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Washington College of Law Hosts International Law, Human Rights Experts


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International Law, Human Rights Experts from Oxfam, Amnesty Int’l, Hoover Institution, Brookings Institute, More to Discuss UN Resolution on Responsibility to Protect in Context of Ongoing Crisis in Sudan, Sept. 29

Contact: Kathy Thompson, AU WCL Public Relations, 202-274-4279; Cell Phone: 703-855-5556

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 26, 2006) – One week after American University’s Board of Trustees resolved to divest from Sudan as a result of egregious and ongoing human rights violations there, American University’s Washington College of Law will host a prestigious group of international and human rights experts to discuss the ongoing genocide in Sudan and the UN’s year-old resolution that the international community must step in when governments refuse to protect their vulnerable populations. “The Responsibility to Protect: The Case of Sudan,” is sponsored by WCL’s Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, and will feature expert panelists from Congressional Research Service, Oxfam, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Hoover Institution, Brookings Institute and Amnesty International. The event will be held on Friday, Sept. 29, from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., in Room 603 of the Washington College of Law, 4801 Massachusetts Ave., NW.

Last year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution asserting that the international community has a responsibility to act when governments fail to protect their most vulnerable populations. As large-scale humanitarian crises and genocides continue around the world, this conference will assess how the “Responsibility to Protect” is being implemented, using the most relevant and timely case of the ongoing crisis in Sudan.

Agenda:

9:30 a.m. Welcome/Introduction
Claudio Grossman, dean, AU Washington College of Law
Hadar Harris, WCL Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

9:45 a.m. Overall Context of the Situation in Sudan
Ted Dagne, Africa specialist, Congressional Research Service
Sarah Margon, policy advisor for humanitarian response, Oxfam America

10:30 a.m. Phone Update from Darfur
Ahmed Suliman, Esq., Sudan Development Organization (SUDO) (invited)

10:45 a.m. Coffee Break

11 a.m. Conceptual Framework: The Responsibility to Protect
Lee Feinstein, sr. fellow for U.S. foreign policy and int’l law, Council on Foreign Relations
Ken Hurwitz, sr. associate, Int’l Justice Program, Human Rights First

11:45 a.m. Lunch Buffet

12 p.m. Lunchtime Panel: Critiques of the Responsibility to Protect
Nicole Deller, program advisor, World Federalist Movement
Tod Lindberg, fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Ken Hurwitz, sr. associate, Int’l Justice Program, Human Rights First
Lee Feinstein, sr. fellow for U.S. foreign policy and int’l law, Council on Foreign Relations

1:30 p.m. How to Protect: Observers/Peacekeepers/Mandates
Roberta Cohen, co-director, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Brookings Institute
Ariela Blatter, director of crisis prevention and intervention, Amnesty International USA
Rahim Sabir, former UN human rights monitor, Darfur, Sudan

3 p.m. Coffee Break

3:15 p.m. Peace Prospects and Comprehensive Solutions
Colin Thomas Jensen, advocacy and research officer for Africa, International Crisis Group
Mark Hanis, executive director, Genocide Intervention Network

As part of its commitment to international human rights and the rule of law, WCL established the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in 1990 to work with students, faculty and the international legal community to provide scholarship and support for human rights initiatives around the world. The Center is dedicated to creating opportunities for students, practitioners and activists through training, complementary education, outreach, workshops, conferences, research and publications.

This event is free and open to the press. To arrange to attend the panel or for other media assistance, contact Kathy Thompson, director of Public Relations, 202-274-4279; Cell: 703-855-5556 or E-mail: kthomp@wcl.american.edu.

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