Image
Image Caption
The University of Calgary is joining with Amnesty International to host the National Human Rights Conference on June 3.
Prominent speakers, leaders and activists will address the conference theme of “Living Together: Understanding Human Rights and Diversity and Working towards Reconciliation.”
“Whether it is the unprecedented global refugee crisis, the urgent need for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada, or the fight for equality of LGBTI communities in Canada and abroad, it is abundantly clear that Canada must champion a vision for human rights and inclusion in all aspects of public policy and international diplomacy,” said Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada.
The conference will open with a keynote address by Tareq Hadhad, Syrian refugee and founder of Peace by Chocolate whose family resettled in Canada as refugees. They re-opened their chocolate business in Antigonish, N.S. Their story garnered headlines when, after witnessing the devastation of Fort McMurray’s wildfire in 2016, the family gave some of the proceeds from their business to the rebuilding effort.
The all-day conference will also feature panel discussions and breakout workshops with acclaimed leaders, activists and experts on pressing contemporary human rights themes.
Panel conversations will include Indigenous rights and gender equality in the context of Canadian resource development; national security, narratives of fear and human rights; the global crackdown against human rights defenders and shrinking space for civil society; and the intersection of literature and human rights.
Breakout workshops will cover refugee rights; trans and intersex rights in Canada and globally; reconciliation and Indigenous rights in Canada; building accountability for Canadian extractive companies associated with human rights violations overseas; and an activism workshop to connect with local activists and leaders.
Further information is available at http://www.amnesty.ca/humanrightsconference