The Rights of Peoples: Ideals and Reality
Tallinn, August 21-22, 2004
Organised by Institute of the Rights of Peoples,
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation,
Estonian Ministry of Justice,
Public Service Academy of Estonia.
Conference Notice
One of the tasks of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation has always been protection of peoples who do not have their own state. However, as it turned out that in many cases the peoples who do have their own state also need protection, we began developing the Universal Declaration of the Rights of PeoplesAlthough there is awareness that peoples should have clearly formulated rights, states are not eager to accept these principles. To change the situation, the Human Rights Institute was established in Tartu in 2003. The Institute's goal is to provide detailed explanations and comments on the principles and concepts included in the Declaration.
The main objective of the upcoming conference is to take the first important step towards this goal. Such concepts and principles as ‘people’, ‘indigenous people’, ‘diaspora’, ‘a people as a carrier of its language and culture’, ‘possibility of peoples' representation’, ‘peoples' right to self-determination’ and ‘territorial integrity of states’ will be discussed. Of course, the situation of peoples in today's world will also be considered.
We assume that peoples are the carriers of languages and cultures and therefore shape human personality. The conference will attempt to get answers to the following questions:
- Why does international law ignore the principle of peoples' rights?
- Is it possible for the Declaration of the Rights of Peoples to become a crucial document influencing the future of mankind?
- Will the number of important culture-carrying languages decrease or increase, i.e. will the ideal of mankind be a unilingual world or multilingualism?
- Will the number of states increase or decrease in the future?
- Does the diaspora of any people have the right to force its will upon the main nation of one or another state?
- What is the relationship between human rights and peoples' rights?
International rights researchers from Estonia, Holland, the US and other states as well as the leaders of democratic movements from Buryatia, Inkeri, Mari El, Taiwan, Tatarstan, Tibet, Tuva, Circassia, Chechnya, Chuvashia, Udmurtia and other members of UNPO, have been invited to the conference.
The conference will open on 21 August 2004 at 11:00 am in the Hall of the Estonian National Library (2 Tõnismägi, Tallinn).