Re: [hr-wsis] Proposal - Speakers list for the summit

[Rik Panganiban <rikp@earthlink.net>]

FYI: Bruna Faidutti was accepted as a plenary speaker.

Rik Panganiban


On Oct 5, 2005, at 1:29 PM, Meryem Marzouki wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> Those of you who are subscribers to the CS plenary list may have  
> noted that the proposed list of speakers for the summit is  
> currently under hot discussion: not only the nomination process is  
> at stake (specially since CS hasn't had enough time to propose  
> speakers, see a very interesting note from Robert Guerra on this  
> issue), but the result isn't really agreed by all, to say the  
> least. I share these many concerns.
>
> One speaker has been proposed by the caucus (Bruna Faidutti, from  
> the Geneva office of the WFUNA, proposed by Jane and Ginger), and  
> her name hasn't been selected.
> Another speaker (myself) has also been proposed by the caucus, but  
> apparently too late to be taken into account in the list of  
> proposed speakers.
> I would like to thank Rikke, who proposed my name, and all of you  
> who supported this proposal. However, I have no intention to speak  
> at the summit (not to mention the fact that I would never be  
> selected, being confident that there would be many objections,  
> specially from the Tunisian side, as well as from some CSB members  
> side (as attacks directed towards the caucus have shown during  
> prepcom1 - Hammamet - prepcom2 and prepcom3. Rikke and myself have  
> personnaly been the targets of such unacceptable attacks).
>
> I have another idea, that I would like to share with you, so that  
> it could become an HR caucus proposal if no objections are risen  
> (otherwise, it would be a proposal from some members of our  
> caucus). Some of us are trying to check with Shirin Ebadi, a woman,  
> Iranian, human rights defender, 2003 peace Nobel prize winner, if  
> she would be available for the summit. We would hopefully hear from  
> her tomorrow. Some of you may remember that Shirin has been an  
> option considered for the Geneva summit by CS as a whole. But she  
> was unavailable at that time for a very good reason, i.e. she was  
> in Oslo to receive her prize !
> More info at: http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/2003/index.html
>
> Again, provided that she could go to Tunis for the Summit, having  
> Shirin Ebadi speaking (she would be proposed for the opening  
> ceremony, of course) would be the strongest symbol of the  
> importance of human rights in the information society.
>
> FYI, current selection for the opening ceremony is: Adama  
> Samassekou (this raised many concerns w.r.t. CS proposing the  
> president of phase 1 process, i.e. governement representative. this  
> selection is indeed quite surprising, leaving aside Adama's many  
> qualities) and... Renata Bloem (CONGO), which also appears quite a  
> strange choice.
>
> Please let us know on this list if there are any objections to  
> Shirin Ebadi proposal. In the mean time, we're trying to get her  
> answer on her availability.
>
> Best,
> Meryem
>
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