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Omega Research Foundation

Acronym: ORF

General Information

Identification Code: 959965542977-48
Website: [object Object]
Entity Form: Registered charity and registered company limited by guarantee
Registration Category: Non-governmental organisations, platforms and networks and similar
Registration Date: 6/2/2021
Last Update: 3/13/2024
EP Accredited Number: 0

Mission & Interests

Goals: The Omega Research Foundation (Omega), a UK-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) providing rigorous, objective, evidence-based research on the manufacture, international trade, and use of military, security and police equipment around the world. Such technologies range from small arms and light weapons to large weapon systems; from policing technologies and prison equipment to equipment used for torture. Omega is the only NGO that systematically monitors the global trade in equipment that has no purpose other than torture or other ill-treatment, or that are frequently misused for such purposes. Omega monitors this trade and investigates cases to uncover the entire ‘supply chain’ from production of equipment; methods of promotion and supply; to the use of equipment in specific cases of torture and other human rights violations. Omega's aim is that human rights and international humanitarian law violations are not committed or facilitated by people using this equipment.
Interests Represented: Does not represent commercial interests
Interests:
  • External relations
  • Foreign affairs and security policy
  • Humanitarian aid and civil protection
  • International co-operation and development
  • Justice and fundamental rights
  • Regional policy
  • Trade
Levels of Interest:
  • national
  • european
  • global

Activities

Main EU Legislative Proposals: The Omega Research Foundation is actively engaged with the EU’s human rights policies and initiatives, with a particular focus on the EU’s policy to combat torture, other ill-treatment and the death penalty in third countries, including through the promotion of national, regional and international measures to regulate the trade in goods used for such serious human rights violations. The Omega Research Foundation has worked with the European Commission, the European Parliament and individual EU Member States to: • Facilitate the creation of the EU Anti Torture Regulation (Regulation (EC) 1236/2005), advised on subsequent revisions of this instrument (the most recent iteration being Regulation (EU) 2019/125), and continues to provide advice on further strengthening of the Regulation and its implementation by all EU Member States; • Facilitate development by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers of a politically binding instrument and associated implementation measures on trade in goods used for torture and the death penalty, and support implementation of this Recommendation by all CoE member States (including all EU Member States), encouraging synergy between the EU and CoE to this end; • Facilitate formation and development of the Alliance for Torture Free Trade (current membership over 60 States in all regions), promoting international controls on trade in goods used for torture and the death penalty; • Facilitate support for adoption of the 2019 UN General Assembly Resolution A/73/L.94, Towards torture-free trade; and of the ongoing UN process examining the feasibility, scope and parameters for international standards on ‘torture-free trade’.
Communication Activities: The Omega Research Foundation (ORF) has implemented 5 3-year EIDHR-funded projects: 2001-2004: Arming the torturers - tracking the supply of electroshock torture and repressive technologies to "torturing states": a real time archive of Military, Security and Police technology transfers. 2006-2008: Tracking the supply of torture instruments - developing controls and strengthening civil society monitoring. 2009-12: Developing international controls on the trade and use of torture instruments. 2013-16: Towards stronger controls on the supply and use of torture technologies. 2018-21: Establishing effective controls on the use of and trade in torture technologies, as a tool to fight torture and support remedy and reparation. ORF is now funded by the EU via the United Against Torture Coalition to carry out research, technical analysis and advocacy to promote and facilitate effective regulation of trade and use of law enforcement equipment used for torture and ill-treatment. In 2023 ORF undertook research and provided technical assistance to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture for her October 2023 report on trade in law enforcement equipment used in torture and other ill-treatment. This report identified equipment that is inherently abusive and whose manufacture, trade and use should be prohibited, and equipment whose trade and use must be controlled, and called for the development of an international instrument to address the trade. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/a78324-thematic-study-global-trade-weapons-equipment-and-devices-used ORF has produced or co-produced publications related to trade and use of goods used in torture and other ill-treatment including: My Eye Exploded: The Global Abuse of Kinetic Impact Projectiles, Amnesty International & ORF, April 2023, https://omegaresearchfoundation.org/publications/my-eye-exploded-global-abuse-kinetic-impact-projectiles The manufacture, trade and regulation of law enforcement and security equipment in Brazil, ORF & Justicia Global, December 2021, https://omegaresearchfoundation.org/publications/manufacture-trade-and-regulation-law-enforcement-and-security-equipment-brazil Blunt Force: Investigating the misuse of police batons and related weapons, Amnesty International & ORF, September 2021, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2021/09/blunt-force/ Ending the Torture Trade: The path to global controls on the 'tools of torture', Amnesty International & ORF, December 2020, https://omegaresearchfoundation.org/publications/ending-torture-trade-path-global-controls-tools-torture Review of EU Anti-Torture Regulation and its implementation, ORF, November 2020, https://omegaresearchfoundation.org/publications/review-eu-anti-torture-regulation-and-its-implementation Lowering the risk - Curtailing the use of chemical irritants during the COVID-19 pandemic, ORF, July 2020, https://omegaresearchfoundation.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Publications/Position%20Paper%20with%20logo.pdf Manual on Monitoring Use of Instruments of Restraint in Custody Hearings, ORF, 2019, https://omegaresearchfoundation.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Publications/Manual_de_algemas-web_FINAL.pdf With Amnesty International, Harvard International Human Rights Law Clinic, Center for Victims of Torture, and International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, ORF organised a Torture-Free Trade Treaty Summit, London, January 2023. Activists from around the world connected, shared knowledge, and furthered the campaign for a Torture-Free Trade Treaty. More than 30 organisations signed the Shoreditch Declaration calling for prohibitions on manufacture and trade of inherently abusive equipment, and effective human rights-based trade controls on equipment used in torture or other ill-treatment. The Torture-Free Trade Network formed following the Summit now includes over 60 civil society organisations worldwide.
EU Supported Forums and Platforms: EXPERT GROUP FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EU ANTI-TORTURE REGULATION (ATR) #E03762#https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?lang=en&groupID=3762 #MEMBER #C#Civil society
Inter-institutional or Unofficial Groupings: N/A

Head Office

Address: Office 1, Floor 3Bridge 5 Mill
Post Code: M4 7HR
City: Manchester
Country: UNITED KINGDOM
Phone: [object Object]

EU Office

Address: Office 1, Floor 3Bridge 5 Mill
Post Code: M4 7HR
City: Manchester
Country: UNITED KINGDOM
Phone: [object Object]

Financial Data

New Organisation: false
Closed Year: [object Object]
Current Year: [object Object]
Complementary Information: This is the Omega Research Foundation's share of the United Against Torture grant

Membership Information

Members10 Percent: 0
Members25 Percent: 3
Members50 Percent: 2
Members75 Percent: 0
Members: 5
Members F T E: 1.75
Info Members: We have five individual staff members who regularly engage as part of their role with European institutions or work on addressing the 'torture trade'. Although the time allocation varies, two staff members spending upto 50% of their time involved in these activities, with the other three staff spending less. A small number of other staff may also be involved on a more occasional basis.

Structure

Structure Type: Structure
Is Member Of: The Omega Research Foundation is not a member organisation but the trustees act as members for the purpose of UK charity law.
Organisation Members: We work with a number of partner or associated organisations around the world notably Justicia Global (Brazil), KontraS (Indonesia) and Amnesty International (Global). Omega is a member of the United Against Torture Consortium with OMCT, APT, FIACAT, IRCT and Redress. Omega is a member of the Group of Friends of the Convention Against Torture Initiative. Omega is a member of the Torture-Free Trade Network.