To register for the upcoming session, visit http://uprconsultationsf.eventbrite.com/.
United States Government To Conduct Consultations or “Listening Sessions” on US International Human Rights Obligations
Mclaren Conference Center, University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
Friday, March 26, 2010, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
And
Berkeley Consultation
Venue TBA, Thursday, March 25, 2010, 9:00 AM to 12:00PM
The United Nations Human Rights Council will examine the United States’ compliance with its legally-binding obligations under its signed and ratified Human Rights treaties as well as the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The process of this examination is called, “Universal Periodic Review” or “UPR”, in which the human rights compliance of every UN member state is reviewed every four years. This November will be the United States’ first review since the process’ creation.
As part of the UPR process, the U.S. government is required to conduct consultations with stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations, civil society and those facing rights violations, to provide input regarding human rights in the United States. The government selected several cities in the US, including San Francisco and Berkeley, in which to conduct listening sessions or consultations.
The Bay Area consultations will be held on March 25-26th, 2010.
On Friday, March 26, 2010 from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, the Mclaren Conference Center at the University of San Francisco will host a discussion on the human rights challenges faced in San Francisco and surrounding communities. Representatives of the U.S. Department of State and other federal agencies will be in attendance to inform their report to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Another half day consultation is scheduled for the Berkeley on the morning of Thursday, March 25, 2010, and will focus on Health, Education, and State Accountability followed by an open comment period.
The meetings will be recorded, and a written report of the meeting will be prepared and posted on the U.S. Department of State’s website. This summary may be used as part of the U.S. government’s submission to the Human Rights Council. Organizations are also welcome to submit a 5-page report directly to the UN before April 19th.
PARTICIPATION
Your input is vital to this process. Accordingly, we have reserved time for public comment and participation on the agenda. To ensure there is time for input from the widest community, comments need to be a maximum of two minutes in length for each topic. Please reference the human rights obligation being violated and provide a recommendation for how the government can improve this situation. We welcome your contribution and encourage you to join us to ensure that the U.S. government representatives attending this meeting receive accurate information on the human rights challenges faced by our communities.
If you are interested in participating, please register on this site. If you know of others who would like to attend, please forward them this invitation and ask them to register as well.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The email you received with this link included a hotel listing for the University of San Francisco area and instructions on travel to the campus.
The Mclaren Center at the University of San Francisco is wheelchair accessible. If you require a disability accommodation such as a Sign Language interpreter or print materials in alternative formats, or have any questions about accommodations, please contact Katelyn Keil. Her telephone number is 510-644-2555 (v/TDD) and her email is kkeil@dredf.org. Please contact Katie by March 12, 2010 if you require an accommodation.
SAN FRANCISCO PROPOSED AGENDA
Schedule:
8:30-9:00 - Registration
9:00-9:30 - Welcome, Introductions, and Overview of UPR Consultation Process
9:30-10:30 - Panel 1 - Race Discrimination
10:30-11:30 - Panel 2 – LGBT human rights issues
11:30-12:30 - Panel 3 - Criminal justice; Death Penalty; Prison Conditions
12:30-1:30 Lunch (on your own)
1:30-2:30 - Panel 4 - Disability Rights
2:30-3:30 - Panel 5 - Environmental Justice
3:30-4:30 - Open discussion on topics not covered above
4:30-5:00 - Closing remarks and Adjournment
Organizations participating in the planning and coordinating of the San Francisco Session include:
Asian Pacific Environmental Network: http://www.apen4ej.org/
Center for Law and Global and Justice: http://www.law.usfca.edu/centers/clgj/index.html
Council for Global Equality: http://www.globalequality.org/
Disability Rights Education Defense Fund: http://www.dredf.org/
Human Rights Advocates: http://www.humanrightsadvocates.org/
International Indian Treaty Council, http://www.treatycouncil.org
Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute: http://mcli.org/
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, http://www.nnirr.org
West County Toxics Coalition: http://westcountytoxicscoalition.org/
Women of Color Resource Center: http://www.coloredgirls.org/
University of San Francisco Law School: http://www.usfca.edu/law/
US Human Rights Network: http://www.ushrnetwork.org/campaign_upr
BERKELEY PROPOSED AGENDA
Thursday, March 25th, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Schedule:
Registration/Breakfast
Opening Remarks
Panel 1 - Health
Panel 2 - Education
Panel 3 - State Accountability
Open Comment Period
Closing Remarks
Organizations participating in the Berkeley Session
US Human Rights Network: http://www.ushrnetwork.org
University of San Francisco School of Law: http://www.usfca.edu/law/
Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) for Human Rights: http://wildforhumanrights.org/
UPR INFORMATION
For more information on the Universal Periodic Review process itself, please visit the following websites:
United Nations UPR: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRbodies/UPR/Pages/UPRSessions.aspx
US Department of State UP: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/upr/
US Human Rights Network UPR web site: http://www.ushrnetwork.org/campaign_upr
IITC Web Page: www.treatycouncil.org/home.htm [click right column “Human Rights ‘Listening’ Sessions…” and, “New IITC Fact Sheet…”.
Human Rights Project at the Urban Justice Center “UPR toolkit”: http://www.hrpujc.org/documents/UPRtoolkit.pdf
Participating organizations are also planning a training on the UPR process itself and related topics, tentatively scheduled for March 24, venue and times TBA.
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