Official Event | Opening Ceremony | Performances, Opening Remark, Keynote Speech etc. | Oct.7(Wed), 16:00~16:20 |
Closing Ceremony | Session reports, Adoption of the Declaration etc. | Oct.10(Sat), 12:30~13:30 |
Plenary Session | Plenary Session 1 | Human Rights Cities: Addressing Social Unrest Learning from the Historical Past | Oct.7(Wed), 16:20~18:10 |
Plenary Session 2 | High-level Dialogue: The Future of the International Movement of HRC | Oct.7(Wed), 22:00~23:30 | |
Plenary Session 3 | Local Governments Building the Post COVID-19 World: Public Services and HR Challenges | Oct.8(Thu), 20:00~22:00 |
Thematic Session | Social Economy | Establishing a Sustainable Social Economy: Community Spirit | Oct.8(Thur), 12:30~15:30 |
Environment | Fukushima citizens’ human rights violation and energy policy | Oct.8(Thur), 16:00~19:00 | |
The Elderly | Lives and Memories of Elderly Victims of State Violence, and the Role of Community | Oct.8(Thur), 16:00~19:00 | |
Disability | Remembering the Protestors! Moving Forward from Discrimination | Oct.9(Fri), 09:00~12:30 | |
Gender | Beijing+25, Achievement and Challenges | Oct.9(Fri), 13:00~15:30 | |
Children | Community, Citizen, and Youth Political Participation | Oct.9(Fri), 16:00~19:00 | |
Migrants | May 18, Migrants, and Future of Human Rights Cities | Oct.10(Sat), 10:00~13:00 | |
Safe Cities | Safe Communities and Lifelong Learning Today and in the Future | Oct.10(Sat), 09:00~12:00 |
Special Session | Global Youth Session on the Right to Housing | Right to Housing in the COVID-19 Era | Oct.8(Thur) 12:30~15:30 |
Korean Network of Cities of Memory | Local government network for the realization of transitional justice | Oct.8(Thur), 12:30~15:30 | |
State Violence and Trauma | State Violence and Trauma from the perspective of Healing | Oct.8(Thur), 13:00~18:00 | |
Human Rights Paper Presentation | Presentation of papers that tackle various human rights issues | Oct.8(Thur), 13:00~19:00 | |
Right to the City | Discussions on measures to solve urban problems in the context of human rights | Oct.8(Thur), 16:30~19:00 | |
WHRCF Evaluation | Sharing the 10-year evaluation and discussing the future direction of the forum | Oct.8(Thur), 18:00~20:00 | |
International Human Rights Policy Session | The role of cities to promote Agenda 2030, democracy and human rights by fighting for transparency and accountability | Oct.9(Fri), 16:00~19:00 | |
Indonesia Human Rights Cities Session | Human Rights Cities and Preventing Violent-Extremism | Oct.9(Fri), 15:00~18:30 |
Network Session | Local Government Human Rights Commissions Workshop | Discussing human rights issues and deliberations on the drafted agenda | Oct.7(Wed), 12:30~15:30 |
Korea Human Rights Advocates Workshop | Enactment of Human Rights Ordinance and Human Rights Education with Local Residents | Oct.7(Wed), 12:30~15:30 | |
Anti-Discrimination | Overcoming social disasters and hate discrimination | Oct.8(Thur), 14:00~16:00 | |
UN SDGs and Human Rights | UN Sustainable Development Goals and Human Rights | Oct.8(Thur), 16:00~19:00 | |
Human Rights Activists Workshop | Memory struggles in Human Rights City | Oct.9(Fri), 13:00~16:00 | |
UNESCO ICCAR Global Steering Committee | Developing policies for responding to racism, discrimination, xenophobia etc. as well as discussing methods of sharing information and experiences | Oct.9(Fri), 09:00~16:00 | |
Asia-Pacific Coalition of Cities Against Discrimination (APCAD) | Establishing a network of cities interested in sharing experiences in order to improve their policies to fight racism, discrimination, xenophobia and exclusion | Oct.10(Sat), 09:00~12:00 | |
Human Rights Cities Project Workshop | Brainstorming on expanding the current number of human rights cities around the world 100 to 1,000 by 2030 | Oct.9(Fri), 16:00~18:00 |
HR Training Session | Blended Learning Course on Local Governments and Human Rights | Localizing Human Rights in the SDGs Process | Oct.10(Sat), 11:00~12:00 |
International Human Rights Training Center Workshop | Advisory meeting for overall management of an International Human Rights Training Center | Oct.9(Fri), 17:00~18:30 |
Special Event | Human Rights Discussion Group | English discussion group for citizens and youth who are interested in learning human rights as well as participating in the forum | July. ~ Oct. |
Please click the [Live Streaming] Button to participate each session. (Open Session Only)
Time | Program | Venue | ||||||
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12:30~15:30 |
Korea Human Rights Advocates Workshop
#Network Session #National Human Rights Commission of Korea
Public Involvement in Human Rights Ordinance Legislation and Human
Rights Education: – Case Study of Geumcheon-gu, Seoul The Seoul district of Geumcheon-gu adopted and published the Human Rights Ordinance on December 31, 2019. Yet since 2015, a sizable number of complaints have discouraged local council members in 21 localities across the country from adopting human rights ordinances, according to local news outlet News & Joy. However, public opinion in Geumcheon-gu was favorable, with a survey of 800 respondents finding 461 in favor and 339 against. In contrast with other localities, while only 6 out the 339 against actually had an address in Geumcheon-gu, 341 out of the 461 in favor were registered residents in the district. Geumcheon-gu’s successful adaptation of the Human Rights Ordinance may be due to the active participation of local residents, who were able to effectively manage dissenting voices. The District Office shaped these favorable conditions by, for example, offering human rights education programs from the second half of 2017, and through the establishment of the Ad-hoc Working Group for Human Rights Ordinance Legislation in July 2018. Residents who completed the human rights education programs at the district Lifelong Education Center organized their own book groups and join the Residents’ Committee, which was an element of the Ad-hoc Working Group. Geumcheon-gu government officials who had taken charge of the legislation process emphasized that even though it had taken longer, the bottom line is empowering the public in human rights affairs. Recently, there have been increasing instances of opposition to human rights legislations at the local level, and even reversals of existing ordinances. For this reason, Geumcheon-gu’s experiences can serve as a beacon of hope for human rights advocacy administrations in other localities. e
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208 | ||||||
13:30~15:30 |
Local Government Human Rights Commissions Workshop
#Network Session #Chungcheongnam-Do Self-Governing Administration Division #Gwangju Metropolitan Government Human Rights & Peace Cooperation Office
The human rights ordinance sets out the responsibilities and enforcement regulations of autonomous local entities to ensure citizens’ human rights. As of 2020, every provincial and metropolitan government in Korea has enacted the human rights ordinance, leading to the creation and operation of a unit dedicated to human rights’ matters, and a human rights commission. However, concerns are increasingly being raised about whether these ordinances allocate sufficient enforcement powers to local entities; whether every administrative action is being implemented on the basis of human rights’ protection; and whether further assessment is needed of the effective of institutional schemes that are meant to be a practical tool protecting citizens’ human rights. .
Under the auspices of the 2020 World Human Rights Cities Forum’s Network Session, the Local Government Human Rights Commission Workshop will focus on the roles of human rights commissions at the local level, amongst other institutions and policies adapted and implemented according to local government human rights ordinances. This inter-local government meeting will also cover other issues, such as the variance between local governments in terms of the status and roles of the human rights commission under the existing human rights ordinance framework; the variety of roles that are actually being performed by each human rights commission; and directions for institutional improvement that can help to establish a solid foundation for the human rights commission. Effective enforcement of the human rights ordinance requires an independent human rights commission with sufficient expertise and substantial operational capacity. This workshop is designed to serve as a platform to conduct a critical review of human rights conditions in each locality; to share insights; and to facilitate communications between local bodies. Key Words: Human Rights Ordinance, Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Commission Network More
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Closed Session | ||||||
16:00~16:20 |
Opening Ceremony
#Official Event #Gwangju International Center
More
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Online Only | ||||||
16:20~18:10 |
Plenary Session Ⅰ
#Plenary Session #UN OHCHR #RW
Human Rights Cities: Addressing Social Unrest Learning from the Historical Past
In the Plenary Session 1, the panel will explore how cities learn from their historical past to foster a narrative and understanding about inclusion, human rights and democracy. As Gwangju has commemorated this year on May 18 the 40th anniversary of the 1980 Uprising, it is important to recall the role played by historical memory in shaping policies to achieve the long-term quest for human rights, peace, and democracy. The historical legacy is in particular of high importance when local communities are confronted with social instability and unrest. All cities have been built on a rich history. For some cities, the painful past is a living reality shaping the current understanding of how people want to live together. Often the history is ignored in the eagerness of moving towards tomorrow, and the richness of lessons learned from the neighborhoods are not transmitted to the next generations. Still, many cities commemorate particular historical events; however, studies show that those places that carry the historical memories with them often do that in the spirit of teaching about the past in the classroom or museum rather than in the spirit of learning from the past. Most cities have witnessed gross human rights violations in their immediate or more distant past such as political oppression, mass killings or genocide, profound racial or religious discrimination, suppression of indigenous peoples, flagrant violations of people with disabilities, misuse or exploitation of children etc. Each of these stories are important to take note of since the entire human rights system is built on a narrative of “never again”. That “never again” will always be perceived as more relevant and closer to the citizen the moment it is parents, or grandparents who were the living witnesses of what should not be repeated. What can be learned from the stories from the past? What is that people today should be aware of in order to avoid sliding into similar violations as those that took place in the past? In recent years, there has been a global wave of protests in cities across the world, sparked by the violation of economic, social and cultural rights and the growing sense of social injustice among ordinary citizens that are deeply rooted in economic, political and social inequalities. The COVID-19 crisis and austerity measures endanger the ability of States to guarantee minimum essential levels of enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural rights, jeopardizing the realization of these and other human rights and the progress made towards the achievement of the SDGs. Learning from the historical and recent past, people need to find a way to address the root causes of global protests and to avoid the negative outcomes. With all the complex factors in mind, the mayors and panelists will exchange their experience in using the historical past in the shaping of the current day policies and strategies for a living city, where people feel safe and included. More
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Online Only | ||||||
22:00~23:30 |
Plenary Session Ⅱ
#Plenary Session #UN OHCHR #UCLG-CISDPP
High-level Dialogue : The future of the International Movement of Human Rights Cities
Since the proclamation of the first human rights city in 1997 (Rosario), a great number of local governments across the world have embraced a human rights framework in their local agenda. Pioneer cities, towns and territories from different regions have shown the potential of developing rights based actions to embolden transformation and face the most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges faced by our societies, while promoting more accountable and democratic institutions committed to defend citizens’ fundamental rights. Continuous efforts carried out by these LRGs have been instrumental in giving new life to the global struggle to defend and promote human rights. Indeed, local government action has given to human rights a concrete approach through local implementation, developing new visions of human rights challenges and priorities from a city perspective: gender equality, non-discrimination, access to adequate housing, peace culture, participatory democracy, common goods, inclusion of migrants etc. They have acquired extensive experience in the realization of human rights at the local level, often in dialogue and collaboration with civil society. Local governments involved in this movement have equally contributed to a great extend to the consolidation of the concept of “human rights-based approach” and “localization” of human rights in the framework of both public services and public policies. At the international level, this commitment led to the adoption by UCLG, the global network of United Cities and Local Governments, of the “Global Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City” (2011, World Congress of Florence) and enshrined the Right to the City in UCLG Agenda of 2016-2020. Since 2015, the UN Human Rights Council launched a recognition process on the “Role of local governments in the promotion and protection of human rights”. After several collaborations, UCLG and its Committee on Social inclusion, participatory democracy and human rights co-organized with the OHCHR a first meeting with local governments representatives, calling to the strengthening and extension of the “human rights cities” movement (Geneva Meeting, July 2019). At the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the World Human Rights Cities Forum and 20 years anniversary of Gwangju’s democratic uprising, this session aims to organize a high-level discussion between local governments representatives on the future of the international movement of human rights cities, exploring ways to better engage with the UN Human-Rights system, in the framework of next Resolution on the “Role of local governments in the promotion and protection of human rights” to be adopted in September 2020. · Acknowledge the framework of the new Resolution of the UN Human Rights Council and discuss ways to enhance the links between local governments and their networks and the UN Human Rights system in the next two years · Explore the possibility to launch a revision process of UCLG’s Global Charter Agenda of Human Rights in the City, at the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Charter in 2021 More
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Online Only |
Please click the [Live Streaming] Button to participate each session. (Open Session Only)
Time | Program | Venue | ||
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12:30~15:30 |
Korean Network of Cities of Memory
#Special Session #Jeju Special Self-Governing Province #Jeju Provincial Council
Local Government Network for Transitional Justice
-State Violence and Ongoing Reconciliation- Korea has experienced brutal state violence in its modern history, such as the Japanese occupation, Korean War and military junta. Such incidents only began to receive public attention after the June Struggle of 1978, the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980, and several known massacres from the Korean War. President Kim Dae-jung paved the new way towards fact-finding and seeking truth with the establishment of the Presidential Truth Commission on Suspicious Deaths. His successor President Roh Moo-hyun also exerted efforts to achieve various kinds of institutional reform. However, efforts to achieve transitional justice faced major setbacks under conservative regimes from 2013 to 2017. Although President Moon Jae-in has been leading the frontline against the deep-rooted evils of Korean society and politics, the 20th National Assembly of Korea failed to pass a bill to amend and enact several special acts relating to mass atrocities before and during the 1950-1953 Korean War, due to heavy resistance from historically opposition parties, and arduous bureaucratic procedures. A number of special acts have been adopted to deal with the Jeju 4.3 Incident and other mass civilian killings before and during the Korean War, with rehabilitation and support packages provided to victims and their families accordingly. However, these special acts are limited in terms of reparations and investigations; for example, the Jeju 4.3 Special Act places substantial restrictions on any financial payments to victims and their family members. As a result of the absence of legislative measures to find truth and provide rehabilitation, the Yeosu–Suncheon Rebellion – a response to the civil uprising on Jeju Island that saw another massacre – has still not been properly redressed, even 70 years after the event. An integrated approach will serve for transitional justice measures in order to redress legacies of human rights abuse committed by state authorities. This includes truth-seeking, rehabilitation, reparations, memorials and criminal justice. Achieving reconciliation is not the ultimate goal. Comprehensive legislative reform is required in order to seek truth and accurately record history and to investigate past crimes to provide reparations for victims. This reform can either be through the enactment of new laws or the amendment of existing laws. These remedial measures should not be at cross-purposes. This places an onus not only on local authorities and state government, but also international society at large. This session, ‘Local Government Network for Transitional Justice,’ will serve as a platform to establish and implement a permanent network at the local level that plays a leading role in personal exchanges and solidary between local public entities and the victims of state violence and state crime, so that transitional justice and reconciliation can be achieved effectively and correctly. Continuous network activities will help to move away from the past Korean society needs to leave behind, through facilitating rehabilitation, criminal justice, reparations and memorials. These efforts will be a milestone towards democracy, peace and human rights, while experiences accumulated from such activities will be shared with Asian countries and international organizations, including the United Nations, to contribute to a firm foundation for the international human rights regime. 더보기
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202+203+204 | ||
12:30~15:30 |
Global Youth Session on the Right to Housing
#Special Session
Right to Housing in the COVID-19 Era
□ General Background
· The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is an international agency for human settlement and urban development. It adopts an integrated approach for sustainable settlement and urban development, conducting humanitarian works. A core concept under the New Urban Agenda is the right to adequate housing. This extends to more than just four walls and a roof: it is the right to satisfy other basic needs. Particularly, UN-Habitat is carrying out immediate actions in 100 countries to protect people against COVID-19 and the effects of the pandemic in poor and densely populated areas. · The right to housing is a freestanding right, but public awareness of this basic right remains low. The youth, the hope for the future, should be entitled to a safe and secure home. · The effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are disproportionate and the youth are vulnerable to poor housing conditions. Amid the global crisis, the financially and socially dependent younger generation is more likely to be deprived of the right to stable housing and of the right to live in adequate shelter in security. · Young people from poor and densely populated living conditions are at greater risk of suffering a loss of housing, and in the worst case, they often slide into homelessness. □ Direction and Outcome
· Analyze the right to housing status in the COVID-19 era, and (re)define it within the youth context. · Conduct case studies on infringed rights to housing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and propose possible solutions (alternative options). · Share current global rights to housing conditions and issues through the global youth session, improve their understanding on the right to housing and encourage their roles as advocators. · Present youth-driven future human rights city vision statements based on the right to housing. · Build a global youth coalition to realize “the right to housing for all.” □ Topics and Process
· A Working Group consisting of Korean youth and international students/youth will be organized in August. The members will design and hold their own sessions.
· All presentations and discussions will be organized, hosted and attended by the Working Group members. · In order to select specific topics and invite speakers and global youth activists, off-line meetings will be held every two weeks and online meetings will be made whenever necessary. These activities will be consistently updated to the WHRCF secretariat. · This virtual Global Youth Session, via video call, will bring together global youth activists and experts to produce a final paper. 더보기
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0nline Only | ||
12:30~15:30 |
Social Economy
#Thematic Session #Gwangju Support Center for Social Economy
Sustainability of Social Economy: Community Spirit
○ Sustainability of social economy through community spirit in the post-COVID19 era The sense of community is often expressed in social values such as reciprocity, solidarity, participation, sympathy and sharing, which are generally considered fundamental elements of social economy organizations. Social economy enterprises aim to serve all of their members and community, instead of striving for the profit of a limited number of individuals or sub-groups. A community-oriented mindset is the key factor for successful social economy systems and economic sustainability. Social economy practices will be fertile, prosperous and sustainable as long as they are built upon a sound community-oriented mindset. In the post-COVID19 era, there is increasing recognition of the need to create spaces where in-depth discussions on “social economy and community spirit” can be undertaken to develop strategies that help address these new challenges and ensure the sustainability of social economy organizations. Under the theme “Sustainability of Social Economy: Community Spirit,” the 2020 World Human Right Cities Forum 「Social Economy」 session will bring local and global experts together to share their insights on the post-COVID19 exit strategy, and to interlock with public policy at the local level. Focusing on the community spirit of social economy, the session will enable participants to review the present situation and share opinions on how to shape communities more sustainably in the future. 더보기
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305+306 | ||
13:00~18:00 |
State Violence and Trauma
#Special Session #A healing Centre for Victims of Torture and State Terror #Seoul National University Asia Center
State Violence, Trauma and Therapeutic Dimension of Transitional Justice
From a global historical perspective, the twentieth century was a period of state violence. In the course of independence movements, democratization movements and modern state-building processes all over the world, numerous people have been victimized and survivors left traumatized. The legacy of long-lasting violence and trauma cannot be redressed individually. Rather, it relies on transitional justice, presented in a form of collective action and social procedures during the period of democratization. Although many efforts have been made with regard to trauma treatment, the consequences of state violence still persist. This year’s conference, titled “State Violence, Trauma and Therapeutic Dimension of Transitional Justice,” seeks insight into better ways of pursuing transitional justice, and investigates the therapeutic potential of transitional justice, through comparative analysis of efforts made to accomplish transitional justice in South Korea, Taiwan, Greece, Germany and Mexico. More
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302+303 | ||
13:00~19:00 |
Human Rights Paper Presentation
#Special Event #RWI #Gwangju International Center #CNU Department of English Language and Literature
More
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0nline Only | ||
13:00~19:00 |
Right to the city
#Special Session #Global Platform Right to the City(GPR2C)
더보기
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0nline Only | ||
14:00~16:00 |
Anti-Discrimination
#Network Session #National Human Rights Commission of Korea
Local Government Network for Transitional Justice
- State Violence and Ongoing Reconciliation – Korea has experienced brutal state violence in its modern history, such as the Japanese occupation, Korean War and military junta. Such incidents only began to receive public attention after the June Struggle of 1978, the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980, and several known massacres from the Korean War. President Kim Dae-jung paved the new way towards fact-finding and seeking truth with the establishment of the Presidential Truth Commission on Suspicious Deaths. His successor President Roh Moo-hyun also exerted efforts to achieve various kinds of institutional reform. However, efforts to achieve transitional justice faced major setbacks under conservative regimes from 2013 to 2017. Although President Moon Jae-in has been leading the frontline against the deep-rooted evils of Korean society and politics, the 20th National Assembly of Korea failed to pass a bill to amend and enact several special acts relating to mass atrocities before and during the 1950-1953 Korean War, due to heavy resistance from historically opposition parties, and arduous bureaucratic procedures. A number of special acts have been adopted to deal with the Jeju 4.3 Incident and other mass civilian killings before and during the Korean War, with rehabilitation and support packages provided to victims and their families accordingly. However, these special acts are limited in terms of reparations and investigations; for example, the Jeju 4.3 Special Act places substantial restrictions on any financial payments to victims and their family members. As a result of the absence of legislative measures to find truth and provide rehabilitation, the Yeosu–Suncheon Rebellion – a response to the civil uprising on Jeju Island that saw another massacre – has still not been properly redressed, even 70 years after the event. An integrated approach will serve for transitional justice measures in order to redress legacies of human rights abuse committed by state authorities. This includes truth-seeking, rehabilitation, reparations, memorials and criminal justice. Achieving reconciliation is not the ultimate goal. Comprehensive legislative reform is required in order to seek truth and accurately record history and to investigate past crimes to provide reparations for victims. This reform can either be through the enactment of new laws or the amendment of existing laws. These remedial measures should not be at cross-purposes. This places an onus not only on local authorities and state government, but also international society at large. This session, ‘Local Government Network for Transitional Justice,’ will serve as a platform to establish and implement a permanent network at the local level that plays a leading role in personal exchanges and solidary between local public entities and the victims of state violence and state crime, so that transitional justice and reconciliation can be achieved effectively and correctly. Continuous network activities will help to move away from the past Korean society needs to leave behind, through facilitating rehabilitation, criminal justice, reparations and memorials. These efforts will be a milestone towards democracy, peace and human rights, while experiences accumulated from such activities will be shared with Asian countries and international organizations, including the United Nations, to contribute to a firm foundation for the international human rights regime. More
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214 | ||
16:00~19:00 |
UN SDGs and Human Rights
#Network Session #Gwangju Council for Sustainable Development
#Local Sustainability Alliance of Korea #Korea Institute Center for Sustainable Development
A Combined Inspection System Based on SDGs and Human Rights:
- Gwangju Case Study The adoption of South Korea’s national SDGs in 2018 has resulted in substantial local-government development, with 14 different local administrations establishing Local SDGs (L-SDGs) as of 2019. With these national and local efforts to achieve the UN SDGs, it is worthwhile to publicize and discuss human rights-based approaches to the SDG implementation system. To this end, the Session will review an international approach and progress with respect to implementing the United Nations Human Rights Council recommendations through SDG implementation systems, and examine Gwangju’s achievements as a local entity, under UNHRC recommendations to the South Korean government. In addition, in-depth discussions will include a governance structure for local government human rights policies, and strategies to incorporate such governance in to systems for implementing SDGs, as well as better ways to strengthen local government partnerships with relevant stakeholders. More
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206+207 | ||
16:00~19:00 |
Environment
#Thematic Session #Korean Federation for Environmental Movements Gwangju
#No Nuke Solidarity Gwangju Jeonnam
Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, Energy Policy and Human Rights:
- Nuclear Power Plants and Human Rights With the tenth anniversary of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster approaching, it is necessary to examine both how the accident impacted people’s lives, and the actions of Japan and the international society in response. There have been few opportunities to discuss, from a human rights perspective, the problems faced by Fukushima residents, or those living near nuclear power plants in Korea. The Session is designed to capture the responsibilities and obligations of nuclear power plant operators and state governments in connection with human rights protection, and to find potential solutions to ongoing issues. More
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209+210 | ||
16:00~19:00 |
The Elderly
#Thematic Session #Korean Information & Referral Service Center on Aging
#Gwangju Namgu Senior Club
Lives and Memories of Elderly Victims of State Violence, and the Role of Community
Korea’s modern history has seen several incidents of major state violence, such as the Jeju April 3 Incident, the Yeo–Sun Incident, the Bu-Ma Democratic Protests, and the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. The emotional trauma resulting from such events has a significant impact on those individuals who were part of the tragic history, and also the community they belong to. People involved in those historic moments are now into old age. In order to overcome such pain and suffering, it is necessary to pay more attention to their voice, because individual experiences of historical events never stay in the past, but shape today’s society. Efforts seeking the full truth, and commemorations for those killed have continued over the decades, and a watershed moment is being (or to be) commemorated as a national day. This would preserve the traumatic memories of state violence as historical and cultural heritage, and furthermore, serve as a foundation to build a community of more robust human rights. This session will trace the life trajectories of the victims of state violence, and also explore issues regarding what communities have to do for a brighter future for human rights cities. More
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212+213 | ||
18:00~20:00 |
WHRCF Evaluation
#Gwangju Jeonnam Research Institute #Gwangju Metropolitan City #Gwangju International Center
WHRCF Evaluation
The World Human Rights Cities Forum celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Since 2011, the WHRCF has provided an open space for global human rights advocators to participate in human rights discourses and share human rights policies. The 10th anniversary is a landmark event in the history of the human rights city movement. This annual international convention has reaffirmed the importance of human rights city initiatives, and presenting best practices through the adoption of the Gwangju Human Rights City Declaration. With support from human rights advocators, the forum strives toward its goal of “localizing human rights.” It has also become a flagship human rights event for the host city of Gwangju, providing international opportunities for human rights networking and exchanges among advocators and activists. Despite this, the forum still faces many challenges, as yet unresolved over the past decade. Increasing voices of concern include questions over the forum’s identity and roles, the lack of effective tools for improving international human rights solidarity, and other planning and operational issues. The consistently changing idea of human rights also requires the forum to adapt. The definition and scope of human rights continues to extend, while people are ever more vulnerable to newly emerging risks, such as climate change and deadly communicable diseases. The technological landscape is continuously evolving, allowing remote networking and cooperation. Taking into consideration the universal goals of human rights city initiatives, and the specific local context when establishing human rights policy, the forum must be actively involved in efforts to find new ideas and solutions that can substantially contribute to designing sustainable human rights communities for all humanity. Ten years of the WHRCF seeks a new way to respond to the changing global human rights environment; build a solid human rights system for every community, and promote international collaboration between human rights cities. Breakthroughs will be discussed at the following three levels: First, at the international level: How does the forum redefine sustainably practicable agendas and norms on “local government and human rights” and materialize joint actions for extensive human rights city initiatives? Second, at the national level in Korea: How does the forum contribute to the central-local government relationship for designing institutional and administrative measures to narrow down the policy gap existing between communities, and to establish a firm foundation of human rights protections at the local level? Third, at the local level in Gwangju: What does the forum need to do to increase Gwangju’s global presence as a human right city, and for more effective human rights-related administrative services and citizens’ empowerment to human rights? In addition, this session’s discussions will include overall operational issues for the sustainable development of the WHRCF, including planning, programs, participation and collaboration. Experts and human rights activists representing each community will share their insights, including “10-year retrospective review of the WHRCF” and “Strategies for WHRCF future development from national and international perspectives” among others. A new future for the WHRCF depends on your participation and contribution. More
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206+207 | ||
20:00~22:30 |
Plenary Session Ⅲ
#Plenary Session #UCLG-CISDP #UNESCO
Local Governments Building the Post COVID-19 World: Public Services and Human Rights Challenges
The Plenary Session 3 of the WHRCF will focus on local government mobilization in the world and in the ASPAC region face to COVID-19. On one hand, it will provide an opportunity to showcase those challenges and transformations related to human rights guarantee triggered by the pandemic at the local level, including health and social care issues. On the other, it will aim at providing a platform for local governments to share their #BeyondTheOutbreak strategies, identifying innovative proposals and opportunities that can help achieve more inclusive and resilient cities. Facing the COVID-19 crisis and its mid and long term impacts, local governments are providing first line support to the most vulnerable while promoting solidarity and making efforts to respond to the needs and realities of their territories. Mitigating the impacts of the pandemic over already existing inequalities and protecting fundamental rights - such as health, housing, work, non-discrimination and, more fundamentally, the right to life - are all issues at the heart of the current crisis. This situation is calling local and regional governments to take their responsibility to build safer, more inclusive, equal and sustainable cities for all. Beyond the health crisis, local governments seem to be shaping new priorities, new aspirations, based on their experience of the pandemic. By taking the lead of emergency responses, local governments from across the worlds have been reconsidering their role in implementing transformative actions, experiencing new forms of cooperation with civil society and their organizations but also with the other levels of governance. More than ever, the human rights based approach of public services appears as a key response to strengthen the resilience of the territories. During the lock down, the cases of gender violence become more severe, and we have seen a resurgence of xenophobia and racism in many communities. The tensions generated by the situation of emergency have amplified in some cases the hate speeches that seek to generate confrontations and division. The Plenary Session 3 will be structured around the following guiding questions :
· From the local governments’ perspective, what are the key human rights challenges in the current context?
· How has the emergency of the pandemic revealed existing vulnerabilities but also provided a renewed capacity for local governments to implement human rights? · How can the experience developed during the crisis serve as a basis for more structural public policies? · What are the policies/actions/initiatives implemented by the Human rights cities in previous years that have helped to face the current crisis? More
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Online Only |
Please click the [Live Streaming] Button to participate each session. (Open Session Only)
Time | Program | Venue | ||
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09:00~16:00 |
UNESCO ICCAR Global Steering Committee
#Network Session #UNESCO #Gwangju International Center
More
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Closed Session | ||
09:00~12:30 |
Disability
#Thematic Session #The Research Institute of Differently Abled Persons’ Right in Gwangju
#Gwangju Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination
Remembering the Protestors! Moving Forward from Discrimination!
-How do we remember the protestors and what do we have to do for equality? Gwangju Inhwa School is notorious for its decades-long record of abusing students, as depicted in the film Dogani (Silenced). The school complex, a witness to the real-life events, is scheduled to be renovated. Pennhurst State School and Hospital, a former institution for mentally and physically disabled individuals, will be transformed into a museum so that people can keep the memories alive. What we must remember are the records of those persons with disabilities (PwD) who fought against the unfair Level of Disability (LOD) system that deprived of their rights. These people become the subject of their life by overcoming difficulties in unfriendly social environments, who were courageous enough to become protestors while refusing to accept generous dispensation and other benefits, and who stood on their own feet, being independent from their families and institutions. The recent repeal of the LOD system will not bring immediate improvements. Substantial progress will require more time. In order to make more changes in the coming decade, activities to abolish PwD institutions and to uphold the ‘right-to-work’ are currently being discussed. Regulatory actions to shut down controversial institutions and to punish those responsible will not necessarily ensure PwD human rights. The 2020 World Human Rights Cities Forum 「Disabilities」 session will explore ways to preserve the memories engraved in space and life and how to keep those memories alive. This aims to design a future for human right cities where no one is excluded, through pursuing a society without PwD institutions. More
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209+210 | ||
13:00~16:00 |
Gender
#Thematic Session #Gwangju-Jeonnam Women Association United
Beijing+25, Achievements and Challenges
The year 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), the 20th anniversary of the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, and the 5th anniversary of the launch of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This session will discuss the achievements that have made and the challenges that still exist. Last year, United Nations member states submitted their Beijing+25 national reports, covering their achievements and identifying gaps and remaining challenges, as well as future plans to accelerate implementation at the national level. Civil society also prepared reports on observed outcomes and trends. The regional and national Beijing+25 reports will allow us to grasp the global frame and trends to be discussed in the years to come, and this session enable participants to share policies and issues at both the regional and national level, connecting them with the global frame. The session will further seek alternative measures that all human rights cities can follow to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment. 더보기
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209+210 | ||
13:00~16:00 |
Human Rights Activists Workshop
#Network Session #Human Rights Movement Plus+
#Gwangju Ingwonjigi Hwaljjak #Jeju Peace Human Rights Institute “WHAT”
Stories of excluded and forgotten people
This year’s WHRCF will be held under the theme of “The Future of Human Rights Cities: Local Memories and Global Sharing.” The Network of Human Rights activists are actively engaged in the field of human rights, and are striving to recall the human rights city, and especially those people who have been excluded or erased from its history. By rediscovering those forgotten from the past and present, human right cities will move towards becoming more inclusive communities. Recovering such stories would actively reveal the hidden and disguised discrimination that clearly existed in the past, but was excluded and forgotten, even in history. If not exposed, discrimination will persist in the darkness of the city, and hinder efforts to guarantee human dignity in a human rights city. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights advocates for the dignity and rights of ‘everyone’. Human rights activists will strive to continue to hear and remember the stories of people excluded and erased from the history of the city, so as not to forget the fundamental essence of human rights, and to ensure that no one’s dignity and rights are neglected. We are confident that these stories will be the cornerstone in making the future of the human rights city more complete More
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211 | ||
15:00~18:30 |
Indonesian Human Rights Cities Session
#Special Session #INFID #Executive Office of President #Komnas HAM
Human Rights Cities
In Indonesia, it has been six years since INFID and Komnas HAM started to promote the implementation of human rights cities around Indonesia. This effort aims to encourage the government to expand human rights cities in Indonesia. Currently, INFID and Komnas HAM have been fostering partnerships with over 100 districts/cities in Indonesia for mainstreaming human rights at the local level. As a result, more than 50 cities/districts have committed to implement human rights cities in their regions. The efforts on implementing human rights cities, in any case, meets its challenges for each region and generate different results. Thus far, the implementation of human rights cities generally has four main challenges: 1) sustainability and consistency, 2) technical capacity on human rights city among local government bureaucrats and the public (CSOs), 3) citizen political support, and 4) corruption. In a broader level, we need to enlarge the scale of human rights cities, not merely in Indonesia, but countries in Asia and beyond Indonesia. It is a time to think the future of Human Rights city both within UN system and beyond. It is also a proper time to agree about common strategies and steps essential to create a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from national and local governments, as well as civil societies to mainstream both the notion of human rights city and the implementation itself.
Human Rights Cities and Preventing Violent-Extremism
Based on the results of INFID research in 2016 in 4 districts/cities in Indonesia, found several layers of factors that strengthen the tendency of tolerance/intolerance in one region. The most fundamental factor is, "The presence of the state in carrying out effective functions and maintaining tolerance by (i) Being neutral and firm, (ii) Having a legal umbrella, (iii) Having and running an early warning system and, (iv) Actively mediating and coordinating. " Meanwhile, a factor in the upper layers reads, "High awareness of religious, community and political leaders towards tolerance, and actively protecting their territory from violent-extremism." This finding shows that local government has a significant role in the function of Preventing Violent-Extremism (PVE) in a region. Thus, it is important for local governments to address this issue as a major obstacle in realizing and implementing Human Rights Cities. The efforts on implementing human rights cities, in any case, meets its challenges for each region and generate different results. Thus far, the implementation of human rights cities generally has four main challenges: 1) sustainability and consistency, 2) technical capacity on human rights city among local government bureaucrats and the public (CSOs), 3) citizen political support, and 4) corruption. In a broader level, we need to enlarge the scale of human rights cities, not merely in Indonesia, but countries in Asia and beyond Indonesia. It is a time to think the future of Human Rights city both within UN system and beyond. It is also a proper time to agree about common strategies and steps essential to create a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from national and local governments, as well as civil societies to mainstream both the notion of human rights city and the implementation itself. 더보기
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Online Only | ||
16:00~19:00 |
International Human Rights Policy Session
#Special Session #RWI #Embassy of Sweden in Korea
The role of cities to promote Agenda 2030, democracy and human rights by means of transparency and accountability
In this International Human Rights Policy Session, we will elaborate on the linkages between democracy, human rights and transparency/accountability, and explore different avenues to counteract corruption and strengthen democracy, by using human rights mechanisms. The session will be interactive, working together with participants to both deepen the understanding of the audience of the connections (human rights/democracy/transparency), and to showcase and discuss how these issues are and can be addressed at the local level. The moderator will frame the session based on the 2019 report from International Idea on The Global State of Democracy, which “provides a health check of democracy and an overview of the current global and regional democracy landscape. It analyses the encouraging democratic trends as well as the key current challenges to democracy. The report draws on data from the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) indices and lessons learned from International IDEA’s on-the ground technical assistance to understand the current democracy landscape. It aims at informing strategies, programmes and policy interventions in support of democracy” . During the session, the Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law will introduce linkages between human rights and the fight against corruption. The session builds on RWI’s 2018 report The Nexus between anti-corruption and human rights which makes the case of corruption as a human rights issue. The report explains how corruption, whichever form it takes, grand or petty, results in states not fulfilling their human rights obligations and in people not enjoying their rights. It also states that experience shows that anti-corruption practice and human rights practice seem to evolve on parallel tracks, in separate forums and with distinct agendas. It is argued that understanding the “human rights approach to anti-corruption” and bringing together these two movements, which have much in common, can bring about positive change. Furthermore, the report recommends that the anti-corruption movement should engage with human rights mechanisms at the United Nations, at regional level and at country level and that the human rights movement should set itself to the task of interpreting human rights principles and norms against corruption. Human rights mechanisms, on the other hand, should clarify what the entitlements of rights holders and the responsibilities of duty bearers are when corrupt acts distort governance processes, affecting everyday lives of people globally. Global trends and examples will then be presented, based findings from recent reports. One of these, the Transparency international Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 identified a disturbing link between corruption and the health of democracies, where countries with higher rates of corruption also have weaker democratic institutions and political rights”. In the same report from 2019 the conclusion was that “corruption is more pervasive in countries where big money can flow freely into electoral campaigns and where governments listen only to the voices of wealthy or well-connected individuals”. The session will also explore the corresponding situation and dynamics connected to the local government level, in panels and through forward-looking group discussions between participants, presented and discussed in plenary. More
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Online Only | ||
16:00~19:00 |
Children
#Thematic Session #Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education
Community, Citizen, and Youth Political Participation
South Korea recently lowered the voting age to 18. After 18-year youth suffrage movement, young adults were finally able to become actively involved in the political process. The upcoming April 15 National Assembly elections will bring a new political landscape in every constituency. For the first time in South Korea’s constitutional history, every eligible voter aged 18 or above can visit a polling station to select those candidates that best meet their best interests. This also will become a new challenge for both politics and education. In fact, the young generation has been in the midst of every grand social change. Their engagement was critical in historical events, including the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. As a main driving force of history and individual member of their society, they did what they were supposed to do. However, the prevailing social perception of youth in South Korean society was that they were less mature in how they made electoral decisions. Thus, young teenagers’ suffrage remained denied until the recent election law amendment lowered the voting age to 18. Teenagers are no longer alienated from mainstream politics, and their right-to-vote has been officially recognized. Yet there are many concerns with lowering the voting age. Several issues require consideration: how are these young voters acknowledged within the community? what implications will youth political participation have on society and politics? and what kind of education should be provided to help the youth to exercise their voting rights effectively? In this regard, the Children & Youth session will present several case studies from countries with experience of youth political education and political engagement. This will help us to understand current and anticipated issues in Korean society. Moreover, this session will allow us to define “what we are supposed to do” to enable youth voters – responsible citizens and autonomous beings – to lead in positive social changes. More
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209+210 | ||
17:00~18:30 |
International Human Rights Training Center Workshop
#HR Training Session #Gwangju Metropolitan City #UN OHCHR #UNESCO
A growing number of communities around the world are explicitly advocating themselves as a “Human Rights City,” embracing policies, statements, and programs dedicated to human rights principles. Since 2013, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has been encouraging municipalities to join its Human Rights Cities movement and adopt the resolution on local government and human rights.
The city of Gwangju, Korea, has hosted the World Human Rights Cities Forum since 2011, and has been a catalyst for the Human Rights Cities movement, working closely with its counterparts, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI). In 2019, in light of the stronger solidarity of Asian human rights cities, Gwangju launched its international human rights training program for some 20 local government officials from Asia. In addition, the Gwangju International Human Rights Education Center opened in May 2020 and is in the process of establishing regular training programs. A variety of human rights training programs have been offered by many international organizations and bodies, as well as research institutions, with remarkable achievements. Through this year’s World Human Rights Cities Forum, Gwangju will build a new network with international human rights trainers, and seek a master plan for the Gwangju International Human Rights Education Center. This workshop’s key discussions include the sharing of region-wise and audience-wise training strategies and a more effective collaboration system among leading human rights training providers, such as the UN OHCHR, UNESCO and RWI. Given that the World Human Rights Cities Forum focuses on the inter-local government human rights network and human rights-based development, the way in which international human rights training facilitates community development will be discussed in a practical manner. This workshop is co-hosted by the Gwangju International Human Rights Education Center, UN OHCHR, and UNESCO. More
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Onlie Only | ||
16:00~18:00 |
Human Rights Cities Project Workshop
#Network Session #WHRCF International Committee #Gwangju International Center
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Closed Session |
Please click the [Live Streaming] Button to participate each session. (Open Session Only)
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09:00~12:00 |
Asia-Pacific Coalition of Cities Against Discrimination (APCAD)
#Network Session #UNESCO Bangkok #Gwangju International Center
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Closed Session | ||
09:00~12:00 |
Safe Cities
#Thematic Session #Korea Safety Union
Safe Community and Lifelong Learning Today and in the Future
From the perspective of the lifelong-learning paradigm, the idea of a Safe Community is to be expanded from school to family, community and the workplace, facilitating groups of different ages to make their community safer. Then, what do we have to do to become aware of safety and exercise good safety practices, and how can that be achieved? In order to build a stronger safety culture, it will be necessary to consider the roles and tasks that have already been undertaken, those in progress, and what remains to be done in the future. A Safe Community in the lifelong-learning paradigm requires lifelong developmental perspectives. It is important to note that safety education should not be limited to its intrinsic domain, but be present in other parts of everyday life through organic cooperation among stakeholders. A campaign for a Safe Community and Safety Culture cannot be attained by either government, workplaces, or schools alone. Success largely depends on how these domains (school, family, community, workplace and even the whole city) work together and how people and organizations within those domains form organic collaboration. Institutional and social support and campaigns must follow (Jeong, 2019). By and large, realizing a Safe Community requires an active Safety Culture campaign that can improve public safety awareness throughout society and all age groups. Besides the active engagement of the local population, the local government, civil society organization, and other stakeholders need to build and operate an organic governance structure. By sharing local and international best practices and best policies, the session will explore in-depth discussions on what a Safe Community has to do and how a Safety Community can be promoted, to make our cities safer and happier. Key Word: Safe Community, Safety culture, Lifelong learning, Safety education, Local community, Safety and Human Rights 더보기
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209+210 | ||
10:00~13:00 |
Migrants
#Thematic Session #Gwangju Bukgu Multicultural Family Support Center #Danuri Help Line
#Space Elizabeth #Gwangju Migrant Health Center
May 18, Migrants, and the Future of Human Rights Cities
Marking the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, the thematic session “Migrants” will provide a time and space where migrants can understand and discuss the Gwangju spirit. This session is designed to review how migrant communities in Gwangju perceive and comprehend the meanings behind May 18, by encouraging them to present and discuss what they have learned from each other. This is a new experiment to shift the center of thematic sessions away from experts and scholars and on to migrants recognized as ordinary people in Gwangju. In collaboration with the 518 Memorial Foundation, several migrant community groups in Gwangju (representing Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Uzbekistan, and Sri Lanka) will attend a lecture about May 18, and then have a group discussion to select their presenter. The thematic session “Migrants and Human Rights” will consist of five presentations, one by each respective migrant community group, followed by a panel discussion with local and international contributors. After the presentations and discussions, all individuals from the migrant group and host group in Gwangju will seek wisdom of life, by learning lessons from the May 18 Gwangju Spirit. One of the primary goals of this session is to provide the migrant population in Gwangju with an opportunity to revisit their own identities and, at the same time, offer a space and time for re-calling their own memories of democratization movements in their native country. Sharing the lessons and wisdom that migrant communities glean from May 18 and their own introspection with those who were involved in the historical event as well as those from other countries will provide a better understanding of the May 18 Democratization Movement to the general public. More
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212+213 | ||
11:00~12:00 |
Blended Learning Course on Local Governments and Human Rights
#HR Training Session #Gwangju Metropolitan City #RWI #UCLG-ASPAC
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Closed Session | ||
13:00~14:00 |
Closing Ceremony
#Official Event #Gwangju International Center
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Online Only |
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