"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights."
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

Security situation:

The UN mission MINURCAT launched a new programme on 4 January 2008 to train instructors for the Chadian police. The training seeks to “enhance the capabilities of Chadian police and gendarmes to provide effective police service to the population in eastern Chad affected by the Darfur crisis, including refugees, IDPs, and humanitarian workers.”

36 officers, including 20 international and 16 national participants, will take part in the seven day training and will train in turn 850 police officers over 4 months.

Developments on peacekeeping in the region:

On 7 January, the UN Secretary-General briefed members of the Security Council on preparations for the MINURCAT and the EUFOR Chad/CAR, whose deployment in eastern Chad and north-eastern CAR was authorized by resolution 1778 (2007) (SC/9221, AFR/1643).

Members of the Security Council expressed on their serious concern at the recent upsurge in activities of illegal armed groups in western Darfur and in eastern Chad, and at the resulting tension between Sudan and Chad.
Both countries were encouraged to pursue dialogue and cooperation, and all parties in Sudan and Chad were called on to respect their commitments, in particular in the Tripoli Agreement of 8 February 2006, the Riyadh Agreement of 3 May 2007 and the Sirte Agreement of 25 October 2007.

Humanitarian situation:

The security situation in Birao, which was particularly hard hit by the military operations that took place in the Vakaga region in November 2006 and March 2007, has begun to stabilize and people are gradually returning to their homes. The situation, nevertheless, has not improved in humanitarian terms. The direct impact of the fighting continues to be felt on a daily basis by many of those who were displaced.

The deterioration of the local infrastructure and economy, the abrupt end of the rainy season and the destruction of crops and property by flooding in the Vakaga region have further increased the population's vulnerability.

The ICRC which has been permanently present in Birao since October 2007 continues its distribution of essential relief to over 300 people living in the area. It also carries out activities to protect the civilian population and to spread knowledge of international humanitarian law among bearers of weapons, the political authorities and members of civil society while endeavouring to boost the operational and organizational capacities of the local branch of the Central African Red Cross Society.

HDPT Info Bulletin 41 (10-17 December 2007) is out with detailed information on current humanitarian and development activities in the CAR. It contains an overview on the most important developments and news from within and about CAR. The following topics are covered:

  • UNICEF and Voix du Cœur celebrate the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting
  • UN-lead workshop addressed concerns on human rights violations and lack of protection for civilians
  • A presentation of the Central African NGO ‘Echelle’
  • UNDP project trained 360 village chiefs in conflict mediation and 80 female judges in human rights issues.

The 2008 Coordinated Aid Programme

The HDPT in CAR has published its 2008 “Coordinated Aid Programme” (CAP), appealing to donor countries to fund urgent projects intended to meet the needs of one million people affected by the ongoing violence in the northern part of the country.

It reports that despite significant achievements, the situation in the country has continued to deteriorate in the. Violence between rebels, government forces, and bandits continues to haunt and displace people, many of whom have fled from their homes for a second time. Health and nutrition indicators point to the gravity of the situation and research suggests that gender-based violence touches well over 15% of women and girls in some parts of the north.

The international community’s response to the emergency has increased in recent months. In 2007 alone, NGOs and UN agencies established 35 offices around the country, compared to just seven a year earlier. Coordination has been strengthened by the establishment of clusters and the Emergency Response Fund (ERF). Led by the Humanitarian Coordinator with programme support from OCHA and administrative backing by UNDP, the ERF has played a critical role in the country by enabling more donors and NGOs to engage and to address emergencies as soon as they occur.

To continue its work in 2008, the HDPT has, together with the Government of CAR and donors, decided on three strategic priorities: enhancing the protection of people affected by the conflict in the north by stepping up the presence of humanitarian organisations; providing timely and adequate lifesaving assistance to people who are deprived of their rights; and ensuring coherence and complementarity between humanitarian assistance, early recovery, and development programmes. Clusters and innovative funding mechanisms, e.g. the ERF, will help the aid agencies to meet their priorities.

The CAP includes 76 projects.NGOs and UN agencies participating in this programme require US$ 92.6 million to meet the urgent needs of one million people struck by crisis in the northern part of CAR.

A list of prioritised projects can be found at: http://hdptcar.net/files/documents/CAP_2008_CAR_VOL2_SCREEN.pdf


Achievements

    • Our team has succeeded in helping to stop the deportation of more than ten Darfuri asylum seekers to Sudan.
    • In November 2009 the UK Home Office announced that all non-Arab Darfuris would receive refugee status. This decision was due in part to work carried out by Article 1.
    • Our asylum team works daily on several asylum cases, coordinating between lawyers and representatives of the Sudanese community in the UK. Our work has led to the successful asylum application of dozens of individuals.
    • Due in part to our persistent lobbying, the Home Office has been produced a report outlining ethnic diversities between non-Arab tribes in Darfur in order to assist caseworkers in better identifying non-Arab Darfuris.
    • Both the Home Office and Foreign Office receive our regular updates outlining human rights abuses in Sudan and Darfur in particular.
    • The Darfuri children’s drawings we collected in Eastern Chad have been accepted as contextual evidence of war crimes by the International Criminal Court. Furthermore, they have appeared in newspapers and on television in dozens of countries, and are being exhibited in venues around the world.
    • We have successfully provided material and evidence to the ICC and other investigative bodies regarding human rights abuses in
    • …
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What does Article1 do:

    • We give support and advice to Darfuri asylum seekers in the UK, helping them navigate the complexities of the immigration system
    • We work with the UK Home Office and Border Agency to improve policy and procedure of the asylum system
    • We produce high-level and in-depth reports and briefings on the crisis in Sudan
    • We provide detailed and tailored policy briefings to parliamentarians and decision-makers
    • We give talks at schools, universities, faith groups and civic society groups
    • We organise high profile events to publicise the ongoing crisis in Sudan
    • We generate articles and interviews in the press
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Who We Are

  • Benedetta Cassinelli

    Head of Exhibitions

    Benedetta has an MA in Media Policy Studies from City University and a BA Hons in International Business Administration from the European Business School.

    She worked in Communications and PR organising exhibitions and fund raising events for luxury companies and charities.

    At Article 1, Benedetta is responsible for organising the children's drawing exhibitions across the world in order to increase awareness on the subject.

    Benedetta has always been interested in campaigning for refugees and supporting children and women rights.

    Contact Benedetta Cassinelli

  • Olivia Warham

    Head of Communication

    Olivia has a degree in Politics from Durham University.

    She previously worked with Refugee Action, researching the problems faced by female asylum seekers in the UK and the shortfalls they encounter with the Home Office asylum system.

    She conducted research for Response International, a medical response charity working in Pakistan and Lebanon, largely with victims of landmines. 

    At Article 1, Olivia is responsible for fund-raising and public awareness, conducting briefings with decision-makers and giving talks in universities and parliament.

    Contact Olivia Warham​

  • Isobel Crowther

    Head of Asylum and Research

    Isobel holds degrees in the social sciences and in law.

    She has worked as a researcher and campaigner for the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative in Delhi, India, and volunteered with refugee focused organisations in the UK before joining the Waging Peace team.

    She is particularly interested in issues surrounding gender, asylum and international human rights law.

    Isobel oversees the research work undertaken by Article 1.  She also works on asylum cases and coordinates our work with other organisations.

    Contact Isobel Crowther

  • Sophie McCann

    Asylum Consultant

    Sophie has a master’s degree in Conflict Security and Development at the War Studies Department at King's College London.

    Having completed her postgraduate dissertation on the role of land and oil in Sudan's civil wars, Sophie's particular interests lie in the root causes and dynamics of conflict, refugees and IDPs, and asylum law.

    Sophie works on many asylum cases for Article 1, as well as Home Office policy.

    Contact Sophie McCann

Board of Trustees

  • Henry Tinsley – Chair
  • Adrian Bannister – Trustee
  • Paul Hilder – Trustee

Trustee Report & Accounts