MINELRES: MRG eBulletin - April 2008

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Welcome to the Minority Rights Group International (MRG) email bulletin.
Simply click on the links below in order to access the full news story
or publication on MRG's website, or alternatively visit our site at
http://www.minorityrights.org


News features 

Minorities in Iraq still targeted for attacks five years after invasion
09.04.08 - Five years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, minorities
continue to be the victims of targeted attacks. In the past month alone
endangered religious minorities - many of whom have been present in Iraq
for millennia - have suffered tragic losses.

http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=6258

MRG in the news - a selection of the major stories featuring MRG's views 

Stop indulging African dictators 
By Ishbel Matheson 
18.04.08 - It has been a tale of two elections - a tale which, on the
surface at least, seems to have two different endings. In Zimbabwe, the
flicker of hope that Robert Mugabe would bow to the will of the people
has all but been extinguished; while in Kenya the shocking post-election
violence has led to a power-sharing pact and the opposition leader,
Raila Odinga, being sworn in yesterday as Prime Minister. 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article37
68093.ece

Sri Lanka rights activists face growing dangers 
By Farah Mihlar
18.04.08 - In March Sri Lankan police used anti-terror laws to arrest
and detain J.S. Tissanayagam, a prominent journalist working for The
Sunday Times, a maistream English-language weekly. After two weeks
behind bars he was finally served a detention order charging him with
engaging in terrorist activities, which today in Sri Lanka can be
interpreted as criticising the government.

http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/1564/2008/03/18-114039-1.htm

Coming up 
In July 2008 MRG will be launching a new campaign on the impact of
climate change on minority and indigenous communities and continues with
its �Trouble in Paradise� campaign pressing for a better deal for
minorities and indigenous peoples in tourism development. MRG will also
soon be launching its 2007 Annual Review and a guide entitled
�Protecting the rights of minorities in Africa: A guide for human rights
activists and civil society organizations�. Check our website for
details of all these exciting new developments. 

What's new? 
MRG blog - Minorities in focus
MRG's Media Officer, Farah Mihlar, travels to New York, to attend the
United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues , which this year is
focusing on the impact of climate change on indigenous peoples.

MRG's Media Officer, Emma Eastwood, travels to Budapest, for an MRG
Europe seminar on the rights-based approach to international
development.

Read about their experiences at http://minorityrights.wordpress.com

MRG briefing papers

Why a minority rights approach to conflict? The case of Southern Sudan
This briefing is aimed at decision-makers working on conflict
management, peace-building, development and human rights in countries
affected by conflict - whether they be officials of the government in
question, humanitarian actors working for donor governments,
intergovernmental organizations, local NGOs or international NGOs (the
imperfect shorthand of 'humanitarian actors' will be used to cover all
of these categories). The aim is to illustrate how the minority rights
approach can be useful to the work of humanitarian actors in any
conflict situation - whether it be aid distribution in a refugee camp, a
reformed police force, or a new national education curriculum. For this
purpose, the briefing examines the specific case of Southern Sudan. 

To download a copy of the briefing go to
http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=6253 

Climate Change and Minorities
A study of several recent environmental disasters across the world shows
that it is minority and indigenous groups that have been worst affected
by changing weather patterns but in most cases when a disaster strikes
help and relief reach them last, Minority Rights Group International
says in their Minorities and Climate Change briefing.

To download a copy of the briefing go to
http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=6268

MRG's World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 
MRG recently launched the first online database of the world's
minorities and indigenous peoples. The World Directory of Minorities and
Indigenous Peoples covers 220 of the world's countries and dependent
territories, and features profiles of about 700 minorities/indigenous
peoples. It is a unique resource for policy-makers, governments,
journalists, academics and all those with an interest in the growing
field of minority rights.

http://www.minorityrights.org/directory


Minority Rights Group International (MRG) is a non-governmental
organization working to secure the rights of ethnic, religious and
linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples worldwide, and to promote
cooperation and understanding between communities.

MRG is a registered charity no. 282305, and has consultative status with
the United Nations Economic and Social Council and observer status with
the African Commission for Human and Peoples' Rights.

Minority Rights Group International
54 Commercial Street, London, E1 6LT, UK
Tel: 020 7422 4200
Fax: 020 7422 4201
Email: minority.rights@mrgmail.org
Website: http://www.minorityrights.org


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