Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Number of UNPO members, which are on territory of official countries |
|
| Headquarters | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Members of UNPO | 63 (Last update: September 2006) |
| Secretaries General |
Michael van Walt van Praag (1991-1998) |
| Number of total represented people | ca. 200 million |
| Homepage | www.unpo.org |
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) is a democratic, international organization. Its members are indigenous peoples, occupied nations, minorities and independent states or territories which lack representation internationally.
UNPO aims to protect the members' human and cultural rights, preserve their environments, and to find non-violent solutions to conflicts which affect them. UNPO provides a forum for member aspirations and assists its members to participate at an international level.
UNPO members are generally not represented diplomatically (or only with a minor status, such as observer) in major international institutions, such as the United Nations. As a result, their ability to participate in the international community and to have their concerns addressed by the global bodies mandated to protect human rights and address conflict, is limited.
UNPO is dedicated to the five principles enshrined in its Covenant;
- the equal right to self-determination;
- adherence to the internationally accepted human rights standards as laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments;
- adherence to the principles of democratic pluralism and rejection of totalitarianism and religious intolerance;
- promotion of non-violence and the rejection of terrorism as an instrument of policy; and
- protection of the natural environment.
All Members are required to sign and abide by the UNPO Covenant. They must affirm that they support the principle of nonviolence in their people’s struggle for a peaceful solution and that they apply the democratic methodology as their guiding principle.
Note: In spite of the "UN" in its acronym, UNPO is not related to the United Nations.
Contents |
[edit] Members
[edit] Former members
The following former members of the UNPO have since gained United Nations (UN) recognition:
- four former constitutive republics of the Soviet Union:
- two of the three Baltic republics (the third being Lithuania), which considered themselves never legally having acceeded as Stalin annexed them by force:
- two in Transcaucasia:
- other:
- East Timor, former Portuguese colony, annexed by Indonesia
- Palau (or Belau), formerly part of the US-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- UNPO Website
- UNPO Covenant
- UNPO Universal Declaration of the Rights of Peoples
- UNPO Tartu Coordination Office (Eastern Europe and Northern Asia)
- Fourth World: Nations Without a State, Nadesan Satyendra
- List of relevant links
