New challenges
"Over the centuries, Armenia has stood proudly, without faltering, like a lighthouse shining a light of hope to guide the vessel of the future, through the tragic episodes of its history".
Abdou Diouf, General Secretary of la Francophonie, opening ceremony of the Forum, Justice: New Challenges,  Yerevan, 6 april 2010
By paying such a high tribute to Armenia during the opening ceremony of the FIDH Forum on Justice,  Abdou Diouf might also have been referring to the new voyage undertaken by FIDH.  The 8, 9  and 10 April 2010, during its 37th  World Congress in Yerevan, FIDH elected its new International Board, and has defined the new main thrusts for its actions and strategies for the coming three years. 

http://www.fidh.org/JUSTICE-NEW-CHALLENGES-The-Right-to-an-Effective

«The decisions taken by all of FIDH's member organisations meeting at its Congress clearly reflect its willingness to enhance its impact and meet major international challenges» stated its newly reelected President Souhayr Belhassen.  This begins with the struggle for justice, which was the focus of a Forum that was distinguished by the quality of its participants.   

FIDH Pictures :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24657228@N06/sets/72157623802889480/

This event brought together human rights activists from the 155 member organisations of FIDH, key actors and renowned national and international partners: in particular Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC),  Françoise Tulkens, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights, as well as representatives of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, European Commission, and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.

The New International Board elected by the 37th FIDH Congress comprises : 

Vice-Presidents

• Fatimata Mbaye : Association Mauritanienne des droits de l'Homme (AMDH) - Mauritania

• Juan Carlos Capurro : Comité d'Action Judiciaire (CAJ) - Argentina

• Katherine Gallagher : Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) - United States of America

• Raji Sourani : Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) - Palestine

• Arnold Tsunga : ZimRights - Zimbabwe

• Dismas Kitenge Senga : Groupe Lotus - Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

• Cynthia Gabriel : Suaram - Malaysia

• Asma Jilani Jahangir : Human Rights Commission of Pakistan - Pakistan

• Amina Bouayach : Organisation marocaine des droits de l'Homme (OMDH) - Morocco

• Aliaksandr Bialiatski : VIASNA - Belarus

• Kristiina Kouros : Finnish League for Human Rights - Finland

• Sorraya Gutierez Arguello : Corporacion Colectivo de Abogados « José Alvear Restrepo » (CCAJAR) - Colombia

• Karim Lahidji : Ligue de défense des droits de l'Homme en Iran (LDDHI) - Iran

• Yusuf Alatas : Human Rights Association (IHD) - Turkey

• Paulina Vega Gonzalez : Comisión mexicana de defensa y promoción de los derechos humanos - Mexico

• Dan Van Raemdonck : Ligue des droits de l'Homme (LDH) - Belgium

General Secretaries

• Luis Guillermo Pérez Casas : Ligue Belge des droits de l'Homme (LDH) - Colombia

• Paul Nsapu Mukulu : Ligue des électeurs - DRC

• Roger Bouka Owoko : Observatoire congolais des droits de l'Homme (OCDH) - Republic of Congo

• Khadija Cherif : Association tunisienne des femmes democrates -Tunisia

• Artak Kirakosyan : Civil Society Institute (CSI) - Armenia

Treasurer 

• Jean-François Plantin : Unione Forense per la Tutela dei Diritti dell'Uomo (UFTDU) - Italy

The delegates from member organisations also decided to welcome into their new family 9 new organisations, that will strengthen FIDH's action at a national and regional level:

New Member Organisations :

• Africa: African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) , Sudan

• America:  Observatorio Ciudadano, Chile - Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA), USA - Centro de Investigación y Promoción de los Derechos (CIPRODEH) , Honduras

• Asia: Armanshahr Foundation/OPEN ASIA, Afghanistan - Altsean Burma - Committee on Prisoners' Rights (CPR), Japan - International Campaign for Tibet (ICT)

• Europe/Central Asia: Free Legal Advice Centres ltd. (FLAC), Ireland - Legal Clinic "Adilet", Kyrghyzistan - Social Found Kylym Chamy, Kyrgyzstan - Citizens Against Corruption, Kyrgyzstan,  Anti-discrimination Center "Memorial" (ADC  Memorial) , Russia

• Middle East and North Africa: Collectif des familles de disparus en Algérie (CFDA), Algeria - Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), Egypt

The Congress launched an urgent appeal on the situation in Kyrghyzstan (http://www.fidh.org/Urgent-Appeal-on-the-situation-in-Kirghizistan), a special motion in solidarity with human rights defenders facing repression (http://www.fidh.org/Special-motion-of-the-FIDH-Congress-in-solidarity) and supported the common declaration of its member organisations in Turkey and Armenia (http://www.fidh.org/Human-Rights-in-Armenia-an-appeal-from-the-37th).

The Congress also adopted: 

Urgent resolutions on : 

• The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, presented by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights and Al Haq;

• The Human Rights situation in Democratic Republic of Congo presented by the Ligue des Electeurs, the Groupe Lotus and the Association africain des droits de l'Homme;

• The Human Rights Situation in Somalia, presented by the Ligue djiboutienne des droits humains;

• The Human Rights Situation in Sudan, presented by Sudan Human Rights Monitor;

• The serious and systematic Human Rights violations in Syria, presented by Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies;

• The serious and systematic Human Rights violations in Iran presented by the League for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran;

• Xenophobia and Discrimination in Europe, presented by the Ligue française des droits de l'Homme et du citoyen humains;

• The Human Rights Situation in Cuba, presented by the Ligue française des droits de l'Homme et du citoyen

• On the Unconsitutional Changes of Government and violations of democratic principes in Sub-Saharan Africa, presented by the Observatoire congolais des droits de l'Homme;

• On the situation of Human Rights Defenders and the appalling state of fundamental freedoms in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, presented by the Human Rights Center «Viasna »;

• The Human Rights Situation in Libya, presented by the Libyan Organisation for Human Rights;

• The Critical Human Rights Situation in Birma, presented by SUARAM;

• The Human Rights Situation in Vietnam, presented by the Vietnam Committee for the Defense of Human Rights;

• Resolution on the Declaration by the FIDH member organisations in Turkey and Armenia.

10 Resolutions on:

• "Resolution on the impunity of crimes against the environment and violations of human rights committed by companies and/or as a result of free trade agreements"

• Colombia: « Resolution on the risks to Colombian Democracy as a result of constitutional changes and the aim to achieve a Presidential re-election in Colombia »

• Colombia: « Resolution on Human Rights Defenders in Colombia »

• Colombia: « Resolution on judicial independence and access to justice for victims in Colombia »

• Colombia: « Resolution on the situation of women and communities in the context of the increasing militarization and the intervention of the United States in Colombia »

• Haiti: « The situation of Human Rights in Haiti »

• Mexico: « The situation of Human Rights in Mexico »

• Nicaragua : ''Violations of civil and political rights in Nicaragua''

• China: « China's Critical Human Rights Situation: Freedom of Expression Under Threat»

• Turkey: « Human Rights situation in Turkey and the sub-region