We Have A Dream: A Global Summit Against Discrimination and Persecution
We Have A Dream: Global Summit Against Discrimination and Persecution was an international summit organized by the Geneva-based non-governmental organization UN Watch, and attended by an international collection of non-governmental organizations to discuss issues of discrimination and persecution, particularly those of racism, sexism, homophobia, and discrimination against minorities.[1] It occurred over two days, September 21 and 22 of 2011, across the street from a United Nations conference referred to as Durban III.[2][3]
The summit was created in response to the United Nations' inclusion of countries that commit particularly atrocious human rights abuses, especially in the Human Rights Council, such as China, Syria, Sudan, Zimbabwe, North Korea, and Iran.[4][5] This claim has been supported by the Human Rights Foundation, a partner of the summit, whose President, Thor Halvorssen, refers to Durban III as “the last act in a tragicomedy” that underscores the UN's complacency with “despotic regimes which speak pretty words about human rights while they kill, torture, or jail their opponents”.[6]
Speakers
[edit]- Thaung Htun: Activist
- Irwin Cotler: Member of Canadian Parliament
China
[edit]- Geng He: Dissident, wife of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng
- Yang Jianli: Dissident
- Fidel Suarez Cruz: Dissident
- Bertha Antunez: Women's rights activist
- Adeeb Yousif: Activist
- Judith Registre: Women for Women International
- Anna-Isabelle Tollet: Journalist and author
- Phillipe Robinet: Publisher, co-founder of Oh! Editions
Iran
[edit]- Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi: Activist
- Marina Nemat: Author, Former prisoner
- Ahmad Batebi: Dissident
North Korea
[edit]- Ma Young Ae: Defector, former intelligence officer
- Bertha Kayitesi: Genocide survivor
- Luka Biong Deng: Director of KUSH, former minister
- John Dau: Genocide survivor, human rights activist
Syria
[edit]- Nasser Weddady: Civil Rights Outreach Director, AIC
- Rami Nakleh: Dissident
- Ngawang Sandral: Activist
- Jacqueline Kasha: LGBT activist
- David Keyes: Co-founder of Cyber Dissidents
- Maran Turner: Director of Freedom Now
- Joel Brinkley: Journalist
- Rebiya Kadeer: Activist, former prisoner
- Thuy Tran: Activist and writer
Zimbabwe
[edit]- Grace Kwinje: Dissident and journalist
References
[edit]- ^ "Official Website". NGO Summit. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ "Dissidents with a dream speak out at UN". UN Watch. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ Horn, Jordana. "NGOs to hold counterpoint to UN Durban commemoration". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- ^ ""We Have a Dream" Global Summit against Discrimination and Persecution". Uyghur Human Rights Project. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ "25 rights groups to hold victim summit in parallel to Durban III". UN Watch. 13 June 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- ^ "HRF's Response to Durban III: Partnership with "We Have A Dream" Global Summit". The Human Rights Foundation. Retrieved March 23, 2013.