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Send to friendWe have an outstanding group of featured resource practitioners who have successfully developed human rights cities to participate in this online dialogue, "Building Human Rights Cities". We hope that you will join the conversation April 22 to 28, 2009 and see how you can move your own city to become a Human Rights City!
Raymond Atuguba has been involved in grassroots human rights mobilisation, activism and research and national level advocacy for the improvement of the human rights content of laws and policies for over a decade. He currently teaches various human rights and law and development courses at the University of Ghana, bringing his deep knowledge of real human rights and development issues to freshen the usually dark interstices of the law.
Mr. Atuguba has facilitated over 175 workshops and training programmes and presented over 115 conference papers in Ghana and abroad. He received his first two degrees in law in Ghana and his last two degrees in Human Rights and in Development Studies from Harvard Law School.
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Benedek is Chairman of the Human Rights Advisory Council of Graz, the first human rights city in Europe. He is Director of the Institute of International Law and International Relations of the University of Graz and of the European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Graz (ETC); Chairman of the Austrian Committee of World University Service (WUS) Austria; Member of the Human Rights Advisory Board of the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior; Lecturer at the Diplomatic Academy Vienna and at the European MA Programmes on Human Rights and Democracy in Venice and Sarajevo. He presently is coordinating or involved in several research programmes in the field of human security and post-conflict situations with a focus on the Balkans. His publications are in the fields of human security, international and regional human rights, right to education, human rights education, women and human rights, terrorism and human rights, globalisation and human rights, international economic organisations and global governance, international civil society, information society and human rights, etc. The Manual on Human Rights Education “Understanding Human Rights” edited by Wolfgang Benedek, which has a focus on human security, is available in 15 languages.
Satya Brata Das is a leading opinion maker on the Canadian stage. An eminent policy advisor, Das built his first career as an award-winning journalist, an author, and a noted policy analyst. During a quarter century in journalism as writer, editorialist and columnist, Das developed significant expertise in areas as diverse as Canadian fiscal management, patterns and connections of the global economy, energy and trade policy, and the shaping of Canadian identity and values. As a Principal at an influential public policy consultancy, Das advises at senior levels of federal, provincial and municipal governance, the scope includes: governance issues; policy design and development; integrated whole-systems analysis covering political, economic social and cultural aspects; strategic planning; and the shaping and framing of issues to resonate with the values that drive public opinion.
Das’s pro bono work focuses on inclusion, diversity, and community building, often viewed through the perspective of human dignity and social cohesion. Das is fluently trilingual in English, French and Oriya. His books include Dispatches from a Borderless World and the best-seller, The Best Country: Why Canada Will Lead the Future. Awards include: Alberta Human Rights Award, the City of Edmonton Citation Award for lifetime services to human rights and culture.
Emiliano Casal is a Chemical Technician since 1992. He is a Human Rights activist since 1993. He is currently working at the the Gender, Health and Human Rights Observatory, monitoring and promoting Women Human Rights in public health service institutions; and for Gender Law and Development Institute (INSGENAR) as capacitator and coordinator in several projects involving Human Rights with Gender perspective, Indigenous Rights, Children Rights. He participated in developing and promoting Rosario as a Human Rights Community and a Human Rights City, since 1996.
Susana Chiarotti is a human rights activist, Argentinian feminist lawyer, and Director of the Institute of Gender, Law and Development in Rosario, Argentina. Ms. Chiarotti is responsible for the Monitoring Area of Cladem, the Latin American and Caribbean Commiittee for the Defense of Women Rights. She is involved with the launching and developing of Rosario as a Human Rights City. Susana is also the author of numerous articles and publications on Human Rights and Women's Rights and is in charge of the Seminar "Gender and Legislation" in the MA programme "Power and Society from the perspective of gender" at National University of Rosario. Ms. Chiarotti is also a consultant to CEPAL and the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW).
Viviana Della Siega is an Argentinean Social Communicator and a member of the Institute of Gender, Law and Development, an NGO of Rosario. Since 2002, she has been coordinating the Steering Committee of Program Rosario, Human Rights City. In addition, she has been responsible for the Education Area of the Ombudsman of the Province of Santa Fe since 1992, and she coordinates courses of Institutional Violence and Violence in the School. Since 2008, she is the SubDirector of Insitutional Relationships of the Ombudsman Office. Prior to her work with the Human Rights Cities, she was Director of Education of the Province of Santa Fe (1983/84); Sub-secretary of Social Communication (1997/1991); and a teacher of journalism in different institutes of Rosario and Santa Fe cities. She is an activist of human rights and received a second place award in the first radio contest about women's human rights organized by WomenNet of Word Association of Communitary Broadcasting (Ecuador) and UNIFEM (1999). She also won the second place award in the Third Contest of Women's Human Rights Essay, organized by Human Rights Commission and the Congress of the State of Mexico (2000).
Dr. Joy Fraser (Ph.D.) is Associate Professor of Health Administration in the Centre for State and Legal Studies at Athabasca University, an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta and a Research Affiliate at the Prairie Centre for Newcomers. Joy is a local and international consultant on education, evaluation, accreditation, social justice, human rights and cultural competency. Besides her academic research and teaching, Dr. Fraser participates in a range of community activities and is active on many non-governmental and government boards. Joy has been Chair of the Human Rights City Edmonton Project since 2005. Joy has recently been asked by the Canadian Human Rights Commission to provide input into their development of a prototype of a Human Rights Report Card for Canada. Joy received the Global Citizen’s Award from the United Nations Association in Canada in 2005 for her contribution to building a more peaceful and equitable global community. At the United Nations Global Youth Assembly in August 2007, it was announced that Dr. Fraser had been chosen to receive a Prestigious African Award for her work in education and human rights, presented in Nigeria on March 25, 2008.
Fabien Kanyangusho Karamira is a founder and member of the Musha Human Rights City and the President & Legal Representative of the People’s Movement for Education to Human Rights in Rwanda (MPEDH/RWANDA). Mr. Karamira has fourteen years of professional experience in state and private institutions in support to communication programmes drafting for development. He is a consultant in the Ministry of Justice, in charge of coordination of sensitization on justice programmes.
Mr. Karamira is a former National Expert in charge of Information, Communication and Civic Education in the Ministry of Local Administration and Social Affairs.
Shulamith Koenig is the founder of PDHRE, People’s Movement for Human Rights Learning. Ms. Koenig, with PDHRE International Network, has been developing “Human Rights Cities.” To date, twenty human rights cities in four regions are in progress thus far. Recently a volume published with UN Habitat: “Human Rights Cities, Civic Engagement for Societal Development” provides more information on the Human Rights Cities effort. Ms. Koenig is the recipient of the 2003 UN Prize in the field of human rights – she is one of five Americans to have received it including Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jimmy Carter, and James Grant. She founded PDHRE (formerly known as- People’s Decade for Human Rights Education) in 1988. In the words of Nelson Mandela, PDHRE’s goal is a new political culture based on human rights, to enable women and men alike to participate in the decisions that determine their lives, to live in community in dignity with one another, and to move from Charity to dignity guided by the holistic human rights framework. To that end, Ms. Koenig worked successfully to have the UN declare a Decade for Human Rights Education (1994-2004) and international public policy to enhance inclusive learning worldwide as an imperative for viable long lasting change throughout all societies.
Julia Veronica Matus Madrid is the director of the Extension Program at UNIACC University, Santiago, Chile, that works with people that received the benefits of the Chilean Reparation Law and also researches on Learning us a way of repairing men and women that experienced human rights violations, registering memories and in dialogues about human rights as a way for daily living in respect of diversity (“convivencia"). She also creates and integrates the Quality of Life Consultants to carry out issues of quality of life at work, emphasizing the importance of triangled cooperation between public and private, companies, citizens and state networks, as well as the importance of human rights in local daily living and the importance of gender dimensions in local communities. Ms. Matus began her career as a lawyer in the Committee for Peace in 1973, after the coup in Chile and continued later in the Vicariate of Solidarity. Simultaneously she worked actively in the women's movement, and belonged to one of the first feminist associations in Chile during the 80’s, La Morada, since its beginning. Ms. Matus also directed the Women’s Program of the Chilean Human Rights Commission (1991 to 1997).
Kathleen Modrowski is the Director of Global Studies at the Global College, Long Island University. Since 1994 she has worked to promote human rights education with PDHRE, People’s Movement for Human Rights Learning, as a member of the Board of Directors and on the Education Program Committee. Ms. Modrowski studied in the United States and France where she received an advanced degree in cultural anthropology and ethnology of the Arab world. She developed field-based learning and community service curriculums for Global College students (formerly Friends World Program) in regions throughout the United States, Africa and Europe. Ms. Modrowski has conducted training programs in non-formal human rights education and human rights –based community development in countries including; Bosnia, South Africa, Senegal, Mali, Turkey, France and the United States. She has developed local programs on human rights and sustainable development. Her research includes work on popular human rights education, the right to health and traditional medicine and experiential education.
Jean-Louis Peta Ikambana serves as the Area Director of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)-DC Peace and Economic Justice Program. Mr. Ikambana runs the Washington, DC Human Rights City Program - a PDHRE, People’s Movement for Human Rights Learning initiative. He led a coalition of D.C. grassroots organizations, schools and government officials that successfully culminated with the proclamation of Washington, D.C. as the first human rights city in the United States. Currently, he is leading the efforts to expand human rights learning in DC public and private schools. Prior to his Washington, D.C. assignment, Mr. Ikambana has served in several capacities the cause of the advancement of human dignity in different international, national and local organizations in Africa, Europe, South America, and North America as teacher, social worker, program manager, program director, board member, and advocate. He is fluent in Lingala, Kikongo, Swahili, French, Spanish and English. Mr. Ikambana holds a BA in Philosophy and Human Sciences from l’Institut Saint Pierre Cainisius, Kimwenza-Kinshasa (DRC), an MA in Political Science from La Javeriana University, Bogota ( Colombia), an MS in Criminal Justice from Saint Joseph University, Philadelphia (USA), a Ph.D. in African American Studies from Temple University, Philadelphia (USA), and a Master’s Degree in International Affairs at American University (USA).
Carlos Alberto S N Soares is a Brazilian psychologist with long experience in sexual rights and anti-HIV campaigning. He's been a PDHRE partner as Coordinator of the local Steering Committee at Porto Alegre since 2005, when he attended the International Seminar on Human Rights Learning held at Kaohsiung, Taiwan by PDHRE and Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
He is also Specialist in Management of Local Development (Itcilo-OIT) and Specialist in Strategy and Management of Distance Education (FGV-SP).
Renee Vaugeois is a small town farm girl. She is an example of someone who has moved beyond the boundaries of rural Alberta to become a change leader and advocate for those at the margins of society in Alberta and around the world. She has a true passion and belief not only in the human spirit and the dignity of all people, but the value of human relationships. After her first experiences in Uganda in 1999, Renee has since founded the Ainembabazi Children’s Project, a local organization focused on improving the rights of orphans and vulnerable children affected by AIDS through education, health and poverty alleviation. She is also the Executive Director of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights where her daily work is focused on advancing the rights of marginalized communities in our own back yard, such as Aboriginal peoples and immigrant and refugee youth. She has her Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Alberta in the area of international relations and has had the experience of managing various international projects in Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Bosnia, Ukraine, South Africa, Russia and China for both the University of Alberta and the Government of Alberta.
