to support U.S. NGO funding if our own government refuses to do so.
Accreditation for the WCAR Governmental Meeting
You only need accreditation if your organization wants to participate in the governmental meeting or if you are applying for a travel grant.
You need to register if you are just interested in attending the NGO Forum.
The deadline to apply for accreditation to the WCAR is 30 June, although I would strongly recommend that you get your application in by 15 June, if at all possible. Please note that you must submit all requested materials with your application, as there is no time for them to follow-up and ask for missing information. I would also send the application by fax, e-mail AND via DHL to ensure that it is received
Registration for the WCAR Governmental Meeting –
Applications to register for the governmental meeting can be found at http://www.hchr.ch/racism, or http://www.racism.gov.za.
The applications must be received by 15 July and should be sent to:
Ms. Sarah-Jayne Brodier, Secretary
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
World Conference Secretariat
Room 4-020 Palais Wilson
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Each participant must complete this form, but a letter of validation must accompany the application from your UN/WCAR accredited organization.
That is, a letter similar to the one requesting credentials for UN meetings must be submitted with the application form.
For an organization with a delegation of 10 people, it would make sense to get everyone’s completed application form
(and please note each application must include 2 passport size pictures),
and send them to Ms. Sarah-Jayne Brodier at the same time.
Please also fax the letter to Ms. Brodier at 011 (41) 22 917-9050 or 917-9056.
Youth Summit –
The Youth Summit will be held 26-27 August 2001 at the Cricket Stadium in Durban.
They are planning for 300-500 youths/young adults from around the world to participate in the Summit, but they can accommodate up to 1,000.
An International Youth Committee with representation for all the regions has been established.
In addition, there is a Youth Secretariat & Youth Task Team established in the NGO
Secretariat in South Africa. The contact information for these two structures is forthcoming.
One of the major outcomes of the Youth Summit will be a Youth Statement and a Youth Plan Action,
with mechanisms and benchmarks to monitor implementation. Both of these will be presented to
the NGO Forum and the World Conference. Another major objective of the Summit is to establish
an International Youth/Young Adult Network.
Individuals 35 and under may register for the Youth Summit by indicating your wish to
attend the Summit on the NGO Forum registration form. Accommodation for youth/young adults
attending the Summit will be provided at a nominal fee in college dormitories.
This space will be available for 14 days to allow Summit participants to also attend the
NGO Forum and WCAR. Organizers will also be able to provide food for 500 participants
for two days.
NGO draft Declaration and Programme of Action –
The original and revised NGO Declaration and Programme of Action can be found on the South
African Secretariat website (www.racism.org.za).
Please go to that site, print out the documents and send your comments and suggestions
to Mr. Major Kobese (major@wcar.sangoco.org.za). Have your voice and concerns included
in the NGO document in the strongest possible language. You know the government documents
will not be as strong as the NGO document. You must submit your comments,
(although specific language is preferred), but 30 June.
The drafting committee will then discuss all materials submitted and will have a revised draft
on-line in four languages by the end of July.
Keynote Speakers, Respondents, Facilitators –
The International Steering Committee and the NGO Forum Secretariat is seeking suggestions
for Keynote Speakers, Respondents, and Facilitators.
The NGO Forum program will include 4 plenaries
(Globalization, Self-Determination, Institutional Racism, and Colonialism/Slavery),
and panel discussions in the 24 Commissions (Issues and Caucuses groups basically).
You must submit a bio/profile on the person and their contact information.
Please send your recommendations to Ms. Juana Majel (US NGO Coordinating Committee and
International Steering Committee) by 22 June. Her contact information is:
Ms. Juana Majel
National Congress of American Indians
405 South Grape St.
Escondido, CA 92025
(760) 747-7458 phone
(760) 207-6793 cell
jmajel@aol.com
3rd PrepCom for the WCAR –
As many of you have heard by now, there was not much progress on the government draft
Declaration and Programme of Action during the 2nd PrepCom (21 May – 1 June) that just
finished in Geneva. More specifically, the governments only got through less than 5 pages
of the 109-page draft Programme of Action. The Group of 21 (4 representatives from each of
the 5 regional Groups – GRULAC, Western Group, African Group, Eastern European Group and
Asian Group - plus South Africa) is continuing work this week and will meet for at least
another week before the 3rd PrepCom. The dates of the 3rd PrepCom are 30 July – 10 August.
This puts a tremendous burden (both financially and time-wise) on NGOs to go back to Geneva
for this important meeting.
National US NGO Strategy Meeting in Preparation for the WCARm –
The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Leadership Conference on Civil
Rights Education Fund, the US NGO Coordinating Committee, and others are planning a
national strategy meeting in preparation for Durban.
The meeting will be held 20-22 July in Washington DC.
Please hold this new date! The registration form and other information will be available
on the US NGO Website http://www.ngoworldconference.org later this week.
Key Resources for More Information About the WCAR
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