Date: Thursday March 22nd
Time: 8:15-09:45
Venue: Norwegian Center for human rights, Cort Adelers gate 30 (Auditorium)
As impunity encourages human rights abuses, bringing perpetrators to account is not only necessary to ensure justice and protection to the affected communities, but also to enhance prospects of peaceful, stable and inclusive societies. Often in the absence of States’ actions, local Human Rights Defenders work on accountability and against a culture of impunity. This work is difficult and dangerous, as it challenges the status quo and established power structures.
This year, The Norwegian Human Rights Fund (NHRF) is celebrating 30 years of direct support to Human Rights Defenders and we will use this year to highlight the work we support. In this seminar we invite you to engage in a dialogue with members of the NHRF’s Advisory Board. The panellists will address the situation for human rights defenders in the world today and in particular those working on the issues of impunity, torture, extra juridical killings and arbitrary detention; how the UN Committee against Torture works to address the problem of impunity; as well experiences with work with accountability from a regional perspective in Latin America.
Program:
- Welcome by Jan Helgesen, Professor at the Center for Human Rights, University of Oslo, and former president of the Venice commission
- Introduction by the NHRF Executive Director Sandra Petersen
- NHRF Short film from Colombia “Voice of frontline human rights defenders working against impunity”
- Key note: Gerald Staberock, General Secretary World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and member of the NHRF Advisory Board
- Comments and input:
- Nora Sveaass, Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, member of the United Nation Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture (SPT) and member of the NHRF Advisory Board
- Jemima García-Godos, Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo and member of the NHRF Advisory Board
- Closure and wrap up by Professor Jan Helgesen
Facilitator: Gerald Folkvord, Active Head of Campaigns in Amnesty International Norway
There will be sandwiches and coffee from 8:15 am. The seminar begins at 8:30.
Please register at info@nhrf.no by March 20th.