MINUTES OF THE 2005 GENERAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE
INTERNATIONAL
Time: 18-20 November 2005
Venue: Hotel Astoria, Kossuth Lajos
u. 19-21, 1053
Present: See final list of participants (Appendix
1)
Chairs:
Stein-Ivar Aarsaether,
Krassimir Kanev, Ferenc Köszeg, Aaron Rhodes
Minutes:
Paula Tscherne-Lempiäinen
Chair: Aaron Rhodes (IHF Executive Director)
Aaron Rhodes opened the IHF General Assembly
(GA) and asked for possible comments on the agenda of the meeting. He pointed
to the main issues to be discussed: the IHF Strategic Plan and the Plan of
Action 2006-2007 (also available in Russian) and referred also to the need to
appoint an Election Commission for the 2006 GA. He also asked the participants
to consider which issues should be taken up in the statement to be issued at
the end of the GA.
A moment of
silence was held to memorialise the untimely death of Yuri Murashev (
2.
From Friday
through Saturday morning, presentations were made on the main human rights
problems in the OSCE region. For details of the presentations and discussions
thereof, please see Appendix 2. The following summarizes only the
proposals for activities, focus, and cooperation that were made during the
sessions:
Central Asia and
the
The IHF should
pay more attention to:
§
migration and asylum seekers (Ferenc Köszeg);
§
the death penalty and the juvenile criminal system
in the
§
anti-terrorism measures (Tin Gazivoda, Robert
Hardh);
§
Azerbaijan (should be added as a priority to the
Plan of Action (Krassimir Kanev, Bjorn Engesland) and Georgia should receive
more attention (Bjorn Engesland) (seconded by Gazmend Pula);
§
supporting human rights defenders in
The IHF should
also:
§
Introduce new methods and strategies to influence
§
Make an effort to find out the real number of people
killed in
§
Consider possible action to require preconditions
for Kazakh Chairmanship in the OSCE (Yevgeniy Zhovtis).
The IHF should:
§
Set up a fund for human rights defenders (Dzmitry
Markusheuski);
§
Demand the EU to change its regulations for
EU-sponsored projects so as not to require registration with authorities, and
urge for the extension of the mandate the UN Rapporteur on
§
Take up the almost complete lack of
anti-discrimination laws in central Asia and the
§
Pay more attention on Moldova because it will soon
be a EU neighbour, because the Transnistrian conflict endangers developments
also in the neighboring countries, and because of the abuses committed by
soldiers who are stationed in Transnistria (Stefan Uritu);
§
React to draft legislation pending in
§
Form working groups on
The IHF should
pay more attention to:
§
§
The Hungarian HC would like to exchange information
on citizenship issues with other HCs working in this field (Ferenc
Köszeg).
§
Central European HCs should launch joint activities
on trafficking (Stefan Uritu).
§
HCs should widen their perspectives, deal more with
ESC rights and submit shadow reports to UN treaty bodies and other IGOs
(Andrzej Rzeplinski).
Proposed
cooperation:
§
The IHF and the Bulgarian HC should issue a joint
statement on freedom of expression in
§
The Albanian HC would appreciate cooperation with
Western HCs on problems in
§
The Swedish HC offered cooperation to the Norwegian
HC in activities in Kosovo (Robert Hardh);
§
The Danish and Swedish HCs on a mechanism to provide
(trial) monitoring and possibly give legal assistance to human rights defenders
under threat.
Chair: Krassimir Kanev (IHF Executive Committee,
Krassimir Kanev informed the GA that the
Strategic Plan now due to be discussed had been planned by the ExCo for several
years and funding for it was received from OSI a year ago. The ExCo would like
to see commitment by HCs to this plan. It was prepared by the staff, with the
ExCo having a role in developing, discussing and approving it. The Strategic
Plan outlines the proposed general goals in the next two years. The GA needs to
take a decision on the recommendations in the Plan, which are outlined at the
end of the six sections of the Plan.
Stein-Ivar Aarsaether (IHF Treasurer, Norway)
provided for the background that led to the preparation of the Plan, pointing,
for example, to the significant changes that the IHF has gone through since the
fall of the Iron Curtain, rapid shifting of changes in the media field, and
shift of importance from the OSCE to the EU as a motor behind important
developments in the human rights field. It is necessary to accommodate the IHF
to these changes by, among other things, making effective use of our unique
network and expertise and by improving cooperation between the IHF and HCs as
well as among HCs. Also, it would be important that some HCs take lead of
carrying out some IHF activities.
Aarsaether
indicated that finding funding for a central organization such as the IHF
Secretariat has become increasingly difficult, and that the voluntary cuts in
salaries and unpaid leaves taken by the staff are not a permanent solution. The
IHF must focus on issues to which it can contribute best and keep in mind that
we cannot do everything that we would like to do. Also, we need to show to our
funders that we are effective. Specific goals need to be set and met. In
addition, we must make better use our information in order to have stronger
impact on developments. At the same time, we need to pay more attention to weak
HCs.
As a personal comment
he added that making this organization more ready for changes is a long
process. It is also important to consider how the limited capacities in the
Secretariat can be best used to implement the necessary changes.
Generally,
appreciation was expressed for the preparation of the Strategic Plan and the
Plan of Action as an important step in the right direction.
a) Robert Hardh (
b) Ilze Brands Kehris (
c) Nina Suomalainen (
d) Aaron Rhodes: What is listed in the Plan
of Action is not everything that happens in the IHF: the Plan only lists the
crucial issues and does not limit HC activities. A precise calendar of
activities will be prepared according to the approved Plan of Activities.
e) Tin
Gazivoda (
f) Andrzej Rzeplinski (
g) Ole Espersen (
h) Jos Kösters (NL): The
Plans need more geographical balance: more attention must be paid to the
countries west of Vienna, In addition, it should be considered how the IHF
could also operate as a kind of clearing house; the IHF should cooperate with
as many non-members as possible and not restrict to its own member NGOs;
members should report briefly at each General Assembly what they have done
during the past year.
i) Dimitrina Petrova (European Roma Rights
Center), on the last point of assumptions (funding) and respective part of Plan
of Action: There is something fundamentally wrong in funding by many bodies,
including lack of accountability, non-transparency, arbitrary decision-making,
and incompetence. Therefore, it is not enough to say that a fundraiser will be
hired; someone needs to start to mobilize funders in long-term, jointly with
similar regional NGOs as the IHF.
j) Antonio Stango (
k) Ferenc Köszeg (IHF ExCo,
Decision: The
decision on the Strategic Plan was postponed to the afternoon.
4. Presentation
of the 2005 IHF Recognition Reward
Aaron Rhodes
introduced Yevgeniy A. Zhovtis, head of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for
Human Rights and Rule of Law and recipient of the “2005 IHF Recognition Award.”
Mr. Zhovtis thanked the IHF and noted that he is receiving the award aware of
the fact that while he and his organization has faced many difficulties, many
other human rights defenders are in a much worse situation.
5. Strategic
Plan (continued)
The Strategic
Plan submitted to the GA by the IHF ExCo was put to the vote:
Decision: The GA adopted unanimously the Strategic
Plan, with the following additions:
a) Section 2 (“We must focus on what we do better than others”), p.
4: to the effect of emphasizing that the IHF will work in the entire OSCE area.
b) Section 2, p. 5, following
the first bullet point: to the effect that preference will be given to areas of
activities where a significant number of member committees are involved.
c) Section 2, p. 5, after the
bullet points: to the effect that it is the duty of the ExCo to present to the
GA how the undertaken activities correspond to the IHF Strategic Plan and Plan
of Action.
d) Section 4 (“We need a strong membership”), p. 6.,
before the Recommended Decision: to the effect of emphasizing the responsibility and
accountability of National
The GA further decided that the other proposals
raised during the discussion will be addressed under the agenda item 6 - Plan of Action.
The
approved Strategic Plan is attached: Appendix 3.
6. Plan of
Action
Brigitte Dufour
(IHF Deputy Executive Director) presented the Plan of Action (Appendix 4),
submitted to the GA by the IHF ExCo. She emphasized that the adopted Plan
should be realistic and possible to implement. The main idea of the Plan is to
make the IHF more integrated as a federation. We need to know in which areas
our members are working, to create ad hoc groups working on special areas and
to have more cooperation.
In addition, the
Plan proposes that IHF staff members be appointed as a contact persons for
specific countries, which should guarantee regular contacts and better
planning.
It was decided to
go over the Plan and discuss it in parts.
Parts 1-4,
including Concept for the Plan, Planning Process, IHF Secretariat “Core Work”
and Flexible Planning, and Human Rights Priorities:
Special attention
was paid to Country and Regional Priorities:
As for funding,
Brigitte Dufour informed the GA that some new funds have been secured on
Discussion:
a) Robert Hardh, on the organizational part
(1-3.): The responsibilities and the role of the ExCo must be clarified. With
reference to accountability of membership (2. para 2), the ExCo (not the GA)
should play a central role. As for participation by HCs in the GA, reference
should be made to possible financial assistance available to members. In addition,
the Plan of Action should refer to the problem that no active member committees
exist in some major Western countries.
b) Yevgeniy Zhovtis urged that
The GA approved
the Chairman’s suggestion that all proposals that are not objected be include
in the Plan of Action.
c) Vyacheslav Mamedov (
d) Jos Kösters agreed with the country
priorities proposed in the Strategic Plan and asked which HCs would be
interested in working on
e) Bjorn Engesland proposed that a sentence
be added to 4.1.1., International Advocacy, p. 4, that the IHF will explore
opportunities for joint advocacy action with the Chechen Justice Initiative,
especially with regard to implementation of the European Court of Human Rights
decisions on
f) Dimitrina Petrova: Concrete activities
on
Section 4.2.,
Other Countries and Regions of Special Concern:
Brigitte Dufour
presented the section and noted that, on the basis of the previous day’s
discussion, section 4.2.1, should now read only “the Caucasus,” without
Discussion:
a) Bjorn Engesland: The Norwegian
government and the HC can help support the development of civil society in this
region, including work on children, youth, etc. The Norwegian HC has been asked
to make a survey on NGOs in the
b) Robert Hard: More emphasis should be
given to
4.2.1., and under
4.2.3., (
c) Gazmend Pula (Kosovo):
d) Albert van Hal (Interchurch
Peace Council): Freedom of religion in the Balkans is an important issue and
activities to promote it should be carried out Balkan-wide.
e) Diana-Olivia Calinescu (
g) Slavija Stanojlovic (
h) Jos Kösters: Two issues have not
been mention in the Plan of Action: North America and
i) Vasilika Hysi (
j) Ferenc Koszeg noted that the Hungarian
HC should work closely with the Serbian HC on hate speech.
4.3. Ongoing and
Possible Thematic Projects:
Aaron Rhodes presented the section and
pointed to an ongoing project on places of detention and other closed
institutions (led by the Bulgarian HC); possible continuation of a project on
human rights and anti-terrorism (with focus on the undermining the prohibition
against torture); probably a small project on the UN reform; and a proposal to
carry out yearly thematic campaigns. He also encouraged members to work more
with UN bodies, prepare shadow reports, and engage in a diversity of advocacy
activities. Maria Luisa Bascur, working at the IHF Secretariat, will lend her
assistance and expertise on this. Rhodes also said that the IHF is in the
process of shifting more emphasis to EU, establishing presence in
The IHF Annual Report will be continued
unless it is decided that this kind of allocation of financial and human
resources is not appropriate. Better cooperation by HCs is necessary to
continue its publication: for the 2005 report, 25% of the country chapters were
written by the Secretariat staff. There is need to come out with more and more
timely reports, which would also reflect the shift in advocacy (toward EU, UN).
More initiative is needed from HCs to take prompt action in issuing press
releases and statements. The Secretariat will also start publishing a
newsletter “IHF Now,” which will be posted on the IHF website and will include
all main activities carried out by HCs. Efforts will be taken to exploit the
Internet better.
As for
fundraising, the IHF is painfully aware that improvements need to be done to
increase fundraising capacity.
Discussion:
a) Robert Hardh: It is very important to do
something in the field of anti-terrorism (p. 19). The Swedish HC might be able
to contribute to this. Also, the IHF should react to the Financial Action
Task Force (FATF) recommendations under work dealing with the use of NGO funds to
finance terrorist organizations). There will be a meeting on this in February
2006. Further, the IHF should not expand its activities to ESC rights but keep
focusing on civil and political rights. Roma and sexual minorities should be
included in the Plan of Action as priorities - the Swedish HC might be
able to contribute to this, too.
b) Ferenc Köszeg proposed that refugee
and other foreigners’ issues as well as xenophobia be added to the Plan of
Action as priorities.
c) Diana-Olivia Calinescu indicated
interest by the Romanian HC to join the project on places of detention, should
it be continued. Further, the protection of private life would be another
crucial area within anti-terrorism measures. The approach to anti-terrorism
should be more comprehensive.
d) Stein-Ivar Aarsaether: We must keep in
mind that the Plan of Action must be realistic: we must prioritise and fulfil
the tasks we mention in it. He suggested that the ExCo be mandated to decide on
priorities. This proposal was seconded by Jos Kösters.
e) Nina Suomalainen: The IHF should not
expand its activities outside the OSCE except in exceptional cases: the 55
countries are enough. Also, we should concentrate on civil and political rights
to be able to work effectively. She supported the issue of human rights
defenders and association as a yearly campaign.
f) Dimitrina Petrova: The structure of the
Plan of Action is not good. It only lists geographical regions as priorities,
no topics – the topics are reduced to “projects” whereas they, too, should be
overarching priorities. Also, there are many typos in the text.
g) Stefan Uritu (
h) Tin Gazivoda expressed his opposition
against geographic yearly campaigns. The theme of such campaigns must be of
common interest to all, for example, anti-terrorism. In addition, the IHF
should also deal with US problems in
i) Bjorn Engesland expressed his concern at
the number of new issues added to the Plan of Action. The plan is not a wish
list of the staff and the ExCo. It must be followed throughout the year.
Therefore, we must exercise discipline when discussing our priorities. Further,
the Yearly Campaign should be linked to priority areas: e.g., anti-terrorism in
a specific regional area.
j) Antonio Stango noted that it would be
better to start from thematic areas and then go to geographic.
The yearly
campaign 2006 was put on the vote: should the campaign be OSCE-wide or
geographically limited to the priority countries?
In favor of an
OSCE-wide campaign: 16
In favor of a
regional campaign: 5
Decision: The GA
decided that the Yearly Campaign in 2006 will cover the whole OSCE region.
The Chairman
asked for possible additional suggestions to the two topics for the Yearly
Campaign 2006, proposed by the ExCo, which are: 1) anti-terrorism, with focus
on torture, or 2) human rights defenders
and freedom of association.
Frenec Köszeg proposed the issue of
protection of refugees and asylum seekers.
The Chairman
asked if the GA wished to postpone the vote to Sunday. The overwhelming
majority was against postponement.
The GA proceeded
to vote on the topic of the Yearly Campaign 2006: one topic or several topics?
Total number of
eligible votes: 21
In favor of one
topic: 13
Vote on topics:
Total number of
eligible votes: 21
In favor of human
rights defenders and freedom of association: 8
In favor of
anti-terrorism measures, focus on torture: 11
In favor of
refugees and asylum seekers: 2
Decision: The GA
decided that the 2006 Yearly Campaign of the IHF will be anti-terrorism
measures, with focus on undermining of the absolute prohibition of torture.
Marija-Nijole Staciokiene (Lithuanian Human
Rights League) wanted to inform the GA about the membership situation in
Krassimir Kanev noted that the Human Rights
Association is still formally IHF member and has not yet replied to IHF
inquiries about its plans. The IHF must follow its Statutes in this respect.
SUNDAY, 20 December 2005
7. Roma
Rights Roundtable, hosted by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)
Moderator: Dimitrina Petrova
The ERRC briefed
the HCs on its priorities in Roma rights defence in the next years, including
development of anti-discrimination legislation; securing justice in cases of
extreme right abuses; and Romani women’s rights. This means shifting priorities
from general cases of abuses to more specialized fields since there are already
many NGOs working on general Roma rights issues.
The main
challenges are insufficient political will to protect Roma rights; lacking or
inadequate consultation process; technical and legal problems concerning the
consistency of the national legal systems; and problems arising from novelty of
legal concepts and approaches. The central areas of thematic development
include schooling, housing, employment, health care, social assistance, and
environmental racism. The ERRC’s geographic priority areas are
§
The ERRC is currently working on cases in 15
countries, with most cases in
§
Half of the cases involve access to services and
rights.
§
An important part of ERRC operation is setting new
standards in international bodies, and it has reached groundbreaking results in
national courts (particularly regarding access to public places, forced
sterilization of Romani women).
§
ECtHR ruled against
Roma, Askali, and
Egyptians (RAE) in Kosovo:
§
The pre-war minority community included eight
minority groups, the number of RAE was 120,000-150,000. Now their number is at
10,000-12,000.
§
There are several RAE IDP camps in Kosovo, in which
conditions are mostly extremely poor and even life-threatening: three of the
camps are dangerous to Roma (according to WHO), but Roma are still staying
there due to lack of other proper accommodation.
§
There are still RAE refugees in EU countries and
§
REA are not included in the Kosovo status
negotiations.
The
The main problems include:
§
Racially motivated violence and abuse by law
enforcement officials (racial profiling, violence, stereotyping, fabrication of
charges, extortion of money, etc).
§
Discrimination against Roma in the criminal justice
system (racial bias, use of inconclusive evidence against them, no complaints
file by Roma investigated),
§
Violations by non-state actors (no reaction by the
police), hate speech (officials, media), access to personal documents (birth
certificates, IDs, etc.), access to social and economic rights.
§
Violations of women’s rights.
§
Problems linked to anti-terrorism, incl.
discriminatory ID checks as Roma are often perceived as Arabs or Caucasians.
§
A Roma women’s rights group was set up in 2003, led
by Yelena Nikolajevna Konstantinova. It deals with issues such as the
imprisonment of Roma women for petty crimes, and insufficient or unreliable
legal counsel to them. The group’s aim is to establish a country-wide network
of Roma women’s rights organizations.
Segregation in
Education and Employment:
§
Segregated education is still practiced, for
example, in
§
In
§
Many cases regarding the exclusion of Roma from
labor market are pending in national courts in
§
An IHF/ERRC project is ongoing to promote
non-discrimination in employment and education.
Discussion:
Yuri Orlov (IHF Honorary Chairman)
noted that involving students of law schools might be a good way to provide
legal aid to Roma.
Ludmilla Alexeyeva (
Stefan Uritu: In
Marija Nijole Staciokiene said it would be
necessary to spread more information about Roma rights among the majority
population and to inform Roma about available opportunities.
Tin Gazivoda added that the expected
ECtHR ruling on the case of segregated education in Medimurje county,
Yevgeniy Zhovtis noted that in
Ilze Brands-Kehris: A LCHRES study on Roma
some years ago was not well received by authorities. However, there has been some
opening and good will in the area of education, while special classes/education
for Roma continue. It is important to bring credible arguments against that
practice.
Gazmend Pula noted that legislation on
positive discrimination for Roma would be useful in Kosovo.
8. Plan of
Action (continued from Sunday afternoon)
Chair: Ferenc Köszeg
The Chairman
noted that the GA did not have a necessary quorum for transaction of business:
only 11 members with the right to vote were present. The statutes require two
thirds of IHF members. Stein-Ivar
Aaraether noted that the statutes have been interpreted to mean that one
third of the participants on the list of the GA must be present for a quorum,
not one third of all members of the Federation. Jos Kösters and Robert
Hard criticized this interpretation as the Statutes only refer to
“members.”
While the GA
waited for more participants to arrive, it discussed the status and procedure
of the Plan of Action. Stein-Ivar
Aarsaether proposed that the ExCo be given a mandate to finalize the Plan. Robert Hard criticized this procedure
since the GA is supposed to make decisions on future activities. Sending the
document back to the ExCo without a decision would be a practical solution but
the procedure is not satisfactory.
Krassimir Kanev proposed that the GA add to
the Plan of Activity the proposals made on Saturday. Tin Gazivoda replied that the procedure needs major improvements.
If all that was proposed would be added to the Plan, it would grow too large
and unrealistic to implement. Under these circumstances, he expressed his
approval that the ExCo make the final accommodation of the Plan to ensure that
it can be presented to HCs. Ilze
Brands-Kehris agreed that the procedure of transaction of business must be
improved as the yearly GA is the only occasion for the HCs to discuss and make
important decisions.
During the
discussion, the number of members with voting right had increased to 13, which
constituted a
quorum.
Stein-Ivar Aarsaether proposed that the Plan of
Action be referred to the ExCo to be finalized.
Decision: The GA
unanimously decided to refer the Plan of Action to the IHF ExCo to be
finalized.
9. Amendment
to the IHF Statutes
Stein-Ivar Aarsaether proposed on behalf of the
ExCo that Article 2 (Purposes) of the IHF Statutes be amended as proposed in Appendix
5 with the purpose of accommodating them to the adopted Strategic Plan.
Vote:
Total number of
eligible votes: 15
In favor of the
proposed amendment: 13
Opposed: 0
Abstentions: 2
Stein-Ivar Aarsaether proposed on behalf of the
ExCo that the annual membership fee be set at 1,000 Euros for 2006.
Ferenc
Köszeg added that the ExCo can permit a HC to pay less than that sum.
As no other
proposals were brought forward, a vote was taken on the proposed membership
fee.
Vote:
Total number of
eligible votes: 15
In favor of the
proposal: 13
Opposed: 0
Abstentions: 2
Decision: The GA
decided that the 2006 annual fee will be 1,000 Euros.
Stein-Ivar Aarsaether presented the Financial
Report 2004 (Appendix 6).
Jos Kösters requested that next year the
Treasurer report in more detail on how the results were reached. This should be
done in writing in advance of the meeting. Stein-Ivar
Aarasether replied that usually the Executive Director explains how the
results were reached, but the system can be changed for next year.
Aarsaether read his statement to the GA
(Appendix 7) and proposed that the
GA approve the Financial Report for 2004 and release the members of the ExCo
and other officers and employees of the IHF from any and all liability upon the
financial transactions of the IHF during the calendar year 2004.
Vote:
Total number
eligible votes: 15
In favor: 14
Opposed: 0
Abstentions: 1
Decision: The GA
approved the Financial Report for 2004 and released the members of the ExCo and
other officers and employees of the IHF from any and all liability upon the
financial transactions of the IHF during the calendar year 2004.
Ilze Brands-Kehris criticized the restricted
dealing with the Financial Report.
Aaron Rhodes explained that the staff had
decided to take salary cuts and unpaid leaves, but the budget for 2006 is
balanced. A larger proportion is available as operating funds, which makes it
possible to implement the Strategic Plan and the Plan of Action with more
flexibility. It will also be possible to have a surplus next year. He thanked
the HCs that assisted in finding funding: the German, Swiss, and the
Netherlands HCs. Rhodes also thanked the Norwegian HC for their help a few
years ago in sharing their accounting format, which has proved useful.
Stein-Ivar Aarsaether asked for nominations for
the Election Committee for the GA 2006. It was decided to elect four members:
The following
persons were nominated: Robert Hardh (
Jos Kösters
refused the nomination.
Decision: Robert
Hardh, Andrzej Rzeplinski, Antonio Stango and Tin Gazivoda were unanimously
elected as members of the Election Committee for the GA 2006 elections.
The question on
whether or not the IHF should take stand on territorial, boundary and status
issues in specific countries/regions was raised during the Saturday discussions
on the Plan of Action.
Tin Gazivoda noted that there may be situations in which status
and human rights standards should be considered simultaneously, but it should
be clear that HC efforts in the field of status, i.e., territorial/independence
issues, should never take precedence over efforts aimed at assuring human
rights issues. Status should not be treated at the expense of human rights
standards.
Gazmend Pula expressed his agreement with
Gazivoda in general terms but noted that territorial issues and human rights
are often intertwined. It is necessary to take more time to discuss this issue.
14. Presentation by Miklos Haraszti,
OSCE Representative on Freedom of
the Media, on Current Issues:
Miklos Haraszti noted that the
One out of ten
OSCE chapters allows criticism on the media, including nationalist incitement
without appropriate government reaction. The core of the mandate is to monitor
violations of media freedoms and legislation related to it. Haraszti took up,
among other, the following issues:
§
Transition countries: ownership of print press, discrimination
against the independent media.
§
Signs of increasingly restricted control over the
use of Internet in Central Asia (e.g.
§
The Patriot Act in the
§
How the OSCE receives its information: OSCE field
missions with media specialists, NGOs, diplomats.
The following
discussion touched, among others, on the following issues: arrest of David
Irving in Austria for denying the Holocaust; the mandate of the Media Representative;
the situation n Belarus where no independent newspapers are no longer printed;
the difficulties in dealing with hate speech; access to and classification of
information; available instruments to the Media Representative and the security
of his function; possible preconditions for Kazakhstan’s up-coming
chairmanship; and dealing with cases when journalists reveal state secrecies.
The GA was adjourned at 2 p.m.
Appendices:
1. List of Participants
2. Helsinki Committee Report, Strategies and
Activities: discussion
3. IHF Strategic Plan 2006-2007, as adopted by the GA
4. IHF Plan of Action 2006-2007, as submitted by the
ExCo
5. Amendments to the Statutes
6. Financial Report 2004
7. Financial Statement