frsrdg · GW04OSSE1 · 2009-05-28 00:00:00 — Notes that womens economic dependency on men makes women easy targets for oppression and abuse, as well as potential victims of prostitution and human trafficking, and affirms the importance of reducing poverty and of actively promoting possibilities for women in the labour market; Repeats its call on parliaments to ratify, if they have not yet done so, and implement the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child and their protocols. RESOLUTION ON RECOGNIZING THE ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF MIGRANTS Reaffirming the cultural diversity of participating States and the centuries of migration which have resulted in the rich culture now expressed and celebrated in those States, Reaffirming the commitments of participating States to co-operate on migration mechanisms consistent with human rights and respectful of both the historical contribution of migrant communities and the needs of the global economy, Noting the 2008 Supplementary Human Dimension Implementation Meeting this year entitled, The Role of National Institutions against Discrimination in Combating Racism and Xenophobia with Special Focus on Persons belonging to National Minorities and Migrants, which will assist in recognizing the positive contributions of migrants in states, Recalling the in of , at which participating States committed themselves to take steps, in conformity with their domestic law and international obligations, against discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia against migrants and migrant workers, and consider undertaking activities to raise public awareness of the enriching contribution of migrants and migrant workers into society, Recognizing the diversity of migrant communities throughout participating States which include students, scholars, and workers of all skill levels, who serve important roles in society, yet due to policies in both countries of origin and destination have not developed their full potential to contribute to their host and home countries, Acknowledging that migrants perform a vital role in bolstering the labour market and contributing significantly to the economies of participating States, Considering that remittances from migrants significantly exceed international development aid and contribute to the economic empowerment of many countries of origin and recognizing that migrant women remit more of their income for family needs such as food, clothing, housing, education, and health, Acknowledging the contributions that migrants have made for several decades to the economic development of the countries of destination and are currently making to daily life in the receiving societies, in political, economic, commercial, cultural, scientific and sporting terms, and also to the international relations and the promotion of the countries of destination, The Parliamentary Assembly: Encourages parliamentarians to engage in actions to commemorate the positive economic, cultural, and social contributions to both countries of origin and destination by migrant communities, such as introducing legislation, speaking out against antimigrant sentiments in their parliaments, working with migrant communities to develop policies which empower all and protect vulnerable migrants such as women, children, and racial and ethnic minorities, and to avoid making statements and actions that may excite xenophobic and discriminatory tendencies in their societies; Encourages participating States to promote policies which harness the potential of migrant communities by improving their economic, educational, civic, and social integration, as well as improving their workforce development skills and providing them with citizenship , and recognizing the contributions migrants provide to host countries economies; Urges participating States to improve co-operation with appropriate regulatory agencies and international financial institutions towards optimizing remittance mechanisms and small business micro-loan programmes, particularly for women supporting the development of local financial institutions, which improve the economic contributions of remittances to the positive development of countries of origin. RESOLUTION ON COMBATING ANTI-SEMITISM, ESPECIALLY ITS MANIFESTATIONS IN THE MEDIA AND IN ACADEMIA Recalling the Parliamentary Assemblys leadership in increasing the focus and attention of the participating States since the 2002 Annual Session in on issues related to manifestations of anti-Semitism, Reaffirming especially the 2002 condemning anti-Semitic incidents in the area, recognizing the role that the existence of anti-Semitism has played throughout history as a major threat to freedom, Referring to the commitments made by the participating States in the previous conferences in (2003), (2004), (2004) and (2005) regarding legal, political and educational efforts to fight anti-Semitism, Welcoming all efforts of the parliaments of the participating States on combating anti-Semitism, especially the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry on anti-Semitism in the , Noting with satisfaction all initiatives of the civil society organizations which are in the field of combating anti-Semitism, Acknowledging that incidents of anti-Semitism occur throughout the region and are not unique to any one country, which necessitates unwavering steadfastness by all participating States to erase this black mark on human history, The Parliamentary Assembly: Appreciates the ongoing work undertaken by the through its Programme on Tolerance and Non-discrimination and supports the continued organisation of expert meetings on anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance aimed at enhancing the implementation of relevant commitments; Appreciates the initiative by () to create a world-wide Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism and encourages the parliaments of the participating States to support this initiative; Urges participating States to present written reports on their activities to combat anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination at the 2009 Annual Session; Reminds participating States to improve methods of monitoring and to report anti-Semitic incidents and other hate crimes to the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in a timely ; Recognizes the importance of the ODIHR tools in improving the effectiveness of States response to anti-Semitism, such as teaching materials on anti-Semitism, the /ODIHR Programme (), which helps forces within participating States better to identify and combat incitement to anti-Semitism and other hate crimes, and civil society capacity-building to combat anti-Semitism and hate crimes, including through the development of networks and coalitions with , , African descendent and other communities combating intolerance; and recommends that other States make use of these tools; Expresses appreciation of the commitment by 10 countries , , , , the , , , , and in co-developing with ODIHR and the teaching materials on the history of Jews and anti-Semitism in Europe, and encourages all other participating States to adopt these teaching materials in their respective national languages and put them into practice; Encourages participating States to adopt the guide for educators entitled Addressing Anti-Semitism WHY and HOW, developed by ODIHR in co-operation with Yad Vashem, in their respective national languages and put them into practice; Urges governments to create and employ curricula that go beyond Holocaust education in dealing with Jewish life, history and culture; Condemns continued incidents of anti-Semitic stereotypes appearing in the media, including news reports, news commentaries, as well as published commentaries by readers; Condemns the use of double standards in media coverage of and its role in the Middle East conflict; Calls upon the media to have discussions on the impact of language and imagery on Judaism, anti-Zionism and and its consequences on the interaction between communities in the participating States; Deplores the continued dissemination of anti-Semitic content via the Internet, including through websites, blogs and email; Urges participating States to increase their efforts to counter the spread of anti-Semitic content, including its dissemination through the Internet, within the framework of their respective national legislation; Urges editors to refrain from publishing anti-Semitic material and to develop a self-regulated code of ethics for dealing with anti-Semitism in media; Calls upon participating States to prevent the distribution of television programmes and other media which promote anti-Semitic views and incite anti-Semitic crimes, including, but not limited to, satellite broadcasting; Reminds participating States of measures to combat the dissemination of racist and anti-Semitic material via the Internet suggested at the 2004 Meeting on the Relationship between Racist, Xenophobic and Anti-Semitic Propaganda on the Internet and Hate Crimes, that include calls to: pursue complementary parallel strategies, train investigators and prosecutors on how to address bias-motivated crimes on the Internet, support the of programmes to educate children about bias-motivated expression they may encounter on the Internet, promote industry codes of conduct, data on the full extent of the distribution of anti-Semitic hate messages on the Internet; Deplores the continued intellectualization of anti-Semitism in academic spheres, particularly through publications and public events at universities; Suggests the preparation of standards and guidelines on academic responsibility to ensure the protection of Jewish and other minority students from harassment, discrimination and abuse in the academic environment; Urges all participants of the upcoming Conference in to make sure that pressing issues of racism around the world will be properly assessed and that the conference will not be misused as a platform for promoting anti-Semitism; Suggests that the delegations of the participating States hold a meeting on the eve of the Conference to discuss and evaluate the process. RESOLUTION ON THE HOLODOMOR OF 1932-1933 IN Reiterating the crucial role of the in the promotion of human rights and values, Recalling that parliamentary institutions play a decisive role in defining humanitarian policies and legislation and represent the will of the people of relevant countries, Emphasizing that raising public awareness of humanitarian tragedies of our history is an important tool for restoring the dignity of victims through acknowledgment of their suffering and preventing similar catastrophes in the future, Reminding the participating States of their commitment to clearly and unequivocally condemn totalitarianism (1990 Document), Recalling that the rule of the totalitarian regime in the former had led to tremendous human rights violations depriving millions of people of their right to live, Recalling also that crimes of the Stalinist regime have already been revealed and condemned and some still require both national and international recognition and unequivocal condemnation, The Parliamentary Assembly: Pays tribute to the innocent lives of millions of Ukrainians who perished during the Holodomor of 1932 and 1933 as a result of the mass starvation brought about by the cruel deliberate actions and policies of the totalitarian regime; Welcomes the recognition of the Holodomor in the United Nations, by the United Nations Educational and and by the national parliaments of a number of the participating States; Endorses the Joint Statement of 31 participating States on the 75th anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932 and 1933 in , delivered at the 15th Meeting of the ; Supports the initiative of to reveal the full truth of this tragedy of the Ukrainian people, in particular through raising public awareness of the Holodomor at international and national levels, organizing the commemoration of the Holodomor as well as academic, expert and civil events aimed at discussing this issue; Invites the parliamentarians of the participating States to participate in the events commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in ; Strongly encourages all parliaments to adopt acts regarding recognition of the Holodomor. RESOLUTION ON STRENGTHENING EFFORTS TO COMBAT ALL FORMS OF TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS AND ADDRESSING THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF CHILD VICTIMS Commending the increasing number of participating States that have adopted comprehensive laws, policies, and practices to combat all forms of trafficking in persons, Recalling the principles of the PA Declaration (2006), the PA Kyiv Declaration (2007), as well as efforts by participating States to implement the Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings (2003) and all commitments related to combating trafficking, Noting the 8th Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons Conference (2008) to specifically address Child Trafficking: Responses and Challenges at the Local Level, Noting the recent Final Report on the Evaluation of the First Offender Prostitution Program (2008) submitted to the , which evaluates the effectiveness of programmes that educate male clients of prostitution about the legal, health and other risks and effects of prostitution and concludes that such programmes significantly reduce recidivism and therefore would also reduce demand for sex trafficking, Supporting with absolute determination efforts to further strengthen national and multinational efforts to combat all forms of trafficking in human beings throughout the region and beyond, Concerned that official corruption continues to hamper efforts to combat human trafficking, including preventing trafficking, protecting victims, and prosecuting traffickers, Concerned that military and civilian personnel serving on international peacekeeping forces or other international missions, including contractors, as well as field presences of international organizations, including the , could be a contributing factor to the demand side of the trafficking cycle and that reports of misconduct by military and civilian personnel serving on such missions have a detrimental effect on the fulfilment of mission mandates; The Parliamentary Assembly: Urges those participating States that have not already done so to adopt and implement comprehensive anti-trafficking laws, policies and practices, addressing human trafficking in all its forms and enabling effective prosecution of perpetrators, prevention, and protection of victims; Encourages the and all participating States to continue to develop robust and comprehensive prevention strategies and programmes addressing human trafficking in all its forms; Calls on all participating States to increase resources to governmental agencies, including law enforcement, and relevant non-governmental organizations, to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of measures aimed at prosecution of perpetrators, prevention of trafficking and protection of trafficking victims; Appeals to participating States to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted effectively and punishments are imposed that are commensurate with the crime; Further encourages participating States to vigorously investigate, prosecute, and sentence public officials who participate in or facilitate human trafficking; Calls on participating States to improve, where necessary, measures to prevent military and civilian personnel deployed abroad on peacekeeping forces or other international missions from engaging in trafficking in persons or exploiting victims of trafficking, and to ensure that their national laws, regulations, and other relevant documents can be enforced with respect to their nationals who are serving on peacekeeping forces or other international missions; Urges participating States to establish or strengthen programmes to promote international co-operation in protecting trafficking victims and their families from retribution for aiding in prosecution processes in order to increase prosecutions; Urges participating States to ensure effective identification mechanisms for trafficking victims, particularly to ensure victims are not prosecuted for prostitution and immigration violations; Further urges participating States to interact with non-governmental organizations and other international mechanisms for, when appropriate, the safe return of trafficking victims to their home countries; Strongly urges participating States to develop strategies for addressing the vulnerabilities of potential trafficking victims and for successfully re-integrating rescued trafficking victims, particularly by establishing and by facilitating the efforts of NGOs to establish micro-enterprise and microfinance activities for victims of human trafficking and at-risk women entrepreneurs in high trafficking areas; Calls on all participating States to strengthen national monitoring mechanisms, national referral mechanisms, co-ordinating structures, data collection and research focused on trafficking in human beings; Encourages media outlets in source, transit and destination countries to play a more vigorous role in helping to educate the public about the many facets of human trafficking, including factors contributing to demand for all forms of trafficking, warning signs for potential victims and parents of potential victims of trafficking, and actions that individuals might take if they encounter a possible victim of trafficking; Calls on participating States to develop and implement programmes to educate male clients of prostitutes about the legal, health and other risks and effects of prostitution, with the goal of significantly reducing recidivism rates and demand for sex trafficking; Calls on participating States to develop policies and support initiatives to more effectively reduce the demand that drives all forms of trafficking in persons, including through awareness raising campaigns and legislative or other measures; Urges participating States, where necessary, to clarify definitions in national legislation related to forced labour, and to educate the appropriate officials about the distinction between trafficking in persons and other situations not to be confused with this, such as illegal immigration, and human smuggling; Strongly urges the and the participating States to take immediate steps to promote the aggressive prosecution of those responsible for the trafficking of infants, children and youths, prevention of such crimes against children and protection of victims, including through implementation of the recommendations contained in the Addendum to the Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings: Addressing the Special Needs of Child Victims of Trafficking for Protection and Assistance, inter alia; a.Establishing and/or strengthening effective policies and programmes to prevent trafficking in children; b.developing co-ordinating and referral mechanisms to specifically address protection and assistance measures which focus on the special needs of child victims of trafficking; c.facilitating special training for law enforcement and direct service personnel on proper and effective methods to identify child victims of trafficking; and d.forming partnerships with civil society to develop a comprehensive approach to protect and assist child victims of trafficking; Urges participating States to co-operate in ensuring, when appropriate, the safe return of child victims of trafficking, including through the incorporation of risk assessments and reintegration programmes with their anti-trafficking in persons policies; Urges the participating States to establish educational outreach programmes aimed at particularly vulnerable populations of children and youths, including those residing in state institutions; Expresses appreciation for the ongoing work of the Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings as well as anti-trafficking efforts undertaken by Missions and Field Presences; and Calls on the to continue co-operation with other international organizations on concrete and practical programmes to combat trafficking in persons. RESOLUTION ON OBSERVATION MISSIONS Underlining the importance of election observation and noting the contribution that effective observation makes to improving electoral practices, Reiterating the commitment of all participating States to invite , Stressing that the political expertise of parliamentarians lends unmatched credibility to election observation, The Parliamentary Assembly: Urges the Parliamentary Assembly to continue providing political leadership to election observation missions as called for in the 1997 Co-operation Agreement; Stresses that election observation must continue to improve and adapt; Urges the heads of the Parliamentary elections observation missions to accept registrations to the missions only if the commit themselves to attend the full briefing programme as well as the debriefing preceding and following the mission; the heads of the missions may admit exceptions if the demand is duly justified. For this Chapter the term forces includes all kind of armed forces as well as private military companies and private security companies.