General Assembly meeting to commemorate the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

The Commemorative meeting of the General Assembly, mandated by Resolution 62/122 is chaired by the President of the General Assembly. The Commemorative meeting will be held in person in the United Nations General Assembly Hall, United Nations Headquarters, New York. Dr. Lisa M. Coleman, senior vice president for global inclusion and strategic innovation at New York University (NYU) will deliver the keynote address.

The commemorative meeting will be live-streamed on UN Web TV at: http://webtv.un.org.

View the full calendar of events for the 2021 Commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade here.

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CoNGO Notes: 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 facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.

Educating Against Racism

Episode 2: Educating against Racism

RSVP HERE.

In our second episode, we will consider how education and educators can challenge racism, prejudice and discrimination – the legacies of histories of oppression, mass atrocities and genocide. How can teachers facilitate difficult conversations about identity, discrimination, racism and prejudice, and remind students of the other legacy – the legacy of resistance, solidarity and empathy?

Beyond the long shadow: engaging with difficult histories is organized together with the Outreach Programmes on the transatlantic slave trade, the Holocaust and the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. The aim of the collaborative series is to develop a deeper understanding of the legacies of these painful histories – and through examining the past, consider how best to build a world that is just, where all can live in dignity and peace.

Date: Thursday, 29 October 2020
Time: 10:00 a.m. EDT

Day of Indigenous Unity

Join us on October 12th for a day of storytelling, music, and discussion with Tribal Elders and Indigenous Youth Activists from around the world.

Watch the entire broadcast here: https://www.midheaven.network

October 12th, 2020 marks 528 years since Columbus first arrived on the American continent and sparked half a millennium of genocide, denial of human rights, theft and desecration of sacred land, and destruction of the natural environment. This day has been reclaimed as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the United States, raising awareness of the continued oppression of Native and Indigenous peoples in the continent, and celebrating their contributions to society and the world.

To celebrate US Indigenous Peoples’ Day in this webinar we have invited members of Indigenous Communities from around the world to talk about work as frontline defenders against climate change and the central importance of indigenous knowledge of land management in the fight to limit its effects.

This is the second webinar in our series ‘Building Back Better’ which looks forward to the world after the COVID-19 pandemic and asks what we need to do to create a more peaceful, just, and sustainable future. Alongside zoom and Facebook livestream, this webinar will be broadcast on the Midheaven network as part of their livestream for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

More information on the Indigenous Climate Summit is available here.

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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 Sustainable Development, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the Decolonization Alliance, please email President Bautista at lbautista@umcjustice.org.

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

“Committed to the Cause – Working on the Frontline to End Human Trafficking”

The 2020 theme for the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons will focus on the first responders to human trafficking. These are the people who work in different sectors – identifying, supporting, counseling and seeking justice for victims of trafficking, and challenging the impunity of the traffickers.

During the COVID-19 crisis, the essential role of first responders has become even more important. Particularly as the restrictions imposed by the pandemic have made their work even more difficult. Still, their contribution is often overlooked and unrecognized.

Through stories from first responders describing their practical work in assisting victims UNODC intends to spotlight their contribution and that of their function, institution, organization, team or community and its impact on fighting trafficking.

Find more information here:

How you can get involved:

Highlight the work of first responders in your country, community or organization;
Share, like and comment on the social media messages for the World Day,
Donate to the United NationsVoluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking, which provides on-the-ground assistance and protection to victims of trafficking.

Please use the hashtags #EndHumanTrafficking and #HumanTrafficking on all digital platforms.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Migration, please visit ngo-migration.org.

[Virtual Tribute] 75th memorial of Hiroshima bombing in the context of BLM

From Tulsa to Hiroshima: The Urgency of Denuclearization to the Necessity of Abolition in America

MIDHEAVEN has partnered with Hiroshima City, Heart of Peace Hiroshima, Hopitow (Hopi Nation),
and others to produce a global virtual tribute with live performances & discussions exploring revolutionary love, radical freedom and listening.

Context: On August 6th, 1945, America detonated a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Today, in the midst of America’s racial crisis there is an opportunity to excavate the root cause of the ideals that have defined America’s actions from its founding: nuclear war is only possible and permissible in a society where the rot of slavery remains. In this historic memorial, Japanese and Black/Brown/Indigenous Peoples share an understanding and agenda as radical change agents for peace.

Access & participate in the tribute here and/or here on August 6

Agenda

CHAPTER 1: HISTORY OF ANTI-PEACE (8:00am – 10:00am EST)
+ Tulsa bombing
+ Hiroshima bombing
+ War’s destruction
+ Reflections via art of the era
+ A people’s history of the United States

CHAPTER 2: REALITY OF WAR (10:00am – 12:00pm EST)
+ Statistics and infographics: people struggling with war
+ Testimony from survivors & scientific/military community
+ War’s negative effects on the environment & our lives

CHAPTER 3: IMAGINATION OF PEACE
(12:00pm – 2:00pm EST)
+ A world with peace as a priority
+ Artistic dreams of utopia: a path forward
+ Statistics and infographics: who & what stops progress

CHAPTER 4: WAR ECONOMY (2:00pm – 4:00pm EST)
+ The investment in war
+ What economic disparity does to the population and the long term effects
+ Testimony from everyday people on the economic effects of war & the aftermath

CHAPTER 5: THE PEACE ECONOMY (4:00pm – 6:00pm EST)
+ Historical view of a way forward
+ Current views
+ Statistics and infographics: actions to take now

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CoNGO Notes: For information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns-NY, visit csvgc-ny.org. For information on the NGO Committee on Peace-Vienna,

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