UN Human Rights Day event, 8 December 2022
Event Description
The United Nations Association of New Zealand (UNA NZ) will mark the 74th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 7th anniversary of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development with a seminar entitled:
Human Rights Day 2022 – “The refugee crisis as a human rights crisis”
This event honours the memory of John Morgan, UNA NZ.
This event will be held on Thursday, 8 December 2022 from 5.30pm-7.30pm at the Beehive Theatrette, New Zealand Parliament Buildings. Light refreshments will be served following the event.
Please visit this link to purchase tickets.
We are delighted to announce MP Ibrahim Omer as our host and keynote speaker. He will be joined by other excellent speakers including Rachel O’Connor, Chief Executive of English Language Partners New Zealand and previous lead advisor to the Race Relations Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission; Murdoch Stephens, the driving force behind the “Double the Refugee Quota” campaign and Senior Research Fellow with the University of Auckland's Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies; and Ali Muhammad, who came to NZ as a refugee a few years ago and today works to enable opportunities for youth from refugee backgrounds to thrive.
Karim Dickie, the acting President of UNA NZ, will chair and Dr Marnie Lloyd, Lecturer at the School of Law of Victoria University of Wellington whose principal field of expertise is international law related to armed conflict and the protection of civilians, will moderate the seminar, which will address the following theme:
- With 89.3 million people displaced in 2021 (from which about 30% are refugees), the Ukraine war has pushed the number of people forced to flee their homes over 100 million – people also from Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia and Venezuela, to cite the countries where most refugees come from. Overall, the number of refugees has more than doubled in the last decade alone. We can’t talk about the refugee crisis without talking about human rights: Isn’t the violation of human rights what causes the conflicts that, in turn, force people to leave their homes? On the other hand, how can we guarantee that refugees and asylum seekers have their human rights protected throughout the whole process of fleeing a country and resettling somewhere else?
- It's been said that in response to the Ukraine crisis, we’ve seen refugees being treated humanely and with consideration. Doesn’t it show that it’s possible to treat all refugees with respect for their human rights? Is prejudice and racism adding to a crisis that is already grave enough on its own?
- And lastly, what can we do as a society and as individuals to help find solutions for the refugee crisis? Is New Zealand as a country doing enough?
Please visit this link to purchase tickets.
For any further questions, please contact office@unanz.org.nz.
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