FIAP Franciscans International Asia Pacific

1. FIAPFranciscans International Asia Pacific

2. Background Aitape Diocese West Sepik Province West Papua

3. Social Justice Issues • Disabled people exploited in boarding houses • People with HIV/AIDES and • Homosexual teenagers struggling to be accepted • Short term imprisonment of women • Detained Asylum seekers • Asylum seekers not permitted to work

4. The 2 Feet of Social Justice • Systemic • Change Charitable Works

5. 2005 Charitable works 2006

6. Unbalanced

7. Lessons • Vulnerable people – intelligent, highly skilled risk-takers • Immigration process flawed, cruel • Responsible citizens ashamed • Powerless

8. Balance Franciscans International Asia Pacific • Charitable • Works • Systemic • Change

9. From Local to Global ] Improved conditions UNHCR Geneva Regional Meetings Governments ] ] Asian Womens Groups Issues for WaR world-wide Regional Meeings ] ] Conclusion Accepted by all Governments ] ] Women victims of gender-based violence Aust. Government WaR Program Increased resources WaR Program Australia International Handbook to protect women and girls in camps throughout world ] ??? Refugee camps ‘Only Rape’ ] ? Unfilled quota Rape = a war crime ] ]

10. New York Geneva Bangkok Franciscans International

11. Formal Structure FIAP Bangkok Office (2008)

12. Programs for grassroots Franciscans to influence international human rights standards, and to bring witness to human rights violations

13. Systemic Change Education Advocacy The Right to development The Environment Human Rights Peacemaking

14. The Right to Development • Physical survival • Intellectual, Economic, and • Political development • suffering • deprivation • marginalization • understanding meaning • implementing policy

15. The Environment Uncontrolled use of natural resources: Forests Land Water Fisheries A powerful minority’s over consumption, over production ** Deteriorating ecosystems ** Depleting resources ** Proliferating inequality ** Poverty ** Conflict

16. Human Rights Thematic Issues: • UN Commission on Human Rights • Migration in Europe • Religious Freedom • Human trafficking • Violence against Women • AIDES • Extreme poverty • UN Norms on transnational businesses • Optional Protocol to ICESCR Regional/Country Issues: West Africa Latin America Asia Eastern Europe Western Europe North America Oceania

17. Peacemaking Facilitate peaceful solutions to • Violence • Conflict • War Monitor disarmament process Official written and oral interventions at UN forums

18. F I and F I A P Partnership of all humanity Environmental protection Participation in resource conservation and environmental protection Social development Personal well-being and community well-being Economic Development Increases productive capacity of poor people

19. Submissions to UN 2006 December: Hague Conference on Dalit Women October: Human Rights Council and the Right to Water July: General Assembly Informal Interactive Hearings on international Migration and Development [July: FIAP meeting in Bangkok] May-June: High level meeting on AIDS in New York Feb-Mar: Commission on the Status of Women Human Rights Situation in Papua, Indonesia Right to Education in Pakistan Human Rights Mechanisms

20. Human Rights in Occupied Iraq Recommendations: • Uphold and respect international lawre civilians • Ensure establishment of a sovereign Iraqi government • Programs bring about material, economic and psychological reconstruction • Rebuild infrastructure – health and education and legal institutions • Bilateral relationships re aid and cooperation • Commission on Human Rights monitoring

21. West Papua Issues: 1.Indonesia unprepared to dialogue with Papuans 2.Implementation of Special Autonomy Law unresolved. 3.Political interests are destroying social cohesion 4.Heavy Indonesian military presence 5.Cycle of impunity prevents protection and promotion of human rights 6. Judicial system protects perpetrators 7. Papuans feel unprotected 8. Timber illegally appropriated, illegal fishing 9. HIV and AIDS second highest in Indonesia; trafficking of persons, and alcohol abuse unchecked 10.Migrants dominate job market 11.Benefits from mining, logging and fishing not invested in public service

22. FI Recommendations: West Papua • Peace Initiatives to address conflict and build peace • Recommend UN Commission on Human Rights to • Protect the life of the Indigenous Papuans and treat as equal citizens • Indonesia fulfil international obligations • Indonesia grant full access to Human Rights Commissioners • Convention on Elimination of Racial Discrimination • Mainstream Human rights education • Indonesians fully participat in the ‘Papua:Land of Peace’ program

23. Franciscans International The UN Instruments are the sacred ‘scriptures’ for global governance – understood by every race and every faith. Written specifically to protect the vulnerable in society and the environment. Asia Pacific Update

24. FIAP

25. International human rights: the problems and the possibilities of working in Asia Pacific – Chris Sidoti Executive Director, International Service for Human Rights in Geneva • THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION • One third of the world’s surface area • but a large part of it is ocean, mountains and desert • Two thirds of the world’s people • with nations ranging in size • from China and India, each with over 1 billion people • to Nauru, Tuvalu and Kiribati, each with only a few thousand people

26. THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION • Not one region but six!! • The Pacific • South East Asia • North east Asia • South Asia • West Asia • Central Asia • and in each there is a reflection of the diversity of the Asia Pacific as a whole

27. SOME COMMON OPPORTUNITIES • The peoples of the Asia Pacific • their drive and energy and sheer determination • cultures of ambition and motivation • the hunger for change • the kids!! • The collapse of authoritarian regimes • but the difficult management of transition • Natural resources, including good agricultural lands and seas • but the threats of environment disaster • Wealth!! Asia is not Africa • Diversity itself

28. WHAT CAN UNITE THE ASIA PACIFIC? • Contribution of the Christian churches as institutions that are across the region • Within the diversity of Asia it is impossible to find values that are • common to all Asia and • exclusive of everyone else • Human rights as the unifying vision

29. THE UNIVERSALITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS • The language of rights has its origin in time and place but it is not the exclusive product of any one religious, cultural or political tradition • In fact Catholic Christianity came very late to the human rights cause, affirmed only in the early 1960s by John XXIII and then by the Vatican Council • The religious texts of all major religions are silent on rights but they all resonate with the concepts we now call human rights • Common values of compassion, human dignity and respect • Justice (“righteousness”) as the basis of vertical and horizontal relationships

30. Human Rights Training in the regionCross cultural interaction

31. Greater awareness of Human Rights Issues from a Franciscan Perspective

32. Right Relationships & Resources

33. Greater awareness of Human Rights Issues in the Asia Pacific region

34. A specific spiritual approach tohuman rights and political realities Franciscans International (FI) works on behalf of the poor for peace, justice and the care of creation

35. Resources WE can offer FI Asia Pacific • Intellectual:encourage students, ex-students and parishioners to attend Human Rights workshops in Bangkok Encourage members of other congregations and parishes to participate in the workshops. Offer personnel:to assist with courses • Spiritual:keep the project in our community prayer Host Franciscan youth for World Youth Day 3. Economic:contribute seed funding until the project is self sustaining

36. There is a need – there is no specific catholic human rights training in the Pacific • Economically it is do-able, if each congregation in each country contributed

37. 3. Human Rights training and advocacy would have a Franciscan basis 4. FI Asia Pacific would link into FI International’s global vision http://www.franciscansinternational.org/

38. Franciscans International Asia Pacific • Charitable • Works ] ] • Systemic • Change