2009 HUMAN RIGHTS MONTH

Human Rights Month is an annual event that features conferences, workshops, a film festival, and a discussion of recent publications in the human rights sector. Through Human Rights Month, the Academy provides a forum for the education on and discussion of human rights theory. Participants have the opportunity to share first hand experiences, as well as network with fellow practitioners, scholars, and activists in the field.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Events are free and open to the public. Please register online: http://www.wcl.american.edu/secle/cl_form.cfm.

Panels will be in Spanish and English, with simultaneous translation provided.

Panels will be transmitted live on our website.

All events will take place from 12:30 – 2:30 pm in WCL Room 603.

XIV Inter-American Human Rights Moot Court Competition

Monday, May 18 – Wednesday, May 20, 8:30 am – 6:30 pm, Preliminary Oral Rounds

Thursday, May 21, 9:00 am – 11:30 am, Semifinal Oral Rounds

Friday, May 22, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm, Final Oral Round

2009 PANELS:

Wednesday, May 27:

The Role of International Courts: Current Issues and Future Challenges

Invited Panelists:

Elizabeth Andersen, Executive Director, American Society of International Law
Antonio Cançado Trindade, Judge, International Court of Justice
Sylvia Steiner, Judge, International Criminal Court

Commentator: Claudia Martin, Co-Director, Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American Universiy Washington College of Law

Friday, May 29:

Ratification of Human Rights Treaties and the Obama Administration

Invited Panelists:

Alexandra Arriaga, Co-Chair, Working Group for the Ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women
Douglass Cassel, Director, Center for Civil and Human Rights, University of Notre Dame, Indiana
Howard Davidson, Director, Center on Childrenand the Law, American Bar Association

Commentator: Rebecca Cook, Professor of Law and Faculty Chair in International Human Rights, and Co-Director, Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, University of Toronto, Canada

Monday, June 1:

Environment and Human Rights: Developments on Implementation

Co-sponsored by the International and Comparative Environmental Law Program, American University

Panelists:

Gustavo Alanis, President, Mexican Environmental Law Center
Asbjørn Eide, Professor Emeritus, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo
Natalie Bridgeman, Attorney, International Human Rights Counsel

Commentator: David Hunter, Director, International and Comparative Environmental Law Program, American University Washington College of Law

Wednesday, June 3:

Indigenous Peoples Rights: Current Status in International Human Rights Law

Invited Panelists:

Víctor Abramovich, Member, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Katherine Gorove, Office of the Legal Adviser for Human Rights and Refugees, U.S. Department of State
Leonardo Crippa, Staff Attorney, Indian Law Resource Center

Commentator: Jonas Grimheden, Senior Researcher, Deputy Head of the Department of Research and Academic Education , Raoul Wallenberg Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) in Sweden

IV Annual Meeting on Human Rights
The 50th Anniversary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Friday, June 5:

A Retrospective Look at the Work of the Commission

Invited Panelists:

Robert Goldman, Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law
Claudio Grossman, Dean, American University Washington College of Law
Juan Méndez, President, International Center for Transitional Justice, New York

Commentator: Víctor Abramovich, Member, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Monday, June 8:

Freedom of Expression: A Key Issue on the Commission’s Agenda

Invited Panelists:

Catalina Botero, Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Herman Schwartz, Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law
Leo Zwaak, Senior Researcher, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights, Utrecht University, Netherlands

Commentator: Christof Heyns, Professor and Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Tuesday, June 9:

A Look at the Future of the Commission: How will it Evolve?

Invited Panelists:

Santiago Cantón, Executive Secretary, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Felipe González, Member, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Viviana Krsticevic, Executive Director, Center for Justice and International Law, Washington, D.C.
Michael Shifter, Director, Andean Program. Inter-American Dialogue

Commentator: Diego Rodriguez Pinzon, Co-Director, Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American Universiy Washington College of Law

Wednesday, June 10:

Human Rights Violations after 9/11:A Debate about Accountability

Invited Panelists:

Federico Andreu-Guzmán, General Counsel, International Commission of Jurists
Manfred Nowak, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture
Joseph Zogby, Legal Advisor to Senator Durbin, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Yeves Sandoz, Professor of Law, University of Switzerland

Commentator: Joanne Mariner, Director, Terrorism and Counterterrorism Program, Human Rights Watch

FILM FESTIVAL

Thursday, May 28:

11TH HOUR, 2007

The film addresses the environmental crisis caused by human actions and their impact on the planet and urges public to take action for the protection of our environment

Tuesday, June 2:

DARFUR NOW, 2007

The film is a call to action for people everywhere to help end the crisis in Darfur. It portrays the heroic efforts of six very different people responding to a humanitarian tragedy in Darfur.

Wednesday, June 10:

THE DEVIL'S MINER, 2005

The film reveals the problem of child labor and tells the story of 14 years old Basilio and his brother who worship the devil for protection while working in a Bolivian silver mine to support their family.