WSF Event: Asian Voices Against Racism - for the Protection of the Rights of Minorities in Asia

IMADR and the South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR) cordially invite you to their PEOPLE’S FORUM at the World Social Forum 2007, Nairobi, on:
Asian Voices Against Racism - for the Protection of the Rights of Minorities in Asia

Venue: Access Gate 8 IN - Lower, World Social Forum 2007
Date & Time: 5:30-8:00pm, Monday, 22 January 2007

Chair:
Nimalka Fernando, President, IMADR (Sri Lanka)

Speakers:
Salima Sarwar, ACD (Bangladesh) , Rita Manchanda, SAFHR (India)
Vasudeva Nanayakkara (Sri Lanka), Mr. Bonnie Mendis (Pakistan)

Voices of the affected:
Hon. Mano Ganeshan, Civil Monitoring Committee (Sri Lanka)
Moulawi Karim, IDP Protection Movement (Sri Lanka), Ms. Gita Dass (Bangladesh), and several other representatives from Thailand, Burma and the Philippines and Africa will speak.

Outline and Objectives:
The International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR), an international non-governmental human rights organization based in Japan, will hold a PEOPLE’S FORUM to share the struggles and issues faced by the minorities in the Asia/Africa region.

The event will bring together prominent activists from the field of different countries and regions with different backgrounds and experiences. The PEOPLE’S FORUM aims to share experiences, successes and challenges in a process of fighting day to day racism and discrimination. We will focus on the following:
· Bringing out certain commonalities in the state of the minorities in the South Asian Region, and discussing the problematic of defining minorities.
· Addressing issues of human rights violations, discrimination of minorities by presentation of case studies- India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
· Drawing attention to threats posed to human security by large scale displacement.
· Addressing the violation of Women’s human rights in conflict situations.
· Addressing issues relating to the protection of minorities through self-government and autonomy arrangements.

For further information please contact:
Ms. Nimalka Fernando IMADR Asia Committee (Colombo, Sri Lanka)
Tel : +94 11 5365100 , Fax : +94 11 2682505 E-mail : imadr[at]slt.lk / imadrn[at]sltnet.lk
Nairobi, Kenya : (Between January 20-25, 2007)
HOTEL AFRICA MAISON, Garden Estate, Kasarani.
Phone : +254-20-513329, +254-725-300290

Ms. Yuriko Hara IMADR-IS (Japan)
SIRONA HOTEL (Between January 20-24, 2007)
P.O. Box 30425, 00100 Nairobi GPO Phone: +254-20-675-2686 Fax: +254-20-374-2730

2007.01.16