Speakers:
Honourable Marilou McPhedran, Independent Senator, Parliament of Canada
Her Excellency Jacqueline O’Neill, Ambassador for Women, Peace, and Security, Canada
Honourable Bob Rae, Special Envoy on Humanitarian and Refugee Issues, appointed by the Prime Minister of Canada
Prof. Payam Akhavan, Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague; Faculty of Law, McGill University; Counsel for The Gambia at the ICJ in the case of The Gambia v. Myanmar
Prof. Yanghee Lee, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (May 2014 to 30 April 2020)
Prof. Susan Breau, Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Canada
Prof. Christine Chinkin, Emerita Professor of International Law, London School of Economics, UK
Prof. Victor V. Ramraj, Faculty of Law and Director, Centre for Asia Pacific Initiatives, University of Victoria, Canada
Prof. John Packer, Associate Professor of Law, Director of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) & Neuberger-Jesin Professor of International Conflict Resolution, University of Ottawa, Canada
Ms. Razia Sultana, Chairperson, Rohingya Women’s Welfare Society, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
Ms. Wai Wai Nu, Rohingya/Burmese founder, Women’s Peace Network, Yangon, Myanmar
Ms. Akila Radhakrishnan, President, Global Justice Center, New York, USA
Ms. Mavic Cabrera Balleza, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Global Network of Women Peacebuilders, New York, USA

Description:
On 23 January 2020, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued provisional measures ordering Myanmar to take certain actions to protect the Rohingya from genocide and preserve evidence of genocidal acts. Recognizing the extraordinary urgency and importance of the measures ordered, the ICJ asked Myanmar to submit a report on its compliance with the order on 23 May and then every 6 months thereafter until the case is decided. While Myanmar has taken some steps since the ICJ’s January order, none touch on the long-standing structural discrimination against the Rohingya or provide a basis for safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation. Even against a backdrop of escalating conflict in Rakhine State and a global pandemic, there is much more Myanmar could do to protect the Rohingya. With Myanmar’s first report to the court due on 23 May, this Webinar will analyze the current situation in the country and explore concrete ways the authorities could effectively comply with the ICJ’s order.

Moderators:
Akila Radhakrishnan, President, Global Justice Center

Speakers: 
Yanghee Lee, former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
Laetitia Van Den Assum, Independent diplomatic expert, former member of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State chaired by Kofi Annan, and former ambassador of The Netherlands to the United Kingdom, Mexico, Kenya, Somalia, South Africa, and Southeast Asia
Wai Wai Nu, Founder and Director, Women’s Peace Network

Description:
While the devastating impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten the health and rights of millions, it is important that we stay vigilant in monitoring and addressing the Trump administration's attacks on the global human rights agenda. This Zoom webinar will discuss the work of the Commission on Unalienable Rights, announced by Secretary of State Pompeo last year, a panel he said was aimed at providing "fresh thinking about human rights discourse where such discourse has departed from our nation's founding principles of natural law and natural rights."  The Commission is mostly made up of individuals who have taken extreme anti- LGBTQ-rights, anti-reproductive rights positions, and is set up to narrow the scope of U.S. human rights advocacy, with religious freedom prioritized over other rights, potentially undermining human rights protections for some of the most vulnerable people across the globe. Its compliance with the federal law governing such outside advisory committees has also been called into question in a lawsuit brought by Democracy Forward on behalf of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, CHANGE, the Council for Global Equality, and Global Justice Center.

Speakers:
Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
Rob Berschinski, Senior Vice President, Policy, Human Rights First
Mark Bromley, Council Chair, Council for Global Equality
Serra Sippel, President, CHANGE
Molly Bangs, Research Associate, Equity Forward 
Ben Seel, Counsel and Legal Analyst, Democracy Forward
Rabbi Michael Rothbaum, Congregation Beth Elohim, Acton, Massachusetts

Moderator:  
Akila Radhakrishnan, President, Global Justice Center 

GJC President Akila Radhakrishnan spoke at this event hosted by the New York City Bar Association.

Description:
This exciting Conference will coincide with the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations in New York City and the 25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing where First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton historically proclaimed, “Women’s Rights are Human Rights.”  Speakers, panelists and moderators at the Conference will address various topics, including: the status of women and the role of lawyers and the law in improving the status of women; United Nation’s initiatives to improve the status of women; global human rights concerns and abuses specifically impacting women; innovative approaches to improving the lives of women through the rule of law and government policy; elevating women lawyers and fostering diversity within the legal profession; and the role of legal societies, professional organizations and international NGOs in aiding women. 

A Pro Bono Engagement Forum and Reception will kick off the Conference to allow attendees to connect with one another about potential opportunities to offer legal services on a pro bono basis to NGOs focused on serving women.

Moderators:
Robyn Griffin, Managing Director, The Huntington National Bank
Lauren McMillen Ormsbee, Partner, BLB&G

Welcoming Remarks:
Roger Juan Maldonado, President, New York City Bar Association 

Speakers: 
Fiona Bassett, Board Member, The Hopeland Charity Foundation
Julie E. Fink, Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP
Francoise Girard, President, International Women’s Health Coalition 
Barbara Hart, President and CEO, Lowey Dannenberg, P.C.
Stephanie Johanssen, Senior Advocacy Officer and UN Representative, Women's Refugee Commission
Laila Khoudeida, Co-Founder and Director of Women’s Affairs for YAZDA
Charlotte Laurent-Ottomane, Executive Director, Thirty Percent Coalition
Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell, CEO, Girls Not Brides
Consolee Nishimwe, Author, Tested to the Limited, Educational and Motivational Speaker
Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, United Nations  
Akila Radhakrishnan, President, Global Justice Center 
Jessica Reijnders, Executive Director, Free A Girl USA