Concern for the Minority Peoples of Romania
1988 General Resolution
WHEREAS, the 1988 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association has received public and private reports in increasing volume of serious discrimination against ethnic minorities in Romania, including members of Lutheran, Reformed, Roman Catholic, and Unitarian churches and other religious communities; andWHEREAS, the process of relocating the inhabitants of villages in such a way as to destroy invaluable historic churches, homes, and public buildings violates basic human rights and is a violation of the Helsinki Accords; and
WHEREAS, the relocation is also an abrogation of the Paris Peace Treaty of February 10, 1947 which, among other things, guaranteed an autonomous Hungarian region; and
WHEREAS, neither the U.S. nor the U.S.S.R. should look with equanimity upon the violation of this peace treaty, to which they are signatories and particularly since this discimination includes education and employment opportunities, religious freedom, the right to travel, and the destruction of cultural documents and artifacts; and
WHEREAS, this discrimination has been a continuing problem; but the proposed eradication of historic villages makes the problem a critical one; and
WHEREAS, the 1988 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association is particularly sensitive to this violation of human rights because of its keen awareness of the most serious disruption in the traditional patterns of life suffered by native peoples of North America;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the 1988 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association expresses its concern for the minority peoples of Romania and particularly at this time for the relocation of village populations: and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the 1988 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association urges the President of the UUA to consult with other religious leaders on common action to help prevent these wrongs, and recommends that:
- The Washington Office of the Department for Social Justice be utilized to request prompt U.S. governmental attention;
- The UU United Nations Office be requested to bring these violations to the urgent attention of the U.N. Human Rights Commission and U.N.E.S.C.O. and to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, with the object that the affected minority peoples be accorded official refugee status;
- The Canadian Unitarian Council be requested to bring this matter to the attention of the Canadian government and to work with other groups and churches in Canada with regard to it;
- Assistance be sought from the principal signatories of the Paris Peace Treaty, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.; and
- The President take such other action that he may regard as effective.
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Last updated on Wednesday, August 24, 2011.
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