International Eurasia Press Fund participates in ECRE and IPI meetings

The staff of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), Mr. Azer Hasret, joined all other members of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) for the Biannual General Meeting in Brussels, Belgium held from the 3rd of June to the 5th of June.

On another occasion, the Chairman of the IEPF, Mr. Umud Mirzayev and the Information Manager, Mr. Azer Hasret has taken part in the International Press Institute (IPI) World Congress in Belgrade, Serbia.

IEPF is a member of the ECRE and has long been representing ECRE in Azerbaijan and to a larger extent, the Caucasus region. The problem of refugees in this region is very obvious because Azerbaijan remains a strategic route for refugees from troubled Asia regions into Europe. IEPF has been working with refugees matters almost since 1992 after its creation; IEPF has been involved with the direct matters of the Azerbaijan refugees who can be classified as the Internally Displaced Persons.

In the BGM meeting in Brussels, the top on the Agenda was the (In) accessible Europe. ECRE has been working in advocacy roles for the European refugees and has since been conducting lobbies, research and surveys on different groups of EU refugees. In the past, ECRE has pointed out on the negative roles EU set-up bodies such as FRONTEX and RABBITS play in denying refugees their required rights in Europe.

The BGM meeting is always divided into core groups meetings and working groups so as to give a wider participatory of members’ organization. The topics on the core group meetings were centered on: integration; Asylum seekers; Resettlement; and Access. While the working group meetings were on: improving working as a network; communication strategy; brainstorm common media work 2008-2009; Refugees and Climate changes; meeting Valentino Achak Deng; and Asylum Monologues.

Among the many speakers in the BGM were the ECRE secrtary General, Bjarte Vandvik; Director of Communications European Policy Center, Ms. Jacki Davis; Federal Minister of Immigration and Asylum Policy, Minister Annemie Turteboom; Director of the Flemish Refugee Action, Mr. Pieter De Gryse; various Actors of Human Rights, etc. One Mr. Valentini Achak Deng also had time for his speech. Mr. Valentino is one of the 27,000 Lost Boys who fled the violence during the second Sudanese civil war (1983 – 2003). After a long journey through the desert the children first arrived in Ethiopia and then in a Kenyan refugee camp. At least 10,000 of them did not survive the journey.

The participant from IEPF representing Azerbaijan took out time to discuss peculiar refugees matter in Azerbaijan. His discussion with the ECRE Executives was primarily focused on how to assist Refugees in Azerbaijan with the various faced problems. Azerbaijan today has a vast diverse refugee group comprising the Chechens, Iraqis, the Afghanistan, Turks aborigines, etc. During the discussion period, the ECRE executives further briefed Mr. Azer concerning the planned visit of the European Union MPs to Azerbaijan and Ukraine; although at the moment there has not been a fixed date for these visits but it is hope to happen in the nearest date.

IEPF as a member of IPI is required to participate in the world congresses of the press institute. Furthermore the chairman of IEPF, Mr. Umud is also the National Director of the Azerbaijan National Committee of the IPI. Mr. Umud participated in this year World Congress based on a special invitation by the Executive Board of the IPI.

At the world congress, Mr. Umud took out time to elaborate the press issues in Azerbaijan; the positive strides made, the challenges faced and the areas needing attention. Also Mr. Umud took the opportunity to discuss further on hosing of the World Congress in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijan National Committee of the IPI had proposed to host the 2009 World Congress of IPI, but for a last minute decision, the hosting right was accorded to Finland. However, Azerbaijan is highly favored to host 2011 IPI World congress.

The meeting that started from the 15th of June and finished on the 17th of June had served as an avenue towards the discussions, analyzing, reporting, and experiencing, press issues as occurring globally. The World congress is always a great magnitude event because it involves the participation of a very large number of journalist, people of the press and friends of the media world.

Both the IPI World Congress and the ECRE BGM meeting was a good demonstration of the events from Azerbaijan on higher levels. The ECRE meeting has further ensured that there are areas that concerns refugees which needs international focus; whereas, the IPI World Congress has further pointed the International community on the press issues in Azerbaijan particularly towards supporting the development of professional Journalism in Azerbaijan.

Note:
For further acquaintance with the general outcomes from both the ECRE BGM and IPI World Congress, with also general activities of the ECRE and IPI, links to website can be accessed from the IEPF website on the right.