CONFERENCES & SIDE SESSIONS

October 6, 2023. Side session, Human Rights Council: HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

Peoples pursuing their right of self-determination in the United Nations Decolonization process or through Security Council resolutions struggle for freedom against oppression and racist apartheid regimes. Complicit State ‘democracies’ stigmatize human rights defenders as terrorists, enemies of the state or traitors, cloaking State responsibility by claims of “national security” or denying responsibility by claiming non-interference within the domestic sphere of a State. The Convention Against Torture (CAT) and the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) can recommend to address violations. How effective are UN mechanisms that serve to protect peoples under the Secretary Generals’ reports on reprisals, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights
Defenders, the President of the Human Rights Council implement protection of reprisals? Can the OHCHR be mandated to request Special Procedures to assist peoples pursuing United Nations’ protection for human rights defenders, including in its reports?.more 

September 13, 2023. Side session, UNGA: “Africa’s Sixth Region: Building Educational, Financial, and Development Partnerships to Promote 2030 SDGs & AU Agenda 2063

Hosting institutions: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) South Africa Country Office, UNDP- Africa Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP Bureau for Africa, Office of HBCU Development and International Cooperation (OHBCUD, Inc), Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the Department of Higher Education and Training

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March 3, 2023. Side session, Human Rights Council: SELF-DETERMINATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS

The evolution of the right of self-determination led to the creation of the mandate system in the Treaty of Versailles that created the League of Nations. The decolonization that took place after World War II and the creation of the United Nations trusteeship system further developed the right of self-determination. Instruments of international human rights law and international humanitarian law further elaborated the right as did regional human rights instruments. The United Nations has also elaborated the right in several General Assembly resolutions, including the Declaration of Friendly Relations and the Declaration on the Right to Development. We explore how United Nations Security Council resolutions and Human Rights Council resolution 48/7 on the negative impact of the legacies of colonialism, might be utilized to address the right to self-determination of peoples. more

Oct 5, 2022. Side session: Self-determination at the Human Rights Council

The root of addressing colonialism, decolonization and the rise the legacies of colonialism to address the right of self-determination at the Human Rights Council is based on the oppression of peoples, the drive to protect against exploitation of territory and resources. From the Charter of the United Nations to General Assembly resolution 60/251 to resolution 5/1 creating the Human Rights Council, the right of self-determination is preserved. More

Sept 26-27, 2022. A 2-day HBCUs/UNDP Africa/African Union Summit. was held at the African Union Mission to the UN , during the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). View video

Diaspora for Development Leveraging Africa’s Sixth Region to Realize the Continent’s Promise.

September 29, 2021 UNDP Africa-OHBCUD Summit 76th Session UN General Assembly (UNGA)
This 3rd annual international summit was focused on Leveraging African Resources to Finance Sustainable Post-COVID Recovery. Key officials from both UNDP Africa, the African Union and the HBCU community provided comments. Closing remarks were also provided by Dr. Farid I. Muhammad (video recording – HBCU event record – YouTube )

September 28, 2021 Agriculture as a Driver of Africa’s & African Diaspora Development (Howard University & Brookings Institute)
Conference focused on Food Security, Economic Transformation, Human Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – (video recording) Panel of international experts with closing comments made by Farid as CEO of IHRAAM and Chairman OHBCUD.

July 17, 2021 HBCU-UNDP Africa International Virtual Assembly
This conference was designed to showcase Summer 2021 International Distance Learning Courses on African Descendant Economic Transformation, Human Rights & Self-Determination. (Click here to view the recording).

IHRAAM cosponsors “AFRICA THE GLOBAL AFRICAN DIASPORA: INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT OF COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES, & MINISTERS OF EDUCATION” September 23-24, 2019 at the margins of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly, with the UNDP Headquarters Regional Bureau for Africa, and the Core Planning Group–Office of HBCU Development and International Cooperation, Inc. Sept. 23, 2019, UN General Assembly-NY: Summit Agenda Sept. 24, 2019, Side-event: Agenda At this historic event, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the UN Development Program (UNDP) and cosponsor Core Planning Group (CPG), “to provide a framework of cooperation and facilitate and strengthen collaboration between the Parties, on a non-exclusive basis, in areas of common interest.”

IHRAAM Co-sponsors “KASHMIR: CHAMPIONS OF PEACE” at the European Parliament (EP) Brussels, July 12, 2019: in association with Organisation of Kashmir Coalition(OKC), with guest of Honour, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Chairman Pakistan Senate Foreign Relations Committee. More

Barrister Majid Tramboo, Conference on the Report of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Situation of Human Rights in Kashmir Held at the Palais des Nations, concurrent with the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

FROM CIVIL RIGHTS TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND SELF-DETERMINATION?

East-West University, Chicago, April, 2012.

 

IHRAAM sought to introduce African Americans to the full range of their human rights protection under international law. It intends to open these politico-legal options up for discussion with a view to weighing their possible utility in addressing the historical and ongoing needs and grievances of African Americans in the United States. Prominent African American and international legal scholars of stature as well as primary actors from the African American community who are actively engaged with African American organizations and institutions.

SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE RIGHT OF SELF-DETERMINATION,  THE UNITED NATIONS AND CIVIL SOCIETY, August 4-6, Geneva, 2004.

First International Conference ON THE PURSUIT OF THE RIGHT OF SELF-DETERMINATION AND THE UNITED NATIONS, August, Geneva, 2000.

SEMINARS & SIDE EVENTS

SELF-DETERMINATION, CONFLICT & THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS

Parallel event to the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, October 2, 2020

SIEGE CONTINUES IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR Side Event, 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Geneva, February 26, 2020.

42nd Session of UN Human Rights Council: HRAAM Co-sponsors “KASHMIR UNDER SIEGE” event September 12, 2019: Palais des Nations titled “Kashmir Under Siege”, at which Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Quereshi, Foreign Minister of Pakistan, was the guest speaker. More

41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council: Parallel IHRAAM and cosponsors sIde event The distinguished panellists discussed the Kashmiris aspiration to have their fundamental human rights for peace and security achieved through extending their inalienable right to self-determination.

Sidesession, United Nations Human Rights Council, September 22, 2018 UN Urged to Place Peoples’ Right to Self- Determination on the Agenda

UN 38th Human Rights Council : Side session, “Human Rights Globally, Promotion and protection of Human Rights are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Charter of the United Nations including peoples right to Self-Determination”

Side-event, UN, Geneva, Self-Determination in Conflict Zones, March 15, 2017

Side Session to US Universal Periodic Review by Human Rights Council

Held at the UN Palais des Nations on May 7th, 2015, titled EMPOWERING BLACK COLLEGES: International Law, African American Development and Self-Determination.

IHRAAM Seminar INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS & EMPOWERING HBCUS was held at Clark Atlanta Unviersity on July 11, 2014.

Seminar, Human Rights and Peaceful Protest at the United Nations (Palais des Nations, September 13, 2011)