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Updated on January 01,  2005

 

Activities of BWCO

BWCO works to accomplish its goals, aims and objectives through human rights education, training, workshop, dissemination, documentation, fact-finding, research, publications, advocacy, campaign  and networking.

 

CURRENT PROGRAMMES/ACTIVITIES 

 

BWCO has established a Children’s Educational programme. It has provided  educational scholarship assistance to 94 refugee students

 

June 2004: Since June, 2004, BWCO has been providing educational support/scholarship to 41 refugee children/students

 

PAST ACTIVITIES

 

Some of the activities undertaken by BWCO in the past are enumerated below:

 

June 2003: BWCO provided educational support/scholarship to 38 refugee children/students in 2003.

 

June 2003: BWCO  participated in a training entitled as “From Global to Local”, which included a training on  the preparation of  Shadow/ NGO alternative reports for submission to the CEDAW Committee, monitoring of the implementation of the CEDAW Convention,  the dynamics of the reporting process and the mechanics of the CEDAW sessions, in New York, USA on June 25- July 07, 2003. She also attended the  29th CEDAW Session in the United Nations, New York  on  June 30 to July 04, 2003. The vent was organised by the International Women's Rights Action Watch - Asia Pacific

 

June 2003: BWCO provided educational support/scholarship to 15 refugee children/students in 2003.

 

May 2002: BWCO's President participated in the Eighth  Session of the Working Group on Minorities of the  United Nations Human Rights Commission’s  Sub-Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, (May 27-31, 2002). Her participation was sponsored by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). She presented an oral and written intervention on the plight of Bhutanese refugees, minorities, women and children.

 

May 2002: In May, 2002, BWCO translated and published a book “A Compilation of  International Minority Rights” from English into Nepali language in the form of one document. The book contains  the principles and provisions for the promotion and protection of minority rights enshrined in 38 international instruments, declarations and conventions.

 

The Book

 

May 2001: BWCO's President participated in a training seminar on the International  Minority Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, ( 07-13, May, 2001). 

 

May 2001: The President of BWCO  participated in the Seventh Session of the Working Group on Minorities of the  United Nations Human Rights Commission’s  Sub-Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, (May 14-18, 2001) and presented an oral and written intervention on the plight of Bhutanese refugees, Christian minorities, women and children.

 

February 2001: BWCO organised  a training seminar on  “International Minority Rights, advocacy strategies and the role of NGO in defending minority rights” for Bhutanese refugee women teachers from the seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal  at Kathmandu, Nepal on  February 10-15,  2001.  

 

2000: BWCO also organised  two training seminars on Women's Human Rights and Gender Issues to provide better understanding of women's rights for Bhutanese refugee women teachers from the seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal  at Kathmandu, Nepal  in  2000.

 

May, 2000: BWCO President participated in a training seminar on the International  Minority Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, ( 15-21, May, 2000)

 

May, 2000: BWCO President participated in the Sixth Session of the Working Group on Minorities of the  United Nations Human Rights Commission’s  Sub-Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, (May 22-26, 2000) and presented an oral and written intervention on the plight of Bhutanese refugees, minorities, women and children

 

April, 2000: BWCO President participated in a training course on "Design Management and Evaluation of Development Projects" in  2000.

 

Training/Seminars: BWCO organised  training seminars on Women’s rights for grassroots Bhutanese refugee women  at Kathmandu, Nepal in 1999, 1998, 1997 and 1996. It organised discussions and meetings  on women's rights and empowerment for  grassroots Bhutanese refugee women at the refugee camps in 1994 and 1995. In March 1998 it also organised training seminar on the Rights of  the Child  for refugee women at the refugee camps.

 

January, 1999: BWCO President participated in the “Global Conference on Organizing Against Sexual Exploitation Regionally and Globally”  in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 26-29, January, 1999, organised by the CATW-Bangladesh in January, 1999.

 

March 1998: In March 1998, BWCO started a  children's educational programme  to help a few poor needy refugee children to receive education. Currently, ten refugee children  belonging to minority groups are studying in the schools.

 

August 1995: BWCO President participated  in the  Women’s Federation for World Peace  Conference held in Seoul, South Korea in August, 1995. 

 

May 1995: In  May 1995, the President  of BWCO attended the Diplomacy Training Program conducted by the University of New South Wales, Australia and Training for Trainers organised by the South Asian Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR) in Kathmandu.

 

January 1995: In January, 1995, it established a skill  development training centre for Bhutanese refugee girls in the refugee camp. Around two hundred refugee girls were trained on tailoring and type-writing.

 

August 1994: In August 1994, four members of BWCO took part in an International Youth Festival and  Conference on the Rights of Child  held in Germany.

 

1990: In 1990, members of BWCO took part in the  first ever peaceful  pro- human rights    rallies in September- October, 1990 in Bhutan..  In 1990 and 1991, BWCO organised more than a dozen hunger strikes in India and Nepal highlighting the plight of Bhutanese refugee women and  the  denial of  their right of return to their country by the Royal Government of Bhutan. 

 

ADVOCACY AND INTERVENTION AT UN

 

BWCO participates at the UN and other international forums. It has presented two interventions at the UN Working Group on Minorities in UN Human rights Commission in Geneva in 2000 and 2001. It presented its intervention on the status of  minorities, women, children and Bhutanese refugees. Please click on Advocacy at the UN for more information

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

BWCO translated and published a research work in the form of a book “A Compilation of  International Minority Rights” from English into Nepali language in the form of one document. The book contains  the principles and provisions for the promotion and protection of minority rights enshrined in 38 international instruments, declarations and conventions.

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