Documents

Chairman's Conclusions
Meeting of WT on Democratization and Human Rights

First of all, I would like to thank you all for attending the third meeting of the Working Table I, and for your vigorous participation and contributions. It is with great pleasure that we have all welcomed a new member, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, whose full participation will give the Stability Pact its complete dimension. The people of Yugoslavia have expressed their desire for democracy and Europe and the distinguished representatives of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia expressed their willingness for an active participation and contribution to the work of our Table. We should all, therefore, give our top priority to integrate the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia into the work of all our Task Forces as quickly as possible.

In the spirit of the Szeged Process, that for the past year has reached out to support and help sustain the Democratic Forces in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, we plan to organize a meeting in Belgrade on November 13. This meeting is intended ascertain the needs of the people of Yugoslavia in order to accelerate the provision of emergency assistance that will help sustain them in the difficult winter months to come. We will be encouraging cities and municipalities, many of whom have been our partners in the Szeged Process, to come forth with their immediate requirements.

Our meeting has also stressed the importance of creating and developing strong partnership with non-governmental institutions including the large NGO community, political foundations, and representatives of the various religions and confessions. These partnerships will be essential to create strong civil societies, a tolerant environment and respected government institutions throughout the region. The NGO Declaration developed by Romania and adopted by the WTI will be an important instrument in developing this partnership and underscoring the essential role played by the NGO community. The Chair welcomes the participation of representatives of the religious community in the WT and will actively look for opportunities to further develop this cooperation. We are pleased that the representative of the European Political Foundations expressed readiness to search for opportunities to create partnerships, particularly in an effort to strengthen political and Government institutions.

The representatives of Greece, Bulgaria and Albania presented the need to provide for the cultural dimension in the efforts of the WT made for stability and democratic culture. The proposal was supported by a number of other delegations.

One of the main objectives of our meeting was to examine the stage of our common efforts. I was very pleased to see the progress made and the evidence of the first results of implementation. Overall, the projects pledged at the Regional Funding Conference are under way and there is only a small number of them still waiting for signed contract or additional funding. I should stress that special attention needs to be attached to the critical issue of the Refugee Return where funding is still required and a much additional work needs to be done.

Let me give you a brief summary of the proposals and interventions heard these two days by Task Force sponsors and delegations.

Human Rights and National Minorities

Slovenia gave a detailed picture of the stage of implementation of the Quick Start Package Projects and presented further needs of the Task Force. Four (4) projects out of nine (9) are properly financed and for the remaining projects special efforts are required to attract the interest of the Donor’s community. We also took note of the Task Force assessments to direct our attention to the Roma projects and to incorporate the inter-religious and ecumenical dialogue into the reconciliation process with the introduction of the Maribor Initiative. Using the assistance that non-governmental organizations can offer for a better coordination of activities was also stressed. Delegations intervened to express their support and to announce that funding committed is now available.

Refugee Return

The Refugee Return Initiative, based on the documentation and discussions in the context of the Humanitarian Issues Working Group (HIWG), which met in Geneva on 11 September of this year, recognized that considerable progress has been achieved in the context of returns. Returns, both within Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as to and from Croatia and from FRY have increased as have freedom of movement and security within BiH. However, the need to implement property laws more quickly was emphasized as a step that will significantly assist the return process.

The Refugee Return Initiative was encouraged by the recent changes in FRY and the statement made by the FRY Delegation to this Working Table clearly stating that the free will of the refugees and the displaced must be respected. This policy will help find the way for durable solutions for the majority of the refugees and displaced in FRY.

Despite the encouraging pledges made at the Brussels Donors Conference, the lack of funding for the reconstruction is creating an important gap and without additional funding the return program may come to a standstill. Now, almost five years after Dayton and after extraordinary efforts to make returns a reality, we finally see concrete results. At this moment it is particularly important that the number of returns are matched by the required reconstruction assistance.

Gender

On Gender issues, the Task Force sponsor gave us an overview of the situation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. She said the number of women holding effective office was unacceptably low. However, the perspectives to improve this situation and achieve our goals are good. Your call for developing regional and national approach was taken into consideration. Delegations welcomed the work being done and cooperation with the Parliamentary Task Force.

Good Governance

This Task Force comprises, as known due to its complexity three clusters. Although Ombudsman attracted the interest of the donors community, it does not have enough funds for implementing the first year’s activity. The development and strengthening of administrative and institutional capacity – both at national and local level – is necessary in order to reinforce the consolidation of the democratic structures. The goal is to have effective administration in the countries of the region. In order for this to be achieved a need of a wider citizen involvement in the political process at regional and local level is not only welcomed but also required.

There is, therefore, a need to support the partially funded projects in the field of public administration and local government. Some of these projects have already started their first part of implementation but require further financial support to continue their activities. Furthermore, a special request needs to be addressed to the donor community to fund four (4) specific projects. It is very reassuring that some delegations have intervened to announce the decision of their Governments to fund projects in this particular sector and I wish that this will be an example for more contributions to follow.

Media

Let me reiterate my appreciation for the work that has been done by the United Kingdom. I welcome the new Chairman, Mr. Claude Moisy, and wish him every success in this difficult endeavor. A new Executive Secretary was also elected, Mr. Marc Thompson, and I also wish him every success. The Media Task Force has already achieved one of its major goals, to sensitize public opinion and allow free flow of information before, during and after the election campaign in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The implementation of the Media Charter is under way and countries have taken steps for monitoring its effectiveness. We have taken note of the need expressed by several delegations to have a co-chairmanship from the region.

Parliamentary Cooperation

An overview of the Parliamentary Cooperation TF was presented. Two (2) out of four (4) projects are under way and the rest will start soon. All four implementing agencies have committed to avoid duplication and a close cooperation on that issue is established. The need for continuous funding was expressed in order to respond to the political needs and developments. We were all pleased to hear the Zagreb results and the cooperation that will be soon advanced with all Task Forces.

Education and Youth

Satisfaction was expressed for the donors’ support to the forty-five (45) projects that are already under way in the Education and Youth Task Force. Although a considerable number of projects have already started there is still need for additional funding for the full implementation of the remaining projects. It has to be underlined that a large number of the projects are coming from NGOs while others have been further developed by them. This is a clear demonstration of how the non-governmental components have been very actively involved in the work of this Task Force. I welcome very much the initiative taken by the Romanian Task Force co-chair to organize a conference in Romania in December on the use of high technology in education. The combination of technology and education can contribute significantly to the rapid improvement of the region’s educational capabilities and steps to take advantage of this potential are fully endorsed.

I think it is important for every country to prepare a progress report to be presented during our meetings. This gives an overview of the activities undertaken by each country. Albania and Croatia have presented a very comprehensive written report and we welcome this initiative.