VZCZCXRO0651
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSL #0057 0331052
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021052Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2287
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0423
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0170

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000057 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DRL/MLGA CHRIS SIBILLA AND IO/RHS AMY OSTERMEIER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM UNHRC LO
SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA'S UPR PROCESS 
 
REF: 08 STATE 130829 
 
¶1.  Per reftel request, PolOff discussed Slovakia's Universal 
Periodic Review (UPR) with Slovak NGO activists Laco Oravec 
of the Milan Semecka Foundation, and Branislav Tichy of 
Amnesty International, as well as the Deputy Director of the 
Slovak MFA's Human Rights Department (and the GOS report 
coordinator), Peter Kormuth.  Both Oravec and Tichy were 
aware of the upcoming May 2009 review of Slovakia at the 
UNHRC, actively contributed to the GOS's self-assessment, and 
are submitting shadow reports to Geneva directly. 
 
¶2.  Kormuth used a regularly scheduled meeting of the 
Government-NGO Council, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister 
Dusan Caplovic, to raise the UPR, distribute his draft 
report, and solicit feedback from the NGO community.  Oravec 
opined that the session did not allow NGO activists 
sufficient time to address all their areas of concern, but 
acknowledged that the GOS did a good job explaining the 
official mechanisms for the protection of human rights. 
Oravec, Tichy, and Kormuth also had a follow-up meeting with 
the Roma Plenipotentiary's office to address Roma-related 
topics in detail. 
 
¶3.  Kormuth said that most comments from the NGOs focused on 
the rights of the disabled and the Roma minority.  Kormuth 
noted that Slovakia signed the UN Declaration on the Rights 
of Disabled Persons in 2007, but has yet to ratify it, as 
existing legislation much be changed before ratification.  In 
general, NGOs would like better access for disabled children 
in schools, and for disabled persons in public buildings and 
on public transportation.  NGOs also noted their concerns 
about two laws which went into effect in January 2009.  The 
first is the law on social assistance, which they believe 
will make it more difficult for non-state actors to provide 
social assistance.  The second is the law on compensation for 
disabled persons, which they believe will prove to be 
demotivating and detrimental to the gainful employment of 
disabled persons.  Kormuth said the GOS's report will include 
an addendum with the comments from the NGO community. 
 
¶4.  The shadow reports of the Milan Simecka Foundation and 
Amnesty International both concern Slovakia's Roma minority. 
Oravec said that Milan Simecka will partner with the Center 
on Housing Rights and Evictions to submit a report on the 
GOS's lack of progress on Roma housing programs.  Tichy said 
that Amnesty's report focuses on discriminatory educational 
practices, as a disproportionate number of Roma children are 
enrolled at so-called "special schools" for the mentally 
handicapped.  Amnesty's report is available on its website. 
 
¶5.  Kormuth said he examined many other countries' reports 
and tried to incorporate a reasonable amount of NGO comment. 
He believes the GOS report is more inclusive than many other 
countries' submissions.  He also questioned the credibility 
of the UPR process, and noted that the Czech Republic's UPR 
included over 30 recommendations for improvement (many from 
states with serious human rights problems), while Algeria's 
had far fewer. 
EDDINS