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UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation |
With the help of UNESCO Moscow Office, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Office, and other organizations, the Second International Summer School, "International and Domestic Mechanisms for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms", was held in Saratov from August 5th through the 23rd. Its main organizers were the Moscow School of Human Rights, the Human Rights Commission by the President of the Russian Federation, and the Volga Region Civil Service Academy.
Twenty-five people from fourteen nations of the CIS and Eastern Europe, chosen from 400 candidates on a competitive basis, attended the school. Among them were lawyers, instructors from various higher educational institutions, and graduate students.
Ms. Ella Pamfilova, the recently appointed Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission by the President of the Russian Federation, spoke at the opening ceremony. She stressed the great relevance of Human Rights education, and noted that the most important part of the Commission’s work will be creating new mechanisms for dealing with complaints about human rights violations from ordinary citizens, and increasing the responsibility of officials for working with them.
The aim of this school session was the analysis and exchange
of educational experience in the area of Human Rights, 
the
developing of new Educational Programmes on Human Rights, and the training of
human rights specialists. The students were offered a rich and interesting programme.
During its practical segment, the participants acquainted themselves with the
work of Alexander Lando, the Ombudsman for Human Rights in Saratov region, and
met with members of the region’s non-governmental human rights organizations.
Of special interest were classes on the use of Internet-resources on Human Rights.
As a result of the three weeks of work, each student drew up his own practical
programme of human rights study, taking into consideration the conditions in
his country and the needs of his corresponding target group.
It is planned that the school be made more traditional, and that serious work begin on implementing the programmes that were drawn up into the curriculum.
The results of the school’s work will enter the informational bulletin that will be issued, with the financial assistance of the Moscow UNESCO Office, toward the end of this year. Anyone who wants more information can get it through Internet as well, at the UNESCO Office’s website http://www.culture.of.peace.ru, and the Moscow School of Human Rights’ site, http://www.mshr.ru.
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At the All-Russian State Library of Foreign Literatures, the Director of the UNESCO Moscow Office, Mr. Wolfgang Reuther, presented his book, edited with Professor Klaus Hufner, President of the German Commission for UNESCO, "UNESCO. Goals, Structures, Activities. Chronicle, Facts and Figures". The Director of the Library of Foreign Literatures, Ms Ekaterina Guenieva, opened the evening, and many contributors to the publication participated in it, illustrating the genesis and the aims of the manual.
The book is the translation of a German text previously published in Berlin in 1996, enriched with contributions by Russian authors. It is structured as a collection of articles, articulated in four parts. The first addresses different aspects, strategies and programs of UNESCO activity, with a special look at the Soviet Union, and at Germany and Russia after 1991. The second section is a historic overview of UNESCO in the years 1921–2001, while the third one explores administrative and factual aspects of UNESCO, like Commissions, Institutes, State-members, Conventions, and Prizes. The last section is dedicated to UNESCO in Russia (National Commission and its partners among NGOs, UNESCO chairs in Russia, literature about UNESCO in Russian), and to literature about UNESCO in different languages published between 1945 and 1999.
This manual is the first of this kind in Russian language, and its publication was made possible by the generous support of the Institute "Open Society" – Soros Foundation.
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UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |
One of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) objectives in the Russian Federation is to support the development of an asylum system that meets international standards.
UNHCR continued to contribute to the strengthening of the asylum system country-wide through a variety of training events for governmental officials and non-governmental staff, through ongoing public information and public awareness activities covering several regions of the Russian Federation and specific events centred around World Refugee Day, through support to the Institute of Management training future migration officials and support for the network of lawyers providing legal counselling under Memorial (43 centres in 21 regions; 20 centres supported by UNHCR). During the reporting period 152 ministry officials, lawyers, judiciary and NGO staff attended training events organised by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Office.
The main problems in the asylum system continued, with a high rejection rate. During the first quarter of the year, only 5 persons were officially recognized as refugees in Moscow city and in Moscow region. The numbers of pending applications remain high.
The extreme vulnerability of undocumented asylum-seekers as foreigners of color became more clear with the increase of the incidents with skinheads.
However, in the courts, increasing numbers of positive decisions were made in various regions – 51 in the reporting period in Moscow and Moscow region alone, compared to 18 in the last half of 2001. Temporary asylum was granted to 429 cases (622 persons) in the first quarter, most of who were Afghans. No doubt the legal assistance provided by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Office had a positive impact.
UNHCR’s Moscow Refugee Reception Centre (RRC) registered during reported period a total of 524 new families (cases)/ 824 persons and provided consultations to more than 7,500 asylum-seekers. By the end of June the Refugee Reception Centre has registered 2,406 active cases (5,638 people). Active cases are those families who have made contact with UNHCR within the last year.
Since asylum- seekers have no access to medical services, UNHCR provides basic medical care through an non-govermental organization (NGO) partner, Magee. Magee treated nearly 5,000 patients (7,277 consultations provided) during the reported period.
The small-scale job placement scheme was continued and provided 46 people (mainly Africans) with at least short-term work. Many (31) asylum-seekers then lost their jobs for various reasons.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Office piloted a new, re-oriented programme of individual assistance. For the most vulnerable asylum – seekers UNHCR allocated funds to attend schools by children or UNHCR-supported educational activities, participation in Russian language courses and vocational skills training. Other forms of material assistance (winter clothes, school kits, food packages) were available to all those registered with UNHCR.
As a result of further co-operation with the Moscow Committee of Education 15 children will be ready for integration into regular classes in September, when a further 50 children between 6 and 12 will start preparatory classes in the Moscow school 729. Approximately 90 of 318 children prepared at Community Centres run by UNHCR’s partners will be able to enter local schools in September 2002.
In St. Petersburg more than 300 asylum-seeker, refugee and internally displaced persons (IDP) families received legal counselling at the Refugee Reception Centre managed by the Red Cross (more than 400 consultations).
Twenty-five asylum-seeker students were assisted under the DAFI project between January-June, receiving either stipends and/or tuition fees. Fifteen students graduated in June.
During the first six months of 2002, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Moscow Regional Office assisted the voluntary repatriation of 14 non-CIS refugees to their country of origin, including Congo, DRC, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Chad, Uganda, Nigeria and the Central African Republic.
The resettlement project in Russia was initiated at the end of 1999 to provide this option for primarily non-CIS refugees who face acute physical/protection needs and /or who lack any prospect for local integration. African asylum-seekers are deemed more vulnerable than others are. Since January 2002, only 27 cases / 66 persons departed for resettlement countries.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Office provided comments on the implementing regulations of the Law on Citizenship, which came into force on 1 July 2002, expressing concern over the difficulty to access the procedure and the difficulties for persons of concern to UNHCR to be able to provide the required documents.
Advocacy to protest the situation with the Meskhetians in the Krasnodar krai, who are stateless persons, has been conducted at the highest levels including at the Council of Europe. A local non-govermental organization "Dobroye Delo", UNHCR’ s partner, provided legal assistance in the region. UNHCR continued to provide legal counselling on residence registration and citizenship issues to Baku Armenians (mainly in Moscow) via two legal agencies.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Office continued to participate in the UN humanitarian programme in the Northern Caucasus meeting the protection and assistance needs of internally displaced persons. As of 1 August 2002, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) had registered 116,604 IDPs in Ingushetia and 140,141 IDPs in Chechnya. The main protection activities of UNHCR are in Ingushetia. UNHCR followed up on the growing numbers of eviction cases and, in co-operation with local authorities, searched for alternative shelter. As of the end of June UNHCR and its partners re-accommodated 3,200 individual eviction cases.
UNHCR assists the Government of the Russian Federation in order to re-establish the judiciary structures in the Chechen Republic. Thus, 1,083 cases on behalf of internally displaced persons and 308 cases on behalf of returnees are under court consideration (criminal, civil and administrative) in Chechnya. These cases have been prepared/submitted by UNHCR partner, Collegium of Advocates. In Chechnya UNHCR through its partner the "People in Need" Foundation distributed shelter materials for some 900 vulnerable local families and returnees.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Office continued its activities in maintaining shelter conditions for internally displaced persons in Ingushetia. During the first half of the year, UNHCR with other international organisations replaced 1,036 tents in tented camps and spontaneous settlements.
UNHCR also assisted 390 families, located in 33 spontaneous settlements and host families, with shelter materials. UNHCR implementing partner, International Rescue Committee, trucked 5073 m3 of potable water monthly to 72 spontaneous settlements, 27 water points in host families and 5 tented camps.
To closely monitor the situation of displaced populations in the Northern Caucasus, UNHCR continues to provide support to the network of the Counseling Centres working in Daghestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Stavropolski Krai and Karachaevo-Cherkessia. In total, 3,595 legal and 5,642 medical and social consultations were provided by counselling centres in the Northern Caucasus, Chechnya is not included. Out of 194 cases processed by courts, appeals submitted by lawyers of counselling centres in the Northern Caucasus, 130 had positive court decisions in the interest of beneficiaries.
The largest concentration of refugees outside the urban centres of Moscow and St. Petersburg is in North Ossetia (12,028 Georgian refugees as of 30 July 2002).Via its partner the Children’s Fund in North Ossetia UNHCR provided legal and social counselling and assistance to the most vulnerable refugees and IDPs.
