Rome, 07 February 2010 - The UNPO Secretariat in Rome (Italy) played host to the 8th Session of the UNPO Presidency on 05 and 06 February 2010. Presided by UNPO Vice President Ms Maysing  Yang (Taiwan) the meeting brought together UNPO Presidency Members from Abkhazia, Balochistan, Crimean Tartars, East Turkestan, Khmer Krom, Montagnards, Sindh, Southern Cameroons, Taiwan and Zanzibar.

The UNPO Presidency meets several times every year, providing an essential element of continuity between the full assemblies of UNPO Members, and is mandated to supervise and assist in the implementation of the overall policy of the organization as articulated at the meetings of the General Assembly.

The agenda of the meeting covered a wide array of issues, including 'Returning Refugees: Extradition to Torture', UNPO activity plan 2010 and the location of upcoming UNPO General Assembly to be held in Summer 2010.

Prior to the Presidency meeting, UNPO hosted a conference on the topic of non-refoulement (a  international refugee law, that concerns the protection of refugees from being returned to places where their lives or freedoms could be threatened) of refugees in the Chamber of Deputies in Rome.

Representatives from UNPO and its members, discussed the urgent situation affecting individuals from their respective regions.

 Members of the Nonviolent Radical Party, delegation of Radical MPs in the Democratic Party Group in the Italian Parliament, Mr Jurgen Humburg from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR),  Senator Marco Perduca (Italian Senate), Jean-Leonard Touadi, MP (Italian parliament) and Dr David Donat-Cattin (Parliamentarian for Global Action)  spoke on international and Italian obligations of non-refoulement.

The conference was chaired by Matteo Mecacci, MP, Human Right Rapporteur for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Balochistan was represented by Abdullah Jamalzhai UNPO Presidency Member.

Balochistan Peoples Party