The city of Venice is becoming a vital center for the revival of geopolitics and diplomacy and for the affirmation of Rule of law. After the works of International Festival of European Geopoliticswhich has place Venice Mestre at the center of international media and diplomatic attention, the new one High Level Conference on the Global State of Human Rightswhich will be held on 24 and 25 May at theUNESCO Regional Office for Science and Culture in Europereturns to placing the city at the center of the international political agenda.
During the work the international critical issues regarding respect for rights and democracywith insights into redefinition of the concept of exile for human rights defendersthe protection of human rights in times of conflict, e the application of human rights to address urgent environmental issues. There High Level Conference on the Global State of Human Rights brings together numerous international experts, tackling challenges that involve human rights defenders on the front line. Important guests expected, including Matteo Mecaccidirector ofOSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (Odihr), Mary LawlorSpecial Rapporteur of United Nations on the situation of human rights defenders, Chiara Adamo who heads the gender equality and democracy section of the European Commission e Olof SkoogSpecial Representative of the Union for Human Rights.
“In many countries, human rights defenders face growing challenges due to reduced civil liberties, increased conflicts and intensified persecution. The High Level Conference on the Global State of Human Rights brings together distinguished speakers from the United Nations, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the European Union, together with distinguished Right Livelihood awardees and a group of forced human rights defenders exile due to the persecution to which they are subjected in their countries of origin. Through the lens of human rights we address the dangerous intersection between conflicts and environmental crises, with the aim of redefining the concept of exile and exploring paths to plan its conceptual aspects“, It reaffirmed Manfred Nowakgeneral secretary of Global Campus of Human Rights.
The conference also intends to affirm and relaunch the role of young activists in the defense of human rights. In addition to constructive discussions, participants will be able to attend some artistic performances, including poems by Lisette Ma Neza accompanied by the music of Neil Akenzua And Vernon Chatleinand the artist’s monologue Koen Vanmechelen. In an evolving geopolitical landscape, the EU continued to vigorously defend human rights and democracy. The new geopolitical rivalries only serve to underline Europe’s role as a reliable and stable partner and champion of a rules-based multilateral order. By and large, the general picture relating to human rights and democracy is heterogeneous: if, on the one hand, great progress has been made, on the other it is necessary to combat the problem of the retreat of the concept of universality and indivisibility of human rights and the collapse of democracy.
Updated May 23, 2024 at 9:24 am
