INTERNATIONAL OFFICE OF CHAMPA P.O. Box 28024, ANAHEIM, CA 92602, USA T13I.,: 1.949.351.8234 EMAIL: loccAmPA4,vAHoo.com United Nations BOARD OF ADVISORS Chief Adv.: Mr. Dat Lanh (408) 937-7736 Deputy: Mr. Phan S. Thien (415) 494-5410 Secretary: Mr. An Tai aniai21 @yahoo.com (714) 519-9400 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Honorary President: Mr. Hassan Po Klaun htucongthu@yahoo.com (714) 209-1693 President: Mr. Musa Porome Musaporome@gmail.com (714) 334-6992 ice .President: Mr. Rohim Abram rohimabe@yahoo.com (408) 920-0495 Human Rights Council Forum on Minority Issues Guaranteeing the rights of minority WOM ell Geneva, Switzerland -November 29 - 30, 2011 RECOMMENDATIONS Madam Chair, Ladies and Gentlemen, The International Office of Champa is a non-governmental organization whose aim is to defend the interests of the Cham ethnic minority and to preserve their distinct identity. Viet Nam has 54 ethnic groups, including the Cham. The Cham are descendants of the ancient kingdom of Champa, whose temples still stand throughout central and south Viet Nam, recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage. The Cham have been in present-day Viet Nam for at least 2,000 years. Today, they number about .130,000 people in Viet Nam. The Cham are matrilineal, which means that the women inherit property and run the affairs of the family. In central Viet Nam, the'Cham community survives by agriculture. Land ownership is vital to their . survival and to the maintenance of the cultural well being of the Community: The Cham culture is becoming endangered due to the economic policies of the government, whose aim is to abolish the traditional right of inheritance for Chain minority women. The International Office of Champa exercises its Mission in this Forum by giving the following recommendations to protect the Cham minority women in Central Viet Nam: 1. We ask the Vietnamese government consider a fair and just compensation for the private land owned by the ethnic Cham. This land has been nationalized after 1975. Yet thisiand rightly belongs to the matrilineal Chum. Treasurer: Mr. Kevin Champa kvchampa@yahoo.com (408) 728-3200 2. Sec. General: Mr, Sean Tu emailseantu@yahoo,com (949) 351-8234 Before 1975, the Chain minority benefited from an affirmative action policy allowing their integration into larger society. We ask the Vietnamese government to reinstate this affirmative action policy, especially for the Cham women, so that they can eliminate hardship and disease in order to improve.their economic situation. 3. Asst, to Sec. General: Mr, Vinh Tha) vt_linathanh@yahoo,com _(408) 219-9849 We ask the Vietnamese government to help protect the degradation of places of worship, as well as the ancestral burial places currently threatened by looting and vandalism. 4. As a developing country, Viet Nam has implemented a policy to eradicate poverty. As a result of fast economic growth, poverty has been decreasing in the country. However, the Cham minority remains far below the poverty line. They lag behind in living standards, With less access to education, employment, utilities, and health care, showing a clear disadvantage compared with the ethnic majority. We are asking the Vietnamese government to consider the issues of minority poverty to be the national priority, since minorities are the most disadvantaged groups in Viet Nam.