wyvern:extra
Far-reaching human rights conferences
Human rights experts from the University have returned to
Essex following a hectic month of organising globally-significant
conferences.
A two-day event, hosted by Chatham House in September, addressed the
questions: What is the impact of foreign direct investment on sustainable
development and human rights? What in particular is the impact of one of
the more popular techniques for financing in high risk situations?
This lively debate brought together leading NGOs, major public and
private sector lenders, multinational corporations, and lawyers.
It was organized by members of the Essex Human Rights Centre, the
Departments of Law and Accounting, Finance and Management, and the
Institute of International Environment and Development, and was sponsored
by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the British Academy,
and Barclays Bank.
It had a global reach, drawing participants from the EU, Argentina,
Ghana, South Africa, and Georgia. A report on the meeting will form part
of the larger ESRC research project that the team, led by Essex’s
Professor Sheldon Leader, is carrying out in this area.
Essex’s human rights team also participated in a demanding but
successful conference in Brasilia, which involved Essex graduates from all
ten countries involved.
Co-organised by the HRC, the British Council, and the Brazilian Federal
Justice and Foreign Affairs ministries, it brought together some 200
judges and others involved in the administration of justice from Latin
America, India, South Africa and the UK.
It is hoped there will be further phases of this initiative linking
judiciaries.
For a webcast of the Inter-regional Conference on Protecting Rights and
Delivering Justice, see:
www.britishcouncil.org.br/human_rights/home.asp
The opening ceremony of the conference at the Palacio Do Itamaraty
in Brasilia
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