PRE FMDH23 FORUMS
What are the FMDH23 Pre-Forums?
The Pre-Forums are instances that are held prior to the World Forum on Human Rights 2023, to be implemented in several regions of the country and at the international level, in order to promote its federalization. The purpose of the Pre-Forums is to allow the participation of different regions of the country and of the world, in a decentralized and proportional basis throughout the Argentine territory, in order to continue democratizing the debates and the drafting of suggestions for action regarding the future.
National universities or any other public institution may provide suitable venues to receive the expected call and host the activities that the provinces consider relevant to carry out within the framework of the Pre-Forum. The conclusions and proposals selected in these previous meetings will culminate in the World Forum on Human Rights.
The Pre-Forum meetings allow the Forum to broaden its scope and are an opportunity for the voices and perspectives of the different regions to be represented on the human rights agendas and issues they consider to be priorities.
Who can participate in the Pre-Forums?
As speakers, participants in the debates and/or attendees to the activities, the Pre-Forums aim to involve national, international or provincial human rights organizations, social movements, civil society organizations, justice systems and national and provincial legislatures and municipal, academic, research and related institutions, and interested individuals. Attendance to the Pre-Forums is unrestricted and free of charge, prior registration to the event.
Upcoming Pre Forums
Argentina
Date
Monday, February 27
City
City of San Juan
Campus
To define
Panelists
Themes
- Environment and sustainable development
- Health and Human Rights
International
Date
March 9, 2023
City
Santiago de Chile
Campus
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chile
Organize
- Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of the Environment of Chile
- Chilean Ministry of Education
- Ministry of Justice and Human Rights of Chile
Themes
- Education and Human Rights
- Environment and Human Rights
- Business and Human Rights
Pre Forums held
Date
Friday August 26
Campus
Legislatura de Tucumán, Muñecas 941
City
San Miguel de Tucumán
Organize
- National Chamber of Representatives
- Government of the Province of Tucumán
- Legislature of Tucumán
THE 1st HUMAN RIGHTS PRE FORUM TOWARDS THE WORLD FORUM ON HUMAN RIGHTS 2023 #FMDH23 WAS HELD IN TUCUMÁN
The International Center for the Promotion of Human Rights – UNESCO (CIPDH-UNESCO) is honored to be the organizer of the III World Forum on Human Rights to be held in March 2023 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
As part of its organization, a series of preliminary instances of debate and participation on human rights have been arranged to serve as a prelude to next year’s major event. These previous instances are called Pre-Forums.
The Pre-Forums bring together human rights leaders, human rights defenders, national human rights organizations, civil society organizations related to the topic and interested individuals. Their goal is to allow a first approach to the central areas of the FMDH23 in order to concretize them.
With the joint participation of CIPDH-UNESCO and the sponsorship of the National Chamber of Representatives, the Government of the Province of Tucumán and the Honorable Legislature of Tucumán, which provided its premises as venue, the 1st Pre-Forum on the Way to the 3rd World Forum on Human Rights was held on August 26 in the city of San Miguel de Tucumán.
With great public participation, the Legislature of Tucumán welcomed the attendees to listen, intervene and debate with the speakers.
Institutional opening
The opening brought together members of the national and provincial political arc. Among the attendees, the following were present: the Secretary of Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Innovation of the National Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Cecilia Nicolini; the National Secretary of Human Rights, Horacio Pietragalla Corti; the President of the Honorable Legislature of Tucumán and Provincial Vice Governor, Sergio Mansilla; the Secretary of Human Rights of the Ministry of Government and Justice of Tucumán, Erika Brunotto; the National Representative for Tucumán, Rossana Chahla.
On behalf of CIPDH-UNESCO were present its Executive Director, Fernanda Gil Lozano; the Executive Secretary of the FMDH23, Pablo Gentili, and the Assistant Executive Secretary and Director of Studies and Research of CIPDH-UNESCO, Rodrigo Gómez Tortosa.
First, the Vice-Governor of Tucumán, Sergio Mansilla, spoke, highlighting the honor that his province had been chosen to host the first Pre-Forum. He also greeted those present on behalf of the Governor, Osvaldo Jaldo. Secondly, Fernanda Gil Lozano, Executive Director of CIPDH-UNESCO, highlighted the privilege of our country having been chosen to host the FMDH23 and stated: “We intend that the FMDH23 builds, rebuilds, strengthens and promotes human rights in every sense”. Horacio Prietragella Corti, National Secretary for Human Rights, stressed the importance of considering human rights as true State policies and as guarantors of equal opportunities.
Presentation of the World Forum
Rodrigo Gómez Tortosa, Assistant Executive Secretary of FMDH23, was in charge of the first panel of speakers. He explained to the attendees the challenges that will be reflected in these first instances and what is to be achieved at next year’s World Forum. Gómez Tortosa pointed out: “We are close to celebrating 40 years of democracy in our country and 40 years of the conquest of Human Rights”.
First panel discussion.
Topic: Climate change, energy transition and sustainable development This topic was developed by Cecilia Nicolini, National Secretary of Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Innovation. She highlighted the work being carried out by the national government in terms of the implementation of environmental public policies and what it represents for the region. She also pointed out that the world is facing a triple crisis related to the consequences of climate change, energy and food, and therefore the support of the States is required for all people to preserve their rights.
Nicolini stressed the importance of a sustainable shift towards renewable energies. At the end of her presentation, she said: “Giving importance to climate change mainly in this World Forum is extremely relevant at a global level”.
Topic: Education and human rights Pablo Gentili presented this topic. As Executive Secretary of the FMDH23 and a specialist in the subject, Gentili spoke about the double paradigm in the approach to how education is perceived, its connection with democratic systems and its leading relationship with the concept of “educational crisis”. He also spoke about the importance of equality as a universal social concept in education, and its understanding from different political positions.
Among his most outstanding phrases, the following stand out: “A discrediting mechanism of educational reason has been created. Education is not only discredited by those in power, but also by education itself (…) In this World Forum on Human Rights, this is what we are trying to change: to think about what human rights we want and must conquer. Education in this context is a human right (…) The criticism of equality operates on the idea that equality should not be for all. Education should be a pillar of human rights and a fundamental right.
Second round table discussion.
Topic: Communication, human trafficking and human rights The round table was led by Ms. Susana Trimarco, president of Fundación María de los Ángeles and mother of trafficking victim Marita Verón. She made a tour of her struggle and the conquests that, over the years from her Foundation, she has obtained and achieved in relation to the expansion of rights of the victims of human trafficking, a crime that today is punishable by law but that in the years of her daughter’s disappearance was not considered as such in our country.
Trimarco highlighted her fight and affirmed: “Today I don’t have my daughter, but I continue to fight for other daughters”. Susana Trimarco was escorted by professionals who assist in issues of justice, psychological health and social integration of victims of trafficking and their children. The speakers were Dr. Carlos Garmendia, Luciana Leiva, Dr. Betina Laguna Mendoza and Laura Ruiz de Huidobro. The team of professionals provided a detailed overview of the implications of justice when sentencing crimes of trafficking in persons, as well as the importance of expediting sentences and allowing, in a timely manner, the effective enforcement of reparation measures that victims deserve for their insertion into society, change of life, job search and health care.
Third round table discussion.
Topic: Health and human rights, implications of the pandemic The topic was developed by the National Representative for Tucumán, Rossana Chahla. Dr. Chahla explained the importance of access to health as a fundamental right of all people. She also pointed out that this right is not completed only with health care or the implementation of a universal health system, but also covers a wide range of issues such as living conditions, sustainable development of societies, access to scientific advances, implementation of new technologies, inclusion of people whatever their identity and choice, and non-discrimination.
Chahla defended that the right to health is a right of full access, that quality is an obligation and that prevention is also part of this right. Among the most outstanding statements of his presentation, the following stand out: “Half of the world’s population does not have a favorable health system today. Inequity and vulnerability are part of this problem. The pandemic challenged us as an underdeveloped country, but assistance was not lacking. Argentina has a universal health system” (…); A health system must have a direct link with scientific research. Technology is fundamental to expand health care because it allows better tools for professionals (…) “We must respect the identity that people decided to be. The State’ guarantors must take into account that each of the human rights must be fulfilled.
Closing
During the day, citizen participation and debates were a source of mutual enrichment from the exchange of questions and answers, experiences and concerns with each specialist. The next Pre-Forum is scheduled to be held in the city of Río Gallegos, province of Santa Cruz, on October 25 and 26. The axes to be developed in this 2nd Pre-Forum will be: (1) Memory, Truth and Justice; (2) Inequality and struggle for social justice; (3) Access to justice and lawfare.
Date
Monday, november 7
Campus
Club Boca Río Gallegos
City
Río Gallegos (Santa Cruz)
Organized by
- Government of the Province of Santa Cruz.
Honorable Chamber of Representatives of the Province of Santa Cruz.
Themes
- Memory, truth and justice.
- Inequality and fight for social justice.
- Access to justice and lawfare.
High national and state authorities of Santa Cruz province led in Rio Gallegos the closing ceremony of the Pre Patagonian Forum, an instance of discussion and drafting of proposals for the III World Forum on Human Rights next year.
Dr. Alicia Kirchner, Governor of Santa Cruz; Horacio Pietragalla, National Secretary of Human Rights, and Fernanda Gil Lozano, Director of the International Center for the Promotion of Human Rights (CIPDH-UNESCO), together with the Minister of Social Development of Santa Cruz, Jorge Ferreyra, and the Secretary of Human Rights of the State, Nadia Astrada, were the authorities who closed this Pre Forum, the second to be held at national level.
It was organized by the International Center for the Promotion of Human Rights CIPDH-UNESCO, the government of Santa Cruz and the House of Representatives of that province. The Patagonian Pre-Forum focused on the following topics: Memory, Truth and Justice; Inequality and the Struggle for Social Justice; and Access to Justice and Lawfare.
During the ceremony that took place at the Club Boca in Río Gallegos, the director of CIPDH-UNESCO acknowledged the support of the government and of the House of Representatives of Santa Cruz for the organization of the event. Gil Lozano also highlighted the support of President Alberto Fernandez and Vice President Cristina Fernandez for the organization of the FMDH23 in Argentina next year. And called for working “more than ever for the defense of human rights, at a time when we unfortunately witness the rise of hate speeches”.
The director of FMDH23’s organizing entity also stated that she expects the massive participation of activists and people in general from all over the world in the event to be held in the city of Buenos Aires in March 2023.
The National Secretary of Human Rights, highlighted the work developed in the country by human rights organizations and the political decision of the governments of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández, so that “Argentina today is currently exporting its experience in human rights to many places in the world”. And he stated that next year’s World Forum will be a great challenge “in which many debates will have to take place to continue strengthening the progress in human rights, and one of those debates will have to be the role of justice in facing hate speeches and violence that are currently spreading”.
The governor of Santa Cruz, in her closing remarks, valued the presence of young people in the debates ” perhaps discussing and reflecting on things they did not live, on the experience of young people who a little more than four decades ago disappeared because they were members of an organization or simply had a political idea”.
Dr. Kirchner said that politics is the tool to transform people’s lives and defended and encouraged participation: “that there are more and more people who do politics and practice memory, because people who lose their memory cannot move forward”. To conclude, she celebrated the holding of the III World Forum on Human Rights 2023 in the country and called to “celebrate 40 years of democracy and to build daily a society with rights, based on Memory, Truth and Justice”.
On the morning of Monday 7, the opening ceremony of the Pre Forum took place, with the presence of the Secretary of Human Rights of Santa Cruz, Nadia Astrada; the Pro-secretary of the provincial House of Representatives, Alejandra Retamozo; the Deputy Executive Secretary of the FMDH23, Rodrigo Gómez Tortosa, and the journalist Esteban Bayer, son of the historian Osvaldo Bayer. Debates in theme commissions took place during the rest of the day, with the presence of civil society organizations, universities and local and national authorities.
The III World Forum on Human Rights (FMDH23) is the world’ s largest meeting of human rights activists, and will be held from March 20 to 24, 2023 at the Espacio Memoria y Derechos Humanos (former ESMA), in the city of Buenos Aires, with the participation of social movements, human rights organizations, academic institutions and prominent personalities from politics, science and culture from all over the world.
The Pre-Forums are instances of dialogue, sharing and presentation of suggestions that precede the FMDH23, to be held in several regions of the country and at international level, with the aim of opening the participation of civil society organizations in face of the 2023 World Forum. The first was held in San Miguel de Tucumán on August 26, and the next will be held in Neuquén on November 11.
Date
Friday November 11
Campus
Honorable Legislature of the Province of Neuquén
City
Neuquén
Organization
– Government of the Province of Neuquén
– Honorable Legislature of the Province of Neuquén
Themes
- Human rights of the elderly
- Childhood, teenagers and youth
Date
Tuesday, November 29
Campus
Argentine Theater of La Plata
City
La Plata
Organized by
Ministries of Justice and Human Rights, Environment and Government of the Province of Buenos Aires
Cultural Institute of the Province of Buenos Aires
Themes
- Policies of memory, truth, justice and guarantee of non-repetition.
- Environment and Sustainable Development.
- Security forces and human rights. Institutional violence.
- Cultural policies and human rights.
Date
Monday December 12
Tuesday December 13
City
Resistencia
Campus
House of Cultures
Panelists
- Government of the Province of Chaco – Secretariat of Human Rights and Gender
- Committee for the Prevention of Torture
- Provincial Commission for Memory
- CTA of the Chaco Workers
- Napalpi Foundation
- Casa Patria
- Faculty of Humanities- UNNE
Themes
- Policies of memory, truth, justice and guarantee of non-repetition
- Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and Security Forces and Human Rights
- Original peoples and nations
Date
February 6, 2023
City
La Rioja
Campus
Pedro Ignacio de Castro Barros Cultural Walk
Panelists
- Secretary of Human Rights of La Rioja
- Indigenous Peoples Area of the Community Relations Secretariat.
Themes
- Communication and Human Rights
- Genres and Diversities
- Communities, Indigenous Peoples and Communication
Organized by the Provincial Human Rights Secretariat and the Community Relations Secretariat, on Monday the 6th the La Rioja Pre-Forum was held, a forum for discussion and preparation of proposals to take to the III World Forum on Human Rights in March of 2023.
At the National University of La Rioja, civil society organizations, universities and provincial and national authorities and the general public debated on the axes Communication and Human Rights; Genders and Diversities; Communities, Indigenous Peoples and Communication, and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
At the opening, the following spoke: Dr. Daniel Quiroga, Rector of the National University of La Rioja; María del Carmen Corzo, Vice Chancellor of the same house of studies; Miguel Galeano, Secretary of Relations with the Community of the Province of La Rioja; Delfor “Pocho” Brizuela, Secretary of Human Rights of the same province; Armando Molina, from the General Secretariat of the Government of La Rioja; and Rodrigo Gómez Tortosa, Deputy Executive Director of the FMDH23.
Also present at the table were Luz Santángelo, Secretary of Communication and Planning of Public Policies of the Province of La Rioja; Gabriela Pedrali, national deputy, and Beatriz Martínez, leader of the CTA. Officials from the province of Catamarca also participated in the La Rioja Pre-Forum, including its Provincial Director of Human Rights, Dr. Luis Hernán Velardez Vaca.
In welcoming, the rector of the National University of La Rioja in the first instance thanked the possibility that this house of studies and its educational community could host and be part of the organization of this Pre-Forum. Dr. Quiroga reaffirmed UNLaR’s commitment to inclusive education and respect for rights: “we defend education as a universal human right.” In addition, he announced his support for the candidacy of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Then, the vice rector of UNLaR also highlighted the commitment of the university so that each person trained does so with respect for human rights. And she added that in the search for the paths of peace, the precepts justice and Nunca Más, which the country has gone through in recent decades, acquire great importance.
In turn, Delfor Brizuela, Secretary of Human Rights of La Rioja, defined human rights as “the inalienable ground of the life of our peoples and our democracies.” In addition, he vindicated “our 30,000 disappeared, our Grandmothers, our Mothers and their Children. They have built the identity of this democracy, which is the world’s flagship. Brizuela also warned about the threat that democracy is suffering: “after 40 years we thought it was insured but today it is in danger due to the attacks of anti-democratic powers and that are against popular interests.” In this sense, he especially highlighted the possibility of debating these issues at the FMDH23 that will be held in March in Buenos Aires “to consolidate the democratic vocation.”
Next, Miguel Galeano, Secretary of Relations with the Community of La Rioja, defended the possibility and the right to “debate uncomfortable issues”. Galeano stressed that “on issues of human rights the Constitution is riddled with ink but in La Rioja we talk about the consolidation of human rights based on the facts”, and highlighted the work carried out by the provincial Executive to guarantee access to connectivity of the population throughout the territory, to ensure a fundamental right.
Subsequently, Rodrigo Gómez Tortosa, Deputy Executive Director of the FMDH23, thanked the UNLaR authorities for offering the headquarters, the government of the province of La Rioja for their support, and the human rights organizations present and the large number of people present at the day. “The great participation in this Pre-Forum represents the effort and commitment to human rights in La Rioja and in the rest of the country,” said Gómez Tortosa.
After the projection of a short presentation video of the III World Forum on Human Rights, which will take place in four venues in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, from March 20 to 24, the Deputy Executive Director of the FMDH23 reported that Argentina was chosen to host this event, “the most important global event on human rights, for its highly recognized trajectory at the international level and its commitment to human rights.” And he stressed that an attendance of more than 15 thousand people from different parts of the world is expected.
Gómez Tortosa, who is also a member of the International Center for the Promotion of Human Rights (CIPDH-UNESCO), the organization that leads the executive unit of the FMDH23, also stressed: “40 years after the return of democracy in the country, labor , the militancy and the commitment that our grandmothers, mothers, children have had, and that make Argentina a reference country in terms of memory, truth, justice and guarantee of non-repetition”.
Then, the four discussion tables were developed. In the first “Communication and Human Rights” were Luz Santángelo, Secretary of Communication and Planning of Public Policies of the Province of La Rioja, and Miguel Galeano, Secretary of Relations with the Community of the Province of La Rioja. Moderated by Jorge Castro, General Director of the Province’s Community Relations Secretariat.
Then, at table 2, “Genders and Diversities”, participated Analía Yoma, Undersecretary of Planning and Management of the Secretariat for Women and Diversity of La Rioja, and Miriam Toscano, Coordinator of the Gender Commission of the National University of Rioja. Daniel Quiroga, Rector of the National University of La Rioja, and Roxana Khairallah, UNLAR Extension Secretary, moderated.
At the third table, “Communities, Indigenous Peoples and Communication”, presentations were made by Sebastián Novomisky, Director of Training and Promotion of the Public Defender’s Office for Audiovisual Communication Services, and Claudio Vívori, from the Media Accompaniment Line of the Ombudsman’s Office, with the moderation by Mariela Tulián, Coordinator of the Area of Indigenous Peoples of the Secretariat of Relations with the Community of the Province of La Rioja.
Delfor “Pocho” Brizuela, Secretary of Human Rights of La Rioja; Facundo Gaitan Scheidegger, General Director of Citizen Participation; Dr. Daniel Quiroga, Rector of the National University of La Rioja, and Rogelio De Leonardi, General Secretary of AMP, General Secretary of Human Rights of CTERA and president of the La Rioja branch of the Argentine League for Human Rights. Beatríz Martínez, from the Central de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras de Argentina (CTA), moderated.
Closing the day there was an artistic closure of dance and poetry, by artists from La Rioja and with the participation of HIJOS La Rioja.
The Pre-Forums are instances of dialogue, exchange and presentation of proposals that precede the FMDH23, to be developed in various regions of the country and internationally, with the aim of opening participation to civil society organizations for the 2023 World Forum. .
The next National Pre Forums will be on Friday, February 10 in Santa Rosa (Mendoza) and on Monday, February 27 in the city of San Juan.
Date
Friday, February 10
City
Santa Rosa Township
Campus
Municipal auditorium
Themes
– Childhood, adolescence and youth
– Education and Human Rights
– Environment and Sustainable Development
– Sexual and reproductive health and Human Rights
With the encouragement of the Municipal Government of Santa Rosa through its Human Rights Coordination, and with the support of the International Center for the Promotion of Human Rights (CIPDH UNESCO), on Friday, February 10, the Santa Rosa Pre-Forum was held, in the province of Mendoza.
The Municipal Auditorium was the stage to debate different thematic axes chosen to propose new agendas together with human rights leaders and the general public, in what was the seventh Pre-Forum in national territory.
Before the opening table, Eugenio Paris, representing the Association of Political Expressions of Mendoza, addressed the large audience present. Paris thanked the invitation to the Pre-Forum, an event that he described as “of fundamental political importance”, and the commitment to human rights of the municipal management. In addition, the Mendoza human rights activist called for “the release of Milagro Sala and the prosecution of the fighters of the provincial assemblies for water.”
Next, the day of the Pre-Forum of Santa Rosa was opened by the hostess and municipal Mayor María Flor Destéfanis; the Deputy Executive Secretary of the III World Forum on Human Rights, Rodrigo Gómez Tortosa; the Executive Secretary of the Federal Human Rights Council of Argentina, Agustín Di Toffino, and the General Coordinator of Human Rights of Santa Rosa, Diego Morales.
In the first instance, Morales highlighted the fact that Santa Rosa is one of the few local governments that organizes a Human Rights Pre-Forum and also the great turnout present for “this great day of debate.” In addition, Morales stressed the municipality’s commitment to “the banner of human rights, which we take charge of as a government administration and as political activists.”
Then, the Executive Secretary of the Federal Human Rights Council conveyed the greetings of the Nation’s Secretary of Human Rights, Horacio Pietragalla Corti, to the Pre-Forum and to the local authorities for their willingness. Di Toffino highlighted the fact that a municipality has taken charge of holding a Pre-Forum. Later, he mentioned the experience of the World Social Forum at the beginning of the century and the realization of the first World Forums on Human Rights in Brazil and Morocco, highlighting the confluence of the social with the political in this type of event. “All rights have been achieved through the struggle of the peoples,” Di Toffino stated, adding that “it is no coincidence that Argentina is the headquarters of this FMDH23,
Next, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the III World Forum on Human Rights thanked the Mayor and the rest of the local authorities for carrying out the Santa Rosa Pre-Forum, and the Executive Secretary of the Federal Human Rights Council for the support for its realization. of the Pre-Forums and the World Human Rights Forum itself to be held from March 20 to 24 in the City of Buenos Aires.
Rodrigo Gómez Tortosa expressed that “the pandemic put on the table the inequalities that we are going through in our region. No less true is that he came to show, once again, that the exit is never individual, but collective.”
Gómez Tortosa, who is also a member of the International Center for the Promotion of Human Rights, stressed that “the construction of a social fabric based on ties of solidarity configures a fundamental strategy and is an effort that challenges all of us, for Of course, with differentiated degrees of responsibility”.
He also referred to democratic governance as “a principle that guarantees the greatest participation, equality, security, and development of all human beings,” and defined it as “a value that must prevail in any government model.”
“Guaranteeing spaces for meaningful participation builds citizenship, reinforces the institutional framework, contributes to transparency and accountability, generating bonds of trust, empowering individuals and groups. All essential aspects on which the purpose of the World Forum on Human Rights lies in its 2023 edition”, expressed the Deputy Executive Secretary of the FMDH23.
To end his words, Gómez Tortosa highlighted the realization of these debates, dialogues and struggles “for the construction of a world with more social justice” and referred to the conquest and defense of human rights: “when we talk about human rights, We talk about fights. And not only of struggles to win rights, but also to defend them. For this reason, we believe that this World Forum is a global construction to defend human rights”.
Then, the municipal Mayor thanked the trust placed in the municipality for the development of the Pre-Forum and reaffirmed her commitment: “Human rights in Santa Rosa are not just an office.” In addition, Destéfanis stated that in her management the promotion and protection of human rights is transversal through public policies and her conviction that “there must always be a State that guarantees rights.”
Subsequently, throughout the day the different tables were developed, with the chosen themes. In the first, “Children, adolescents and youth”, Viviana Demateis, Coordinator of Children, Adolescents and Family of the Municipality of Santa Rosa, and Valentina Morán, Provincial Deputy, participated with the moderation of Melisa Ibañez, Deputy Director of Children, Adolescents and municipal family.
At table 2, “Education and Human Rights”, were Mariana Quiroga, Social Worker, and Pablo Seydell, UNCUYO teacher. At table 3, “Human Rights and sexual and reproductive health”, with the moderation of Roberto Ortiz, Director of Health and Environment, the participation of Emilia Ain, Teacher, ESI trainer, Human Rights and Gender trainer, and Anita Sonsino, Graduate in Social Work.
Finally, at table 4, “Environment and Sustainable Development”, Bruno Ceschin, provincial deputy, and Veronica Valverde, provincial deputy, presented with the moderation of Patricia Salomón, Environment Coordinator of the Municipality of Santa Rosa.
The III World Forum on Human Rights (FMDH23) is the largest meeting of human rights activists in the world, and will take place from March 20 to 24, 2023 in the City of Buenos Aires, with the participation of social movements, organizations of human rights, academic institutions and prominent personalities from politics, science and culture from all over the planet.
The Pre-Forums are instances of dialogue, exchange and presentation of proposals that precede the FMDH23, to be developed in various regions of the country and at an international level, with the aim of opening participation to civil society organizations for the III World Forum on Human rights. The next Pre Forum will be Cuyano and will take place on February 27 in the province of San Juan.
Date
February 17 and 18, 2023
City
Rabat
Web
rabatpreforumintldh.cndh.ma
Panelists
- International Center for the Promotion of Human Rights CIPDH-UNESCO
- Moroccan National Human Rights Council (CNDH)
Themes
- Transitional justice
- Memory
- Migrations
- Climate change
With an attendance of more than 500 people, most of them human rights activists from 50 countries, on February 17 and 18, 2023, the Moroccan Human Rights Pre-Forum was held in Rabat.
Organized by the National Human Rights Council of Morocco (CNDH) and the International Center for the Promotion of Human Rights (CIPDH-UNESCO), this first international Pre-Forum, ahead of the III World Forum on Human Rights (FMDH23) to be will take place in Argentina from March 20 to 24 of this year, was marked by the participation of officials, human rights defenders, parliamentarians, representatives of civil society and intellectuals from a large number of countries, in addition to the treaty bodies of the African Union and the United Nations.
A delegation of representatives from Argentina was present, made up of Fernanda Gil Lozano, Executive Director of CIPDH-UNESCO; the Deputy Executive Secretary of the FMDH23, Rodrigo Gómez Tortosa; the member of the Directorate of Human Rights Organizations in the Memory and Human Rights Space (exEsma), Fátima Cabrera; and the Executive Director of the Mercosur Institute for Public Policies on Human Rights, Remo Carlotto.
During the two working days, the challenges and opportunities related to the thematic axes Transitional Justice and Memory, Migration and Climate Change were addressed.
As stated in the final document, “the participants valued the actions and efforts of human rights defenders, organizations and institutions that contributed to enriching the debates and establishing a constructive, open and plural dialogue. In this sense, they reaffirmed that dialogue and the exchange of experiences have been and continue to be a fundamental anchor in the promotion of human rights”.
In addition, they “examined in depth many factors related to the challenges posed by three intertwined themes: migration, climate change and transitional justice/memory”, and finally “reiterated the relevance and importance of the World Forum on Human Rights as a fundamental space for dialogue , debate and trust building, since it provides spaces for full, equal and meaningful participation for the various actors”.
On the morning of Friday the 17th, the inaugural session took place, with the presence of Amina Bouayach, President of the National Human Rights Commission of Morocco; Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates; Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Fernanda Gil Lozano, Executive Director of CIPDH-UNESCO; and the participation in virtual format of Santiago Cafiero, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina.
Gil Lozano highlighted that “the presence of such high-ranking personalities in the world related to the matter demonstrates that the realization of the World Forum is the goal that we must achieve in order to broaden our horizons in terms of promoting rights humans”.
The director of the CIPDH-UNESCO expressed her satisfaction with the fact that “in today’s world, most countries are making more and more efforts to defend human rights by recognizing them in their legal system and that those that have not yet been able to do so are introducing changes to provide guarantees for citizens to exercise their rights”.
But also, Gil Lozano warned: “however, today, after so many events suffered in recent times, the guarantee of the defense of human rights tends to become a matter of global concern. Thus, decision-makers are increasingly oriented towards becoming aware of the need to respect the particularities of each community. A need that has a double purpose: understanding human rights as a foundation for the development of individuals and nations and recognizing them to address and fill the gaps of citizens with a tolerant look to guarantee their well-being.
The Director of the organization that is the executing unit of the FMDH23 also expressed that “the problems raised regarding the defense of human rights must be explained in a universal language that aims to respect divergences and moderate suffering so that communities live fully. Our responsibility will always be to defend these rights, guarantee their respect and protection while recognizing their interdependence and interconnectedness. In this line, it seems appropriate to relate climate change to migrations and memory with transitional justice”, referring to the thematic axes raised in the Pre-Forum of Morocco.
Finally, Gil Lozano thanked the realization of this Pre-Forum “being sure that only through the collective effort of governments, civil society and people will we achieve a world in which human rights are respected, maintaining our commitment to this cause without abandoning the fight for dignity and freedom”.
This was followed by the Plenary Session: New Advances and Challenges, moderated by Soyata Maiga, Lawyer, Former President of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. On Climate Change, there were Malcolm Dalesa, Climate Attaché, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Vanuatu to the United Nations in New York; Charafat Afilal, Former Delegate Minister in the Ministry of Energy, Mining, Water and Environment, in charge of Water, Morocco; and Michaela Ujházyová, Head of Research, Slovak National Center for Human Rights. In the Transitional Justice and Memory axis, the participants were Abdelhay Moudden, political scientist, university professor in Morocco and the United States, former member of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission; Remo Carlotto, Executive Director of the MERCOSUR Institute for Public Policies on Human Rights (IPPDH), and Saadi Mohamed, University Professor, Morocco. And from the Migration and human mobility axis, Mankeur Ndiaye, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad; Ugochi Florence Daniels, IOM Deputy Director General, and Sadikh Niass, Secretary General of the African Rally for the Defense of Human Rights.
Then, in the Thematic Session Climate Change and Human Rights, moderated by Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on the protection of defenders of the environment, and with the rapporteurs of Ayman Okeil, President, Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights, and Fatin Tawfig, Associate Program Officer, UNFCCC, presentations were made by: David R. Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations related to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable; Damilola Olawuyi, Vice President of the UN Working Group on the issue of Human Rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises; Muhammad Lawal Sulaiman, President of the Permanent Independent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; Cristopher Ballinas Valdés, General Director of Human Rights and Democracy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico; Houria Tazi Sadeq, President of the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra Regional Human Rights Commission, Governor at the World Water Council; Peter Splinter, Senior Consultant on Human Rights and Climate Change, Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions; Chongsi Ayeah Joseph, Vice President of the ECOSOCC General Assembly, AU; Ahmed Adham Abdulla, Vice President of the Maldives Human Rights Commission; and Hannah Forster, Executive Director, African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies. General Director of Human Rights and Democracy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico; Houria Tazi Sadeq, President of the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra Regional Human Rights Commission, Governor at the World Water Council; Peter Splinter, Senior Consultant on Human Rights and Climate Change, Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions; Chongsi Ayeah Joseph, Vice President of the ECOSOCC General Assembly, AU; Ahmed Adham Abdulla, Vice President of the Maldives Human Rights Commission; and Hannah Forster, Executive Director, African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies. General Director of Human Rights and Democracy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico; Houria Tazi Sadeq, President of the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra Regional Human Rights Commission, Governor at the World Water Council; Peter Splinter, Senior Consultant on Human Rights and Climate Change, Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions; Chongsi Ayeah Joseph, Vice President of the ECOSOCC General Assembly, AU; Ahmed Adham Abdulla, Vice President of the Maldives Human Rights Commission; and Hannah Forster, Executive Director, African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies. Peter Splinter, Senior Consultant on Human Rights and Climate Change, Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions; Chongsi Ayeah Joseph, Vice President of the ECOSOCC General Assembly, AU; Ahmed Adham Abdulla, Vice President of the Maldives Human Rights Commission; and Hannah Forster, Executive Director, African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies. Peter Splinter, Senior Consultant on Human Rights and Climate Change, Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions; Chongsi Ayeah Joseph, Vice President of the ECOSOCC General Assembly, AU; Ahmed Adham Abdulla, Vice President of the Maldives Human Rights Commission; and Hannah Forster, Executive Director, African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies.
In the Transitional Justice and Memory Thematic Session, presentations were made by Abderrazzak Rouwane, Member of the UN Committee against Torture; and Marie Louise Mukashema, Esq., Rwanda Bar Association; and they carried out their presentations Aua Baldé, President of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; Fabián Salvioli, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition; Habib Belkouch, President of the Center for the Study of Human Rights and Democracy, Morocco; Diego Blázquez Martín, General Director of Democratic Memory, Ministry of the Presidency, Relations with the Courts and Democratic Memory, Spain; María Florencia Segura, Plenipotentiary Minister, Human Rights Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Labor of Argentina; María Fernanda García Iribarren, Director of the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, Chile; Fatima Chohan, Vice President of the South African Human Rights Commission; Joseph Whittal, Commissioner of the Ghana Human Rights and Administrative Justice Commission; and Ephraim Isaac, Director of the Institute of Semitic Studies at Princeton University (USA); moderated by Hanny Megally, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow of the Center for International Cooperation at New York University. Commissioner of the Ghana Human Rights and Administrative Justice Commission; and Ephraim Isaac, Director of the Institute of Semitic Studies at Princeton University (USA); moderated by Hanny Megally, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow of the Center for International Cooperation at New York University. Commissioner of the Ghana Human Rights and Administrative Justice Commission; and Ephraim Isaac, Director of the Institute of Semitic Studies at Princeton University (USA); moderated by Hanny Megally, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow of the Center for International Cooperation at New York University.
At the close of the activity on the first day, in the Thematic Session: Migration and Human Mobility, moderated by Rodrigo Gómez Tortosa, Director of Research and Studies of the CIPDH-UNESCO and Deputy Executive Secretary of the III World Forum on Human Rights, the presentations by Edgar Corzo Sosa, President of the UN Committee on Migrant Workers; Mohamed Amarti, University Professor, member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Iván Martín, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona (Spain), Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South (Morocco); François Reybet-Degat, Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Morocco; Franck Iyanga, Secretary General of the Democratic Labor Organization (ODT) – Migrants; Priscilla Mbanga, NHRI from Zimbabwe, Member of the NANHRI Migration Working Group; and Mounir El Fassi, Director of Human Rights, League of Arab States; in addition to the presentations by Mohammed Charef, University Professor, Member of the United Nations Committee on Migrant Workers; and Mélanie Sonhaye Kombate, Regional Secretary of the West African Network of Human Rights Defenders.
On Saturday the 18th, the Information Session was held, moderated by Lahbib Kamal, from the Moroccan Coalition for Climate Justice, in which he presented the preliminary conclusions of both the plenary session and the thematic sessions. In addition, Mazen Darwish, Secretary General of the International Federation for Human Rights, presented the final document of the Pre-Forum .
Finally, in the closing session, moderated by Idrissa Sow, Chair of the Working Group on the Death Penalty, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights of the AU, Haifa Abu Ghazala, Head of the Social Affairs Sector of the League of Arab States; Arantxa Ríos Echeverría, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, in charge of organizing the Pre-World Forum on Human Rights in Chile; Mabassa Fall, Executive Committee Member, African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, The Gambia; Fátima Cabrera, Representative of Human Rights organizations at the CIPDH-UNESCO; and Mounir Bensalah, Secretary General of the Moroccan National Human Rights Council.
The Pre Forums are instances that precede the World Forum on Human Rights 2023, which take place in various regions of Argentina, in order to promote its federalization, and also at the international level.
At the moment, seven have already been completed in Argentine territory and one in Morocco. The next ones will be in the province of San Juan, Argentina, on February 27, and the Pre-Foro Chile, on March 9, in the capital of that country.
The objective of the Pre-Forums is to allow participation from different parts of the country and the world, in a decentralized way to continue democratizing the debates and the elaboration of action proposals for the future.
