communication

Language and Minority Rights: A Dialogue Forum with the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues

The United Nations Charter (Article 1) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 2) affirm the right to non-discrimination based on language while the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (Article 2) asserts that persons belonging to minorities have the right to “use their own language, in private and in public, freely and without interference or any form of discrimination.”  Yet linguistic minorities throughout the world continue to experience challenges to their language rights as well as inequitable access to other civil and human rights.

In this session, current Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes will discuss the intersection of language and minority rights, including implementational challenges and possibilities. Representatives of NGOs, Secretariat and UN agency staff, colleagues from Member States, scholars, and others interested in linguistic minority rights are invited to participate in an open dialogue with the Special Rapporteur.

Register here by November 27!

About the Special Rapporteur:

Professor Fernand de Varennes, a globally recognized expert on linguistic and human rights, has served as the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues since 2017 Reporting to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur promotes the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and guides the work of the Forum on Minority Issues, among other responsibilities.

Programme:

  • 8:45 – 9:00am  Sign In
  • 9:00 – 9:05am  Introduction – Francis M. Hult, Chair, Committee on Language and Languages
  • 9:05 – 9:35am  Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues
  • 9:35 – 9:55am  Open Dialogue
  • 9:55 – 10:00am  Closing Remarks – Humphrey Tonkin, Vice-Chair, Committee on Language and Languages

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CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Language and Languages is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. For more information, please email the chair at fmhult@umbc.edu. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit un-ngocrip.net. 

Coloniality of Knowledge in Hegemonic Psychology, II: Confronting Professional Discipline

SPSSI is proud to host a webinar series this semester entitled “Decolonial Perspectives on the Psychological Study of Social Issues,” which has been organized by the Readsura Decolonial Editorial Collective. All webinars in this series are free and open to everyone. Please join us for the fourth webinar in this series, on…

Coloniality of Knowledge in Hegemonic Psychology, II: Confronting Professional Discipline

Register here: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iBs_7cA5SEe5kvyhu4uzmQ

Convener/Discussant: Shahnaaz Suffla

Presenters:

  • Stephanie Grant, Stephanie D’Costa, & Kandyce Anderson Amie  |  Decolonizing school psychology research: A systematic literature review
  • Hugo Canham  |  Conundrums in teaching decolonial critical community psychology within the context of neo-liberal market pressures
  • Jesica Siham Fernández  |  “And now we resist”: Three testimonios on the importance of decoloniality within psychology

Read more about the webinar series here: spssi.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=2818

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at tonkin@hartford.edu or fmhult@umbc.edu. 

 

UNOG Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East

Dear Representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) accredited at the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG),

The United Nations Information Service in Geneva has the honour to invite you to the forthcoming 2022 United Nations International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East. This annual seminar will be held in room XXVI at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland, on 3 and 4 November 2022, in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Over two days, participants will discuss a range of issues, such as how to protect journalists covering the conflict, how political news are eclipsing the coverage of economic challenges, and which are the opportunities and challenges for young journalists in the region. For over two decades, the media seminar has created a platform to enhance dialogue and understanding between Palestinian and Israeli media practitioners and to foster and encourage their contribution in support of peace efforts.

Participants will include His Excellency Mr. Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations in New York, and His Excellency Mr. Cheikh Niang, Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations in New York and Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, as well as several respected journalists, academics and UN representatives.

Ms. Melissa Fleming, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications and Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, will open the seminar, together with His Excellency Ambassador Wolfgang Amadeus Brülhart, Swiss Envoy for the Middle East and North Africa.

Registration for this event is now open under this link https://indico.un.org/event/1002079/.

With best regards,

NGO Liaison Unit

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at tonkin@hartford.edu or fmhult@umbc.edu. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.

Fostering freedom of expression through the UPR process: Enhancing Synergies between UNESCO and the Human Rights Council

High-level discussion on “Fostering freedom of expression through the UPR process: Enhancing Synergies between UNESCO and the Human Rights Council”
  • When: 5 September 2022 15:00-16:30 (CEST)
  • Where: Room XVII – UN Palais des Nations, Geneva. The event will be open for in-person participation in Geneva and will be live-streamed on the UNWebcast.
  • Read more (full invitation, concept note and registration link for those without a UN badge will be posted here as they become available)

Programme:  

  • Ms. Nada Al-Nashif, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR
  • Mr. Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO
  • H.E. Mr. Santiago Irazabal Mourão, President of the General Conference of UNESCO 
  • H.E. Mr. Federico Villegas, President of the Human Rights Council 
  • Q&A session

Guidelines for Civil Society Organizations:

Built upon a joint Amnesty-UNESCO survey of more than 70 civil society respondents from different regions; these guidelines offer recommendations and insights about the key challenges and needs for NGOs to effectively contribute to the UPR process.

For more information please contact hrcpresidency@un.org or f.amoros-cascales@unesco.org.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at fmhult@umbc.edu or tonkin@hartford.edu. For more information on the NGO Major Group, please visit ngomg.org.

High-level meeting to mark the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious & Linguistic Minorities

High-level meeting to mark the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities

The President of the General Assembly will convene a High-level meeting to mark the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities on Wednesday, 21 September, at the UN Headquarters in New York, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 76/168.

The high-level meeting offers an important opportunity to take stock and evaluate the implementation of the Declaration, identify constraints and achievements, showcase examples of good practices and set priorities for the future, consistent with minorities’ effective participation and based on their own realities and needs. As the world moves toward a post-COVID-19 future and a new social contract, diversity must be inclusive and just in order to build a resilient global community of individuals equal in rights and opportunities regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion, language and other features. The President’s summary of the discussions at the High-level meeting will further assist the international community to chart the way forward and recommit its engagement to actively and fully implement protection of the rights of minorities as expressed in the Declaration 30 years ago.

Format

The high-level meeting will take place in-person on Wednesday, 21 September 2022, in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The high-level meeting will consist of an opening meeting, a general debate, and a closing meeting. A detailed programme will be circulated in due course

Participation

In order to promote a constructive and inclusive dialogue, participation in the high-level meeting will be open for Member States, observers, the United Nations system, as well as representatives of non- governmental organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC that are actively engaged in minorities issues.

Registration will be open at: indico.un.org/event/1002409 from Monday, 1 August until 5:00 pm EST on Friday, 12 August 2022.

The proceedings of the high-level meeting will be webcast live on UN Web TV in all six official languages of the United Nations.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@yahoo.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at tonkin@hartford.edu or fmhult@umbc.edu. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Migration, please visit ngo-migration.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. 

The Impact of Storytelling on Isolation in Older Adults

IFA Global Cafe: In Conversation with Dr. Victor Kuperman and Ms. Nancy Siciliana

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of connecting, communicating, and storytelling within the dialogue of isolation. The “Niagara Stories” project – run through a partnership between McMaster University, the Seniors’ Computer Lab Project, and Cyber Seniors’ Connected Communities Niagara – has allowed the opportunity for open conversations amongst Niagara residents. The project highlights the impact storytelling has on the sentiments of isolation, as well as how people communicate experiences through interaction and language.

To share their comprehensive insights, the Niagara Stories project organizers – Professor Victor Kuperman and Ms. Nancy Siciliana – will be leading a discussion on “The Impact of Storytelling on Isolation in Older Adults” in the IFA Global Cafe series.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUlf-2sqjkqHtdEuypehon2jHv5tF0fp9fh

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the co-chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at tonkin@hartford.edu or fmhult@umbc.edu.

27th Session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The twenty-seventh session of the Committee will be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva, in Room XVII at the Palais des Nations, from 15 August to 9 September 2022. The 1st meeting of the session will be convened on Monday, 15 August, at 10 am. A representative of the Secretary-General will open the session. The Committee will consider matters concerning the organization of the twenty-seventh session, in particular the adoption of its programme of work.

Registration available here: https://indico.un.org/event/1001249/

At its twenty-seventh session, the Committee will:

  • Consider the initial reports of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Singapore and the combined second and third reports of China, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea. In pursuance of established practice and in conformity with rule 41 of the rules of procedure, the Secretary-General has informed the parties concerned of the tentative dates on which their reports have been scheduled for consideration by the Committee. A schedule for the consideration of the reports will be set forth in the tentative programme of work, which will be made available on the web page of the Committee.
  • Discuss how to strengthen cooperation with United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, non-governmental organizations, including organizations of persons with disabilities, and other competent bodies in order to enhance the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, including the empowerment and promotion of the rights of women and girls with disabilities. Representatives of such organizations and bodies may seek to address the Committee.
  • Continue its work on drafting a general comment on article 27 of the Convention, on the right of persons with disabilities to work and employment. The Committee will review the progress made by the working group established to draft guidelines on the deinstitutionalization of persons with disabilities, including in emergency situations, to supplement the Committee’s general comment No. 5 (2017) on living independently and being included in the community.

Provisional agenda

  1. Adoption of the agenda
  2. Organizational matters
  3. Report of the Chair on activities undertaken between the twenty-sixth and twenty- seventh sessions of the Committee
    Submission of reports by parties to the Convention under article 35
  4. Consideration of reports submitted by parties to the Convention under article 35
  5. Cooperation with other United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, organizations of persons with disabilities and other competent bodies
  6. General comments
  7. Methods of work of the Committee
  8. Activities under the Optional Protocol to the Convention
  9. Future meetings
  10. Other matters
  11. Adoption of the report on the twenty-seventh session

*Remote participation in private briefings may be granted only on an exceptional basis and under compelling reasons. Please contact Jorge.araya@un. org no later than 15 July, 2022.

However, civil society, including organizations of persons with disabilities and other civil society organizations may observe the dialogue in-person at in Room XXIII Palais des Nations. They can also follow all constructive dialogues on the UN Web TV webpage.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org. For more information on the NGO Committee for Rare Diseases, please visit ngocommitteerarediseases.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org.

Multi-stakeholder meeting on older people’s human rights

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is organising a multi-stakeholder meeting on 29-30 August 2022 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, room XVII. This hybrid meeting will take place both in person and online.

NGOs are encouraged to attend in person if possible. You do not need to have ECOSOC status to participate. You can register now via the Indico system here.

The multi-stakeholder meeting is a follow-up to the Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution 48/3 (read more here) and will discuss the recent report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Further information and relevant documents are available here.

Objective:

This two-day meeting will bring together key stakeholders for a discussion on the gaps in the existing human rights protection system for older persons and the dispersiveness of international human rights law. The meeting will take stock of the progress made, assess the remaining challenges, identify opportunities and develop concrete proposals to accelerate efforts to close the gaps in the existing human rights protection system for older persons.
The report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the normative standards and obligations under international law in relation to the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons (A/HRC/49/70) will inform the discussion.

Outcome:
A summary report with conclusions of the meeting that includes recommendations on addressing possible gaps and the dispersiveness of international human rights law with regard to older persons, will be submitted to the Human Rights Council by its fifty-second session.

Mandate:
In its resolution 48/3, the Human Rights Council requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human to convene a multi- stakeholder meeting to discuss the report of the High Commissioner on the normative standards and obligations under international law in relation to the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons.

The meeting will be fully accessible to persons with disabilities, and held with the participation of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, human rights experts and expert representatives of Member States, the treaty bodies and the special procedures, regional mechanisms, the United Nations system, academia, national human rights institutions and civil society, including with the meaningful and effective participation of older persons and of persons of different ages.

The meeting will consist of an opening segment followed by a series of interactive panel discussions and a closing segment. Initial presentations by the panelists will be followed by two segments of interventions by participants and concluding remark from the panelists. A maximum of one hour will be set aside for the podium, which will cover the panelists’ presentations and their responses to questions and concluding remarks. The remaining hour will be reserved for two segments of interventions from the floor, with each segment consisting of interventions from States, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations. Speaking time for participants wishing to take the floor will be two minutes.

29 August Agenda

Opening session

Session 1: Gaps and challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the deficiencies in international and national frameworks for older persons in dramatic and tragic ways. While the pandemic seriously affected many groups, its consequences have been amplified by existing structures of inequality and disadvantage. This session will focus on identifying existing and emerging human rights protection gaps and particular risks facing older persons, as well as promising practices in responding to them.

Session 2: Adequacy of existing mechanisms in responding to the challenges

The aim of this session is to discuss current practices and identify recommendations on how the UN human rights mechanisms (Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures and Universal Periodic Review) can enhance the integration of the human rights of older persons in their work. As noted in the report of the High Commissioner (A/HRC/49/70), the engagement of the UN human rights mechanisms on the human rights of older persons is not adequate, systematic nor sustained. The session will also highlight lessons learned from the Inter-American system of human rights on the protection of older persons as well as the important role played by national human rights institutions.

30 August Agenda

Session 3: Strengthening coordinated actions for the protection of older persons
This session will identify opportunities for strengthening synergies and joint actions across global and regional networks and initiatives on ageing to integrate and promote the human rights of older persons.

Session 4: Towards strengthening the protection of human rights of older persons
The objective of this session is to develop proposals and recommendations for strengthening legal frameworks at both the national and the international levels to protect the human rights of older persons for further consideration by the Council and other relevant bodies, including the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing.

Closing session

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the co-chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. 

 

Putting SDG 4 Back on Track After COVID-19: The Essential Role of Multilingualism in Education

A High-Level Political Forum Side Event on 11 July 2022

co-hosted by the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, the Universal Esperanto Association, and the Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations

Register here by July 10!

About:

Even before COVID-19, alarms were sounded that progress on SDG 4 was too slow and that the achievement of its targets by 2030 was in jeopardy. Linguistic inequality in access to education has been a key factor. The 2016 Global Education Monitoring Report showed that 40% of the global population was not accessing education in a language they understand. The onset of the pandemic exacerbated such inequalities as over 1.6 billion learners experienced school closures, cutting them off from language and literacy learning opportunities. Moreover, the digital divide prevented vulnerable populations, especially in least developed countries, from accessing online education, including resources for language development. In order to achieve inclusive and equitable education for linguistically diverse student populations, multilingualism must be foregrounded in post-pandemic educational planning.

Accordingly, this side event focuses on recommendations for the role of languages in education put forth in Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education, the UNESCO report on the Futures of Education initiative. Specifically, it brings together leading experts in the field of language education from diverse global contexts who address what it means in practice to take a multilingual perspective on the targets of SDG 4. Drawing upon empirical research and documented best practices, they demonstrate how schools can cultivate multilingual resources, including mother tongues, major world languages, national and regional languages, Indigenous languages, and international languages like Esperanto to achieve inclusive and equitable education that empowers students as global citizens prepared for participation in social, economic, and political life.

Programme:

  • Pedagogical Translanguaging to Make the Most of Multilingualism, Professor Jasone Cenoz, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU
  • Multilingualism as a Resource for Learning and a Decolonial Strategy, Dr. Xolisa Guzula, University of Capetown, School of Education

Moderated by Professor Humphrey Tonkin and Professor Francis M. Hult with welcoming remarks by Mr. Guillermo Escribano, Director General for the Spanish Language around the World at the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Spain

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CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Language and Languages is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations – for more information, please email the co-chairs at tonkin@hartford.edu or fmhult@umbc.edu. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. 

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