Come learn about the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and how it can aid in your advocacy efforts and put pressure on the US government to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
We invite tribal members in preparation for the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Second Universal Periodic Review of the United States.
Friday, June 20, 2014
1:00pm-5:00pm
Harvard University Native American Program
14 Story Street, 4th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138
The UPR is a process conducted at the United Nations in Geneva that reviews each UN member state’s record with regard to its human rights obligations and commitments. The United States’ record is scheduled to be reviewed in 2015. Civil society is encouraged to submit 5 page stakeholder reports outlining the issues affecting their communities in regards to international human rights standards.
“The ultimate aspiration of the Universal Periodic Review is the improvement of human rights in every country with significant consequences for people around the globe. If Indigenous Peoples participate in each phase, there will be a rigorous review and the results will be substantive. It can become a regular measure of how states are implementing the rights enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and it can be the catalyst for the conversation with a country’s leadership to ensure the Declaration is beyond paper, building better lives for Indigenous Peoples.” —Joshua Cooper is a professor at the University of Hawai’i, West Oahu, Kapolei and director of the Hawai’i Institute for Human Rights.
Joshua Cooper, a professor at the University of Hawai’i, West Oahu, Kapolei and director of the Hawai’i Institute for Human Rights will lead the training and guide tribal members in preparing the 5 page stakeholder reports for submission to the Human Rights Council.
Please RSVP to Agnes Portalewska by June 19, 2014 at agnes@cs.org. Space is limited.
· For additional information on the UN’s Universal Periodic Review Process, please visit:
- http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/universal-periodic-review-potent-process-realization-human
- http://www.state.gov/j/drl/upr/process/index.htm
- http://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/upr/pages/uprmain.aspx
- humanrights.gov
· For additional information about the U.S. government's first Universal Periodic Review, please visit this website: http://www.state.gov/j/drl/upr/.
We hope to see you.
This event is being organized by:
Hawai’i Institute for Human Rights, dedicated to promoting human rights principles and a culture of peace through education and advocacy. HIHR advocates the use of public law instruments in implementing civil, political, economic, social, cultural, collective and ecological rights. HIHR strives for social justice in the development of a sustainable society in Hawai'i . http://www.human-rights-hawaii.org/
Cultural Survival, a global leader in the fight to protect Indigenous lands, languages, and cultures around the world. In partnership with Indigenous Peoples, Cultural Survival advocates for Indigenous communities whose rights, cultures, and dignity are under threat. For more information go to www.cs.org
Co-sponsored by:
US Human Rights Network
http://www.ushrnetwork.org/
Harvard University Native American Program
http://hunap.harvard.edu/
Suffolk University Law School’s Indigenous Peoples Rights Clinic
http://www.suffolk.edu/law/academics/clinics/21857.php
Institute for New England Native American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston
https://www.umb.edu/inenas
