BIHR Conference 2009: Changing the Face of Human Rights

Introduction
Delegate rates
Delegate booking
Getting there
Programme
Sessions
Contact

Pages maintained by Promarta Limited

Wednesday 28 January 2009

The British Library
96 Euston Road London NW1 2DB

Introduction

"The BIHR Annual Conference 2007 was both a stimulating and inspiring event. No account of the conference can quite capture the atmosphere in the room, but it was one of the most vibrant human rights events I've participated in"   Jon Snow, Newscaster and Chair of the BIHR Annual Conference 2007

Book online now

The purpose of this exciting one day conference is to stimulate fresh thinking about human rights.

It will examine how human rights are portrayed and how we can challenge perceptions that are negative or based on myth and misunderstanding. It will look at the role of a range of actors - public, third sector and wider civil society - in promoting a new image of human rights that shows their value and relevance for everyone.

Delegates will have the opportunity to engage in the "live" human rights debates of our times, and look at the vital role of the arts, media, campaigns and wider civil society action.

The aims of this conference are to:

• Capture key debates about human rights
• Challenge the current narrow and/or negative public discourse about human right
• Explore how, and by whom, a wider and more positive vision and understanding of human rights can be achieved
• Influence and engage key decision-makers within the media, the human rights sector and wider civil society to broaden current public understanding of human rights.

Finding new fresh ways to understand and communicate about human rights is essential if individuals and groups are to be successful in using human rights to benefit us all, and particularly the most vulnerable and marginalised people in society.

Who should attend?

• The conference is for anyone who is interested in widening the debate about human rights and promoting their value, specifically:
•  Leaders, and policy and communications staff from the public, private and third sector
• Media, academics and think tanks
• Third Sector organisations - especially those focused on tackling inequality and discrimination and human rights/mainstream campaigning organisations
• A range of public bodies including national and local government, EHRC, inspectorates and monitoring bodies
• Professional membership bodies and Trade Unions

Benefits of attending this unique event

This innovative event will be the first of its kind in the UK. Delegates will:

• Explore innovative ways of representing human rights, and examine how this can make their work more effective.
• Increase their understanding of how human rights are seen and understood in the UK, and develop the skills to engage in public discourse about human rights more confidently and effectively.
• Discuss key human rights issues with contributors from the national media, the arts, public sector and NGO campaigning organisations as well as hear the perspectives of people working directly with communities.
• Influence and engage key decision-makers within the media, equality and human rights sectors to broaden current public understanding of human rights
• Network with those working on human rights and equality issues, and generate new ideas and approaches to communicating about human rights.
• Learn how to raise awareness about human rights most effectively in your own field.

All delegates will receive a full conference report.

Speakers and contributors include:

Anna Ford (Chair), Former journalist and newsreader
Rt Hon Jack Straw, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Professor Monica McWilliams, Chief Commissioner for Human Rights in Northern Ireland
Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Mark Easton, Home Editor, BBC News
Andrew Dismore MP, Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights
Professor Francesca Klug OBE, Commissioner, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Clare Short MP, Independent MP and former Secretary of State for International Development
Ceri Goddard, Acting Director, BIHR
Lindsey Dyer, Director, Service Users and Carers, Mersey Care NHS Trust
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Journalist, and columnist for The Independent
Kevin Maguire, Associate Editor (Politics), Daily Mirror
 
There will also be contributions from range of people and oganisations working in the public, private and third sectors nationally and on the ground to promote the value and relevance of human rights for us all.

go to top of page