Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization

The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), formed in 11 February 1991, in The Hague

The Hague

The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...

, is an international organization of political organisations and governments representing self-proclaimed "indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....

, minorities

Minority group

A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...

, and unrecognised or occupied

Military occupation

Military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...

territories". The organization trains groups in how to best market

Public relations

Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....

their causes. Some former members, like Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

, East Timor

East Timor

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...

, Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

, Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

and Georgia

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

, have gained full independence and joined the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

. Despite the "UN" in its acronym, UNPO is an NGO and not an agency of the United Nations.

History

UNPO was conceived of in the 1980s by three leaders of separatist movements in China. Michael van Walt van Praag, long a lawyer for the 14th Dalai Lama

14th Dalai Lama

The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...

, wanted to provide legal expertise for the leaders of aspirant states. Tibetan activist Tsering Jampa, and Uyghur

Uyghur people

The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...

separatist Erkin Alptekin

Erkin Alptekin

Erkin Alptekin is a Uyghur activist and separatist. From Germany, he has helped found many separatist and Uyghur nationalist organizations, the best known of which are the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization and the World Uyghur Congress...

were dismayed that Yasser Arafat

Yasser Arafat

Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...

and the Palestinians

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...

were getting more attention than they were getting, so they decided to create a united organization with van Praag, that would publicize the various independence and autonomy causes during increasingly common periods of separatist violence in the relevant areas. UNPO chose for its founding headquarters in 1991 The Hague

The Hague

in the Netherlands because of the local support, where popular postcolonialist

Postcolonialism

Post-colonialism is a specifically post-modern intellectual discourse that consists of reactions to, and analysis of, the cultural legacy of colonialism...

feelings led to the renaming of several streets after the various states of the dismantled Dutch Empire

Dutch Empire

The Dutch Empire consisted of the overseas territories controlled by the Dutch Republic and later, the modern Netherlands from the 17th to the 20th century. The Dutch followed Portugal and Spain in establishing an overseas colonial empire, but based on military conquest of already-existing...

. A key UNPO goal was to replicate the success of the 14th Dalai Lama

14th Dalai Lama

's propagating of the Tibetan independence message, and they often used his name for their own publicity in the early years of the organization.

To this end, UNPO trains its members in international law

International law

Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...

, international organization

International organization

An intergovernmental organization, sometimes rendered as an international governmental organization and both abbreviated as IGO, is an organization composed primarily of sovereign states , or of other intergovernmental organizations...

s, diplomacy

Diplomacy

Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...

, and public relations

Public relations

Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....

. It aims to be the go-to resource for "reporters searching for background on a breaking story in an inhospitable locale". UNPO has tried to build its credibility by being the first organization to release information from remote areas, typically press releases from groups like MOSOP

Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People is a campaigning organization representing the Ogoni people. Ogoniland is situated north-east of Niger Delta...

. Like Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

, its techniques include issuing action alert

Action alert

An action alert is a message that an organization sends to mobilize people - often members of their group and supports of a specific point of view - calling on them to take action to influence public policy. Typically, action alerts are in reference to a timely issue, where prompt action is needed...

s and portraying itself as an objective

Objectivity (journalism)

Parent article: Journalism ethics and standardsObjectivity is a significant principle of journalistic professionalism. Journalistic objectivity can refer to fairness, disinterestedness, factuality, and nonpartisanship, but most often encompasses all of these qualities.- Definitions :In the context...

source of information. For its members, UNPO teaches spokespeople to use words and phrases that ensure the most sympathetic media coverage, like "peaceful protest" instead of just "protest"; "peaceful demonstration" instead of just "demonstration"; and "they've killed people in 5 neighboring villages" instead of "we've been fighting". UNPO is funded by member contributions and donations from corporations and governmental agencies.

Aims

UNPO declares its aims to be to protect the members' human and cultural right

Right

Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...

s, preserve their environments, and to find non-violent solutions to conflicts which affect them. UNPO provides a forum for member aspirations and assists its members to participate at an international level.

UNPO members are generally not represented diplomatically (or only with a minor status, such as observer) in major international institutions, such as the United Nations. As a result, their ability to have their concerns addressed by the global bodies mandated to protect human rights and address conflict is limited.

UNPO is dedicated to the five principles enshrined in its Covenant

Covenant (historical)

In a historical context, a covenant applies to formal promises that were made under oath, or in less remote history, agreements in which the name actually uses the term 'covenant', implying that they were binding for all time...

The equal right to self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...

;
Adherence to the internationally accepted human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

standards as laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...

and other international instruments;
Adherence to the principles of democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...

pluralism and rejection of totalitarianism and religious intolerance;
Promotion of non-violence and the rejection of terrorism as an instrument of policy; and
Protection of the natural environment
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...

.

All members are required to sign and abide by the UNPO Covenant. UNPO members are required to be nonviolent

Nonviolence

Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...

Members

The following are the 50 members listed on the UNPO Nations & People page, the organizations that currently represent them, and the dates on which they joined the UNPO (original members listed with blue background):

Member	Representing	Continent
Abkhazia Abkhazia Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...	Abkhazia	Europe
National Committee to Defend Black Rights	Aboriginals of Australia Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....	Oceania & Australasia
Freedom Front Plus	Afrikaner Afrikaner Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...	Africa
Democratic Solidarity Party of Al-Ahwaz	Ahwazi	Asia
Assyrian Universal Alliance Assyrian Universal Alliance Assyrian Universal Alliance is an ethnic Assyrian umbrella organization in the Middle East. The Assyrian Universal Alliance is an international alliance made up of different sectors of the Assyrian federations and organisations throughout the world. Mr...	Assyria Assyrian people The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...	Asia
Balochistan National Party Balochistan National Party The Balochistan National Party or Balochistan National Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan...	Balochistan Balochistan (Pakistan) Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...	Asia
Banga Sena Banga Sena The Banga Sena is a separatist Hindu organization which advocates formation of a separate homeland for Bengali Hindus in Bangladesh. The group is led by Kalidas Baidya....	Bangabhumi Bangabhumi Bangabhumi also known as Bir Bango , is a separatist movement to create a Hindu country using southwestern Bangladesh, envisioned by politicians from West Bengal, India and Banga Sena of Hindu of West Bengal.The movement was founded in 1973 in India soon after Bangladeshi independence to support...	Asia
Community of Indigenous Peoples of Rwanda	Great Lakes Twa Great Lakes Twa The Great Lakes Twa, also known as Abatwa or Ge-Sera, or in English Batwa, are a pygmy people who are generally assumed to be the oldest surviving population of the Great Lakes region of central Africa, though currently they live as a Bantu caste...	Africa
Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda is a guerrilla and political movement fighting for the independence of the Angolan province of Cabinda. Formerly under Portuguese administration, with the independence of Angola from Portugal in 1975, the territory became an exclave province... /Forças Armadas de Cabinda Forças Armadas de Cabinda The Forças Armadas de Cabinda or Armed Forces of Cabinda is the armed wing of the political Cabindan nationalist group the Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda ....	Cabinda Republic of Cabinda The Republic of Cabinda also called Republique du Kabinda is the self-proclaimed, unrecognized government led by FLEC-FAC who claims sovereignty over the Angolan Cabinda Province as an independent country...	Africa
Chin National Front	Chin Chin State Chin State is a state located in western Burma . The Chin State is bordered by Rakhine State in the south, Bangladesh in south-west, Sagaing Division and Magway Division in the east, Indian state of Manipur in the north and Indian state of Mizoram in the west. The Chin ethnic group make up the...	Asia
Free Bangala Rastra Movement/Bengal Liberation Army	Bangala Rastra West Bengal West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...	Asia
International Circassian Association	Circassia Circassia Circassia was an independent mountainous country located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia and was the largest and most important country in the Caucasus. Circassia was located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea...	Europe
Cordillera Peoples' Alliance	Cordillera	Asia
Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People is the central executive body of the Kurultai of Crimean Tatars, living in their homeland of Crimea, Ukraine...	Crimean Tatars Crimean Tatars Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...	Europe
World Uyghur Congress World Uyghur Congress The World Uyghur Congress is an international organisation of exiled Uyghur groups said to "represent the collective interest of the Uyghur people" both inside and outside of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China...	East Turkestan East Turkestan East Turkestan is a controversial political term with multiple meanings depending on context and usage...	Asia
Gilgit-Baltistan Democratic Alliance	Gilgit Baltistan	Asia
Democratic Union of the Greek Ethnic Minority in Albania Omonoia (organization) Omonoia is a social, political and cultural organization in Albania that promotes minority rights for the Greek minority in the south of the country....	Greek Minority in Albania	Europe
Hmong ChaoFa Federated State	Hmong Hmong people The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...	Asia
Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania	Hungarian Minority in Romania Hungarians in Romania The Hungarian minority of Romania is the largest ethnic minority in Romania, consisting of 1,431,807 people and making up 6.6% of the total population, according to the 2002 census....	Europe
Inner Mongolian People's Party Inner Mongolian People's Party The Inner Mongolian People's Party, or IMPP is an Inner Mongolian secessionist movement. The party was started in 1997 in Princeton, New Jersey...	Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...	Asia
Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan , abbreviated as PDKI, KDPI, PDK-I, is a Kurdish political party in Iranian Kurdistan which seeks the attainment of Kurdish national rights within a democratic federal republic of Iran....	Iranian Kurdistan Iranian Kurdistan Iranian Kurdistan is an unofficial name for the parts of Iran inhabited by Kurds and has borders with Iraq and Turkey. It includes Kurdistan Province, Kermanshah Province, Ilam Province and parts of West Azerbaijan province....	Asia
Kurdistan Democratic Party and by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Patriotic Union of Kurdistan The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a Kurdish political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded on June 1, 1975, by coordinations between Jalal Talabani and Nawshirwan Mustafa...	Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...	Asia
Dr. Muzaffer Arslan	Iraqi Turkmen	Asia
Ka Lahui Hawaii	Kalahui Hawai'i	Oceania & Australasia
Karenni National Progressive Party	Karenni State Kayah State Kayah State is a state of Myanmar. Situated in eastern Myanmar, it is bounded on the north by Shan State, on the east by Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, and on the south and west by Kayin State. It lies approximately between 18° 30' and 19° 55' north latitude and between 94°40' and 97° 93' east...	Asia
Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation The Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation is an organization representing Khmer Krom people living in the Mekong Delta and its surrounding regions of current day Vietnam as well as thousands living in exile....	Khmer Krom Khmer Krom The Khmer Krom are Khmer people living in the Mekong Delta and the Lower Mekong River area. Under the Khmer Rouge regime- according to the conservative estimates are that 150,000. Under the rule of Vietnam from 1979-93, Cambodia may have lost 20,000 Khmer Krom...	Asia
Democratic League of Kosova Democratic League of Kosovo The Democratic League of Kosovo is the second largest political party in Kosovo. It is a conservative and liberal conservative party; the main right-wing party in Kosovo....	Kosovo Kosovo Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...	Europe
Maasai Women for Education and Economic Development, with the backing of the Mainyoito Pastoralist Integrated Development Organisation and the Kitengela Ilparakuo Land Owners Association	Maasai	Africa
Mapuche Inter-Regional Council	Mapuche Mapuche The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...	South America
Mon Unity League	Mon Mon people The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...	Asia
Moro Islamic Liberation Front Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is an Islamist group located in the southern Philippines. It is one of two Islamic militant groups, the other being the Abu Sayyaf, that are fighting against Government of the Philippines...	Moro	Asia
Montagnard Foundation, Inc.	Montagnards Degar The Degar are the indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The term Montagnard means "mountain people" in French and is a carryover from the French colonial period in Vietnam. In Vietnamese, they are known by the term thượng - this term can also be applied to other minority ethnic...	Asia
National Socialist Council of Nagaland National Socialist Council of Nagaland The Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland is a Naga nationalist militant group operating in Northeast India. Its aim is to establish a Christian socialist state based on Maoism in the areas inhabited by the Naga people in Northeast India and Burma.-Formation:The National Socialist Council of...	Nagalim Nagaland Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...	Asia
Ogaden National Liberation Front Ogaden National Liberation Front The Ogaden National Liberation Front , is a separatist rebel group fighting to make the region of Ogaden in eastern Ethiopia an independent state...	Ogaden Ogaden Ogaden is the name of a territory comprising the southeastern portion of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim. The title "Somali Galbeed", which means "Western Somalia," is often preferred by Somali irredentists.The region, which is...	Africa
Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People is a campaigning organization representing the Ogoni people. Ogoniland is situated north-east of Niger Delta...	Ogoni Ogoni people Ogoni people are one of the many indigenous peoples in the region of southeast Nigeria. They share common oil related environmental problem with the Ijaw people of Niger Delta, but Ogonis are not listed in the list of people historically belonging to Niger Delta...	Africa
Oromo Liberation Front Oromo Liberation Front The Oromo Liberation Front , or OLF, is an organization established in 1973 by Oromo nationalists to promote self-determination for the Oromo people against what they call "Abyssinian colonial rule". It has been outlawed and labeled as a terrorist organization by the Ethiopian government...	Oromo Oromo people The Oromo are an ethnic group found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya, .and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and approximately 34.49% of the population according to the 2007 census...	Africa
Captains Council	Rehoboth Basters Baster The Basters are the descendants of Cape Colony Dutch and indigenous African women. They largely live in Namibia and are similar to Coloured or Griqua people in South Africa....	Africa
Muslim National Council of Sanjak	Sanjak Sandžak Sandžak also known as Raška is a historical region lying along the border between Serbia and Montenegro... Bosniaks Bosniaks The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...	Europe
Stiftelsen Skånsk Framtid	Scania Skåneland Skåneland or Skånelandene are terms used in historical contexts in Scandinavia to describe the area on the southern and south-western part of the Scandinavian peninsula, which under the Treaty of Roskilde was transferred from Denmark to Sweden. It corresponds to the provinces of Blekinge,...	Europe
World Sindhi Institute World Sindhi Institute The World Sindhi Institute is a human rights organization based in Washington DC, United States.The organization is a certified 501, non-profit...	Sindh Sindh Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...	Asia
Government of Somaliland	Somaliland Somaliland Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...	Africa
Government in Exile of the Republic of South Moluccas	Republic of the South Moluccas	Asia
Southern Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement Southern Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement The Southern Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement is a Baku-based separatist group that advocates for the separation of Iranian Azerbaijan from Iran, and "unification of Azeris living on both sides of the Araxes River"....	Southern Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (Iran) Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan , also Iranian Azerbaijan, Persian Azarbaijan is a region in northwestern Iran. It is also historically known as Atropatene and Aturpatakan....	Asia
Southern Cameroons National Council Southern Cameroons National Council The Southern Cameroons National Council is a self determination organisation seeking the independence of the anglophone Southern Cameroons from the francophone Republic of Cameroon . It is a non-violent organisation, and its motto is "The force of argument, not the argument of force." The current...	Southern Cameroons	Africa
Taiwan Foundation for Democracy Taiwan Foundation for Democracy The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy is an non-profit organisation headquartered in Taipei. Originally proposed by the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Foundation's purpose is to promote democracy around the world...	Taiwan (Republic of China) Republic of China The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...	Asia
Government of Tibet in Exile	Tibet Tibet Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...	Asia
Tsimshian Nation Gitlaxyuup-m and Smgigyet Society	Tsimshian Tsimshian The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Tsimshian translates to Inside the Skeena River. Their communities are in British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. There are approximately 10,000...	North America
Udmurt Council (Udmurt Kenesh)	Udmurt Udmurtia The Udmurt Republic , or Udmurtia is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the city of Izhevsk. Population: -History:...	Europe
Dabalorivhuwa Patriotic Front Dabalorivhuwa Patriotic Front Dabalorivhuwa Patriotic Front is a political party in South Africa, based amongst the Venda population in the north-eastern parts of the country. It is led by Tshifhiwa S Makhale....	Venda Venda people The Venda are a Southern African people living mostly near the South African-Zimbabwean border.- History :The Venda were originally from either the Congo or the Great Rift Valley, migrating across the Limpopo river during the Bantu expansion.The Venda of today are descendants of many heterogeneous...	Africa
Balochistan People's Party Balochistan People's Party The Baluchistan People's Party is a Baluch nationalist political party based in Iran, that seeks political, economic and cultural rights for the Baluch people within a federal, secular and democratic political system in Iran.-External links:* *...	West Balochistan	Asia
Zanzibar Democratic Alternative , in cooperation with the Civic United Front Civic United Front The Civic United Front is a liberal party in Tanzania. Although nationally-based, most of the CUF's support comes from the Zanzibar islands of Unguja and Pemba...	Zanzibar Zanzibar Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...	Africa

Suspended members

Buffalo River Dene Nation
Dene
The Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" . The term "Dene" has two usages...

-- to
Burma
National Council of the Union of Burma
The National Council of the Union of Burma is an opposition organisation in Burma , composed of representatives of armed groups and exiled political organizations...

-- to
Buryata -- to
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is the unrecognized secessionist government of Chechnya. The republic was proclaimed in late 1991 by Dzokhar Dudayev, and fought two devastating wars between separatists and the Russian Federation which denounced secession...

-- to seceeded by the Federation of Caucasus Emirate
Caucasus Emirate
The Caucasus Emirate also known as the Caucasian Emirate is a self-proclaimed virtual state entity, partially successor to the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and was officially announced on October 31, 2007 by former President of Ichkeria Dokka Umarov, who became the first Emir...

s
Inkeri
Ingria
Ingria is a historical region in the eastern Baltic, now part of Russia, comprising the southern bank of the river Neva, between the Gulf of Finland, the Narva River, Lake Peipus in the west, and Lake Ladoga and the western bank of the Volkhov river in the east...

-- to
Komi
Komi Republic
The Komi Republic is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is situated to the west of the Ural mountains, in the north-east of the East European Plain...

-- to
Mari -- to
Nahua del Alto Balsas -- to
Shan -- to
Tuva
Tuva
The Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the...

-- to
West Papua
Western New Guinea
West Papua informally refers to the Indonesian western half of the island of New Guinea and other smaller islands to its west. The region is officially administered as two provinces: Papua and West Papua. The eastern half of New Guinea is Papua New Guinea.The population of approximately 3 million...

-- to

Former members

Some members of the UNPO have left because of United Nations recognition, autonomy agreements, or for other reasons.

Former socialist republics of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

, with UN recognition, withdrew after independence was restored in 1991:
- joined , withdrew
- joined , withdrew
- Georgia (country) joined , withdrew
- joined , withdrew
Others with UN recognition:
- joined , withdrew ; former Portuguese
  Portugal
  Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
  
  colony annexed by Indonesia
  Indonesia
  Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
  
  in 1975 and independent since 2002
- joined , withdrew ; formerly part of the US–administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
  Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
  The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1986.-History:...
  
  and independent since 1994
Left for other reasons:
- Aceh
  Free Aceh Movement
  The Free Aceh Movement , also known as the Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front , was a separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra from Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh Insurgency from 1976 to 2005, costing over 15,000 lives...
  
  joined , membership discontinued ; reached autonomy agreement with Indonesia
  Indonesia
  Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
  
  in 2005
- Albanians in Macedonia
  Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia
  Albanians are the largest ethnic minority in the Republic of Macedonia. Of the 2,022,547 citizens of Macedonia, 509,083, or 25%, are Albanian according to the latest national census in 2002. The Albanian minority lives mostly in the north-western part of the country...
  
  joined , membership discontinued ; reached agreement on wider rights
  Ohrid Agreement
  The Ohrid Framework Agreement was the peace deal signed by the government of the Republic of Macedonia and ethnic Albanian representatives on August 13, 2001...
  
  with Macedonia
  Republic of Macedonia
  Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
  
  in 2001
- Bashkortostan
  Bashkortostan
  The Republic of Bashkortostan , also known as Bashkiria is a federal subject of Russia . It is located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is the city of Ufa...
  
  joined , withdrew

} Bougainville joined , membership discontinued ; reached autonomy agreement with Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

in 2000

- Chuvash joined , membership discontinued
- Gagauzia
  Gagauzia
  Gagauzia , formally known as the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Găgăuzia , is an autonomous region of...
  
  joined , membership discontinued ; reached autonomy agreement with Moldova
  Moldova
  Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
  
  in 1994
- Ingushetia
  Ingushetia
  The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...
  
  joined , membership discontinued
- Kumyk
  Kumyks
  Kumyks are a Turkic people occupying the Kumyk plateau in north Dagestan and south Terek, and the lands bordering the Caspian Sea. They comprise 14% of the population of the Russian republic of Dagestan. They speak the Kumyk language...
  
  joined , membership discontinued
- Khalistan
  Khalistan
  Khalistan refers to a global political secessionist movement to create a separate Sikh state, called Khālistān , carved out of parts mostly consisting of the Punjab region of India, depending on definition....
  
  joined , membership discontinued ; suspension made permanent 22 January 1995
- Lakotah Nation joined , membership discontinued ; followed by the declaration of the Republic of Lakotah
  Republic of Lakotah
  The Republic of Lakotah or Lakotah is a proposed country in North America to serve as a homeland for the Lakota.Its boundaries would be surrounded by the borders of the United States, covering thousands of square miles in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana...
- Maohi
  Tahiti
  Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
  
  joined , membership discontinued

} Nuxalk

Nuxálk Nation

The Nuxalk Nation , also referred to as the Bella Coola or Bellacoola, are an Indigenous First Nation in Canada, living in the area in and around Bella Coola, British Columbia...

joined , membership discontinued
} Rusyn

Rusyns

Carpatho-Rusyns are a primarily diasporic ethnic group who speak an Eastern Slavic language, or Ukrainian dialect, known as Rusyn. Carpatho-Rusyns descend from a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the use of the ethnonym "Ukrainian" in the early twentieth century...

joined , membership discontinued
} Sakha joined , withdrew
} Talysh

Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic

The Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic was a short-lived self-proclaimed autonomous republic in Azerbaijan, that lasted from June to August 1993. It was located in extreme southeastern Azerbaijan, envisaging to consist in the 7 administrative districts of Azerbaijan around the regional capital city...

joined , membership discontinued
} Tatarstan

Tatarstan

The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...

joined , membership discontinued

Secretaries General

Michael van Walt van Praag 1991–1997
Tsering Jampa 1997–1998
Helen S. Corbett 1998–1999
Erkin Alptekin
Erkin Alptekin
Erkin Alptekin is a Uyghur activist and separatist. From Germany, he has helped found many separatist and Uyghur nationalist organizations, the best known of which are the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization and the World Uyghur Congress...

1999–2003
Marino Busdachin
Marino Busdachin
-Youth:He was born in Umago in 1956. He moved to Italy with his family in 1961. He studied law at the University of Trieste.-Political involvement:...

2003–2010
- Karl Habsburg-Lothringen
  Karl Habsburg-Lothringen
  Karl von Habsburg , referred to in Austria as Karl Habsburg-Lothringen, in France as Charles de Habsbourg-Lorraine, in the Czech Lands as Karel Habsbursko-Lotrinský, in Hungary as Habsburg Károly, and by his royal name as Archduke Karl of Austria, is an Austrian politician,...
  
  – Since 19 January 2002, the Director General of the Organization
Ngawang Choephel since 2010

External links

UNPO Website

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