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A mother and her three children, part of the indigenous Hmong group, in Sin Chai, northwestern Viet Nam

The role of minorities and indigenous peoples in the development cooperation

17 May 2010 • 2:00 – 4:00 pm CET
European Youth Centre

Minorities and Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on EU Development Policies: May 25-26, 2010

Advocates for minority and indigenous groups, development NGOs and development agencies are kindly invited to the conference ’The role of minorities and indigenous peoples in the development cooperation’ to be held in Budapest, May 25-26. The event is organized with the aim of increasing awareness among EU development policy makers of the specific needs of minority and indigenous communities in meeting the MDGs. The conference will examine the role of minorities and indigenous peoples in development policies and seek more effective ways to develop communication and collaboration between Southern communities and the EU.

The conference aims at giving platform to MRG partner NGOs from Africa, Asia and Latin America in panel discussions and round-table talks:

  • to raise their issues to the members of the European Commission (EC), EU government officials and NGOs working on development issues;
  • to contribute to the realization of the MDGs;
  • to raise their issues in the EU media (UK, Spain, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, etc.);
  • to build new partnerships.

The conference is part of MRG’s Minority Voices, a program with support from the European Commission aiming at bringing international media attention to issues affecting minority and indigenous communities throughout the global south.

Location: European Youth Centre, Budapest, II., 1-3 Zivatar Street.

Registration is now closed.

Conference programme

25 May, Tuesday

8.00-9.00 Registration
9.00-9.15 The role of marginalised communities in policy making
Opening remarks by Carl SODERBERGH, Director of Policy and Communications, MRG
9.15-10.30 Liaison between the civil society of developing countries and the European Commission – plenary
Speakers: Pieter BANGMA – European Commission, Civil Society and NGO Liaison DG Development unit; Sazzad HUSSAIN – ODHIKAR (Bangladesh); Esther SOMOIRE – Centre for Indigenous Women and Children (CIWOCH) (Kenya)
10.30-11.00 Coffee break
11.00-12.00 EU’s development work in Latin America – prospects for the EU Council Presidency trio of Spain, Belgium and Hungary – plenary
Speakers: José Maria VALDEMORO – Spanish Embassy to Hungary; Oswaldo BILBAO – Director of Centro de Desarrollo Etnico (CEDET) (Peru)
12.00-13.30 Lunch
13.30-14.30 Minority Voices – Introduction of a Community Based Media Programme
14.30-15.00 Coffee break
15.00-16.30 Reducing poverty – Addressing the needs of marginalised communities in policy formulation and programming – round table discussion
Speakers: Oswaldo BILBAO – Director of Centro de Desarrollo Etnico-CEDET (Peru); Sazzad HUSSAIN – ODHIKAR (Bangladesh); Samia KHAN – development consultant; Tara BRACE-JOHN – CONCORD WG on CSO effectiveness, One World Action
Moderator: Carl SODERBERGH (Minority Rights Group)
16.30-17.00 Coffee break
17.00-17.30 Open Plenary: Summary Discussion of Day One
20:00- Dinner in Budapest (all participants)

26 May, Wednesday

 9.30-10.30 Session 1 (2 roundtables run parallel)

Room 1: Environmental sustainability – Protection of land rights, management of natural resources and tackling tourism development
Speakers: Wilson Kipsang KIPKAZI – Endorois Welfare Council (EWC), Kenya; Vuthy EANG – Bridges Across Borders (Cambodia); Stuart COUPE – Practical Action
Moderator: Emma EASTWOOD (Minority Rights Group)

Room 2: Providing education – Overcoming issues of gender, accessibility, poverty and mobility
Speakers: Neza HENRY – United Organisation for Batwa Development in Uganda (UOBDU) (Uganda); Oswaldo BILBAO – Director of Centro de Desarrollo Etnico-CEDET (Peru); Sandra DWORACK – Oxfam Germany
Moderator: Mohamed MATOVU (Minority Rights Group)

10.30-11.00 Coffee break
11.00-12.00 Session 2 (2 roundtables run parallel)

Room 1: Empowering women – Tackling violence against women and the role of gender in education, employment and political participation
Speakers: Ibrahim Mallam SALI – Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association (MBOSCUDA) (Cameroon); Durga SOB – Feminist Dalit Organisations (FEDO) (Nepal); Tara BRACE-JOHN – CONCORD WG on CSO effectiveness, One World Action
Moderator: Farah MIHLAR (Minority Rights Group)

Room 2: Maternal and Child Health – Community participation in health care programmes
Speakers: Esther SOMOIRE – Centre for Indigenous Women and Children (CIWOCH) (Kenya); Oswaldo BILBAO – Director of Centro de Desarrollo Etnico-CEDET (Peru); Pieter BANGMA – European Commission, Civil Society and NGO Liaison DG Development unit
Moderator: Emma EASTWOOD (Minority Rights Group)

12.00-13.30 Lunch
13.30-15.00 Session 3 (2 roundtables run parallel)

Room 1: Ensuring the attainment of MDGs in conflict and post-conflict situations
Speakers: Vuthy EANG – Bridges Across Borders (Cambodia); Leydi Constanza PEREZ VENTE – Pacific Coast Afro-Colombian Foundation (AFROPA) (Colombia); Brigitta JAKSA – Foundation for Development of Democratic Rights (DemNet) (Hungary)
Moderator: Farah MIHLAR (Minority Rights Group)

Room 2: Promoting global partnership – building bridges between the South and the new member states
Speakers: NTEKOLA Chandapiwa Vanessa – RETENG Multicultural Coalition, (Botswana); Joel CAMPBELL – Center for Human Citizen and Autonomy Rights (CEDEHCA) (Nicaragua); Barbara ERŐS – Foundation for Development of Democratic Rights (DemNet) (Hungary); Kamil SMETANA – Development Assistance Specialist of Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation
Moderator: Carl SODERBERGH (Minority Rights Group)

15.00-15.30 Coffee break
15.30-17.00 Conference summary
Closing remarks

 

Featured image: Hmong woman and children. Credit: Courtesy of UN Photo.