An Online Discussion on ‘Will Human Rights Survive COVID-19? Navigating human rights during and after the pandemic’
Co-organised by FORUM-ASIA, iDEFEND, PAHRA, and CIVICUS
Time: 3 – 5 pm (GMT +7)
Date: 8 May 2020
Click to register!
A link to the webinar will be emailed to registered participants ahead of the discussion.
Speakers:
- Susan Wilding, Head of Geneva Office, World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS)
- Nymia Pimental Simbulan, Chairperson, Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), the Philippines
- Rin Fujimatsu, Advocacy Director, Progressive Voice, Myanmar
- Sandun Thudugala, Head of Programmes, Law and Society Trust, Sri Lanka
- TBC: Prof. Joseph Cannataci, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy
Moderated by Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA
Human rights organisations have raised concerns over the possible challenges to human rights in the post-COVID19 era. As states take control and as individuals accept the suspension of civil liberties for the sake of public health and national security, the webinar aims to address:
- What must states do to ensure that civic space is protected during this crisis, and in the long-term?
- How can we best adapt to the rapidly changing technologies and norms around us?
- What opportunities are there for civil society and human rights defenders who must now navigate a setting with increased restrictions, and often, increased state powers?
The webinar will bring together perspectives from civil society and human rights defenders from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and from the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy to discuss the long-term impact of current government measures in response to the pandemic, and what these mean for human rights and civic space in the near future.
This webinar is the fifth in a six-part webinar series on the Status of Human Rights in the time of COVID-19 Pandemic in Southeast Asia.
