May 16, 2008

ALDE Holds Conference on Activating Nonviolence


The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), UNPO, and the Nonviolent Radical Party have worked together to launch a half-day conference detailing the premises and value of Ghandian Nonviolent Civil Resistance and Regional Autonomies and Federalism in the Context of Internal Self-Determination.

Thursday 15 May 2008, Brussels, Belgium - Following soon after the close of UNPO’s ‘Opening the World to de facto States’ conference, the ALDE group, working in conjunctions with UNPO and the Nonviolent Radical Party, have held a conference espousing the values put forward by Mahatma Ghandi and examining the different paths to self-determination. 

Opening the conference will be speeches from advocates and practitioners of the Ghandian philosophy of nonviolent civil resistance.   

Chaired by Ledum Mitee Esq., President of the UNPO General Assembly and President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), the opening session of the conference featured a number of speakers, all of whom are prominent supporters of Ghandian philosophy of nonviolent civil resistance. 

UNPO General Secretary, Mr. Marino Busdachin, opened the session before introducing Ms. Rebiya Kadeer.  Ms. Kadeer, as President of the World Uyghur Congress is a well-known advocate of nonviolent civil resistance in her campaigns for greater representation and recognition of the rights of the Uyghur people in East Turkestan, otherwise known within China as Xinjiang Province. 

Introduced alongside Ms. Kadeer was Mr. Marco Pannella MEP, President of the Nonviolent Radical Party and lifelong supporter of the principles of Ghandian nonviolent protest.

The issue of human rights will be taken up again by Mr. Marco Cappato MEP, member of the ALDE group and rapporteur on a recent report that assessed the findings of the European Union’s own human rights report.  The concerns over Burma’s human rights record, noted in Mr. Cappato’s report, were also recounted with firsthand knowledge by the Venerable U. Uttara, Secretary General of the Sasana Moli-International Burmese Monks Organization.  Mr. Marco Perduca, Senator of the Italian Parliament also addressed the conference. 

With the conclusion of the opening session, attention switched to the two reports which develop the conference’s title, ‘Activating Nonviolence’.  First to report before the conference was Mr. Mitee, who discussed Ghandian Nonviolent Civil Resistance.  Mr. Mitee brought his own experience as leader of MOSOP, an internationally recognized bastion of nonviolent civil resistance, to the report. 

To conclude the conference, Mr. Michael van Walt van Praag, Executive President of Khredda, addressed the issue of Regional Autonomies and Federalism in the Context of Internal Self-Determination.  This built somewhat on the issues raised and discussed over the course of the ‘Opening the World to de facto States’ conference held on Thursday 15 May 2008. 

The conference will be followed by the UNPO IX General Assembly which is meeting between Friday 16 May and Saturday 17 May 2008.