Nachtrag zum Posting von gestern: In der Nacht auf Montag erstellt, ist das Programm der "OSCE Parallel Civil Society Conference 2014" (heute und morgen stattfindend) nun doch online: Detailprogramm (application/pdf, 147 KB) .

Ein Blick lohnt sich auch auf ein zweites, umfangreiches Dokument aus der Ecke: Unter dem Dach der "Civic Solidarity" haben offenbar rund 60 Nichtregierungsorganisationen aus OSZE-Mitgliedsländern Beobachtungen und Verbesserungsvorschläge in Sachen Menschenrechte versammelt, die sie den Aussenministern übergeben wollen. Ein längeres, äusserst lesenwertes Dokument: Empfehlungen (application/pdf, 796 KB)

Ein Kapitel darin trägt den Titel: "Human Dimension Issues in Switzerland: The Self-Evaluation". Darin werden die Ergebnisse der mehrstufigen Selbstbeurteilung der Schweiz in Sachen Menschenrechte, durchgeführt durch das "Schweizerische Kompetenzzentrum für Menschenrechte (SKMR)" anlässlich der OSZE-Präsidentschaft, referiert und kommentiert.

Der Abstract:

The most significant fact that arose from the self-evaluation of Switzerland is that (non-) discrimination of foreign nationals / rights of migrants and refugees / xenophobia is they area in which the country has experienced grave shortcomings in implementing OSCE recommendations. This conclusion is supported by the sub-study on election monitoring, which indicated a widespread exclusion from the right to vote of foreign nationals, leading to a situation in which nearly a quarter of the population is excluded from democratic decision processes. The study also points out the high hurdles that complicate the naturalization process, as well as deficiencies in protecting people’s rights in the field of aliens’ and asylum law. The conclusion is also supported by the sub-study on intolerance and racism, which noted problems in the practice of granting asylum to homosexuals, the social exclusion of asylum seekers, the lack of integration of Yeniche, Roma and Sinti, xenophobic discourse and anti-Gypsyism.

We recommend that foreign citizens living in Switzerland be granted the right to elect and vote.

We recommend that the Swiss government take concrete steps to adopt and implement the measures recommended by the OSCE/ODIHR EAM Reports in order to fully comply with international good practice in the field of party and campaign financing. The low level of transparency regarding the influence of interest groups in the political process risks undermining the proper functioning of Swiss democracy and carries a significant potential for corruption.

We recommend making the principle of allowing peaceful but unauthorized demonstrations, not punishing participants in such demonstrations and dealing with potentially or actually violent protesters individually (including through arrest, prosecution and punishment be made the standard rule of police engagement, if this has not already been done.

We recommend improving access to justice in cases of gender based discrimination, enhancing the private sector’s commitment regarding equal pay and increasing the number of women in leadership positions (underpinned by more binding obligations for businesses), increasing efforts to overcome gender segregation in the labour market by addressing stereotypes on all levels and further enhancing the compatibility between family and working life by increasing the quality and affordability of child care facilities as a precondition for women’s full participation in paid employment.