Challenges and the Future of Minority and Indigenous Rights Protection Conference
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This conference will reflect on the rights of indigenous peoples and ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and the need to fundamentally rethink and recommit to their protection.
Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a number of international legal instruments have been established with the objective of protecting the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples.
Notable instruments include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, considered the foundation of many other related treaties and declarations which have followed them.
Relevant treaties and declarations have also been established at the regional and national levels. They incorporate international principles while also taking into account the specific needs of the minority and indigenous populations within the regions for which they are intended to provide protection.
This in-person conference, spanning two and a half days, will provide an opportunity to assess the contributions and challenges that these various instruments and other forms of solutions have brought to bear on minority and indigenous communities, which they are designed to protect and provide redress for. A central aim is to foster inclusive dialogue among academics, practitioners, and members of these various communities, in order to enhance existing conversations in these areas and to explore emerging issues of importance to these communities.
We sincerely hope you find the Conference enriching and enlightening.
Co-chairs: Dr Damian Etone (University of Stirling) and Regina Paulose (CNS)
The Conference Organising Committee
Dr Edit Frenyo (University of Stirling), Dr Linda Mensah (University of Stirling), Dr Judith Oloo (Robert Gordon University), Sagina Vadakal (CNS) and Emilia Vassiliades (University of Stirling)
Register for the Minority and Indigenous Rights Protection Conference.
Conference programme
| Time | Event | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Registration | |
| 09:00 | Keynote | To be announced |
| 09:30 | Session 1: Environment, Climate, Natural Resources and Indigenous Peoples |
Ruona Qi (Duke University) Dr Austin Nwafor (University of West England, Bristol) Nelson Goodnews Ologhadien (University of Dundee), Dr Edzia Carvalho, Dr Petya Dragneva (University of Dundee), Dr Karolina Prażmowska-Marcinowska (University of Silesia)
|
| 10:55 | Coffee break | |
| 11:10 | Session 2: Indigenous People, Minority Groups and Domestic Protections |
Dr Soe Win (SUNY Brockport, the State University of New York), Haley Mason (University of Ottawa), Dr Judith Oloo (Robert Gordon University) |
| 12:35 | Lunch |
Keynote Awring Shaways, Founder and Director KG Lobby Center. Lunch is sponsored by KG Lobby Center. |
| 13:25 | Session 3: Indigenous People: Recognition and Land Rights |
Lia O'Broin (Dublin City University), Dr Aristoteles Constantinides (University of Cyprus), Dr Rahul Desarda (Jindal Global Law School), Dr Thiago Burckhart (University of Rome Unitelma Sapienza) |
| 14:50 | Coffee break |
|
| 15:05 | Session 4: Indigenous Rights, Peace Agreements, and Post-Conflict |
Dr Narissa Kashvi Ramsundar (Canterbury Christ Church University), Dr Piergiuseppe Parisi (University of York) |
| Time | Event | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | Keynote |
To be announced |
| 09:30 | Session 5: Indigenous Rights, and Self-Determination |
Dr Maureen N. Eke (Central Michigan University; CNS) Awring Shaways (KG Lobby Center and CNS) , Dr John Packer and Slava Balan (University of Ottawa), Dr Lilia Arakelyan (East Carolina University), Dr Alessandro Bufalini (University of Tuscia) |
| 10:50 | Coffee break |
|
| 11:05 | Session 6: Minority and Indigenous Rights: Language, Identity and Cultural Heritage |
Nerys Palmer (Norwegian Centre for Human Rights) Dr Erika De Vivo (UiT the Arctic University Norway) Iva Divkovic (Independent), Dr Deniz Arbet Nejbir (Mesopotamia Observatory of Justice) |
| 12:25 | Lunch |
|
| 13:10 | Session 7: Minority and Indigenous Rights: International Tribunals, Norms and Interpretations | Dr Elisa Ruozzi (University of Turin) Dr Colin Luoma (Brunel University) Dr Andras L. Pap (Eötvös University) |
| 14:30 | Coffee break | |
| 14:45 | Session 8: Minority and Indigenous Rights in the Modern Technological Era |
Dr Roberta Medda-Windischer and Dr Katharina Crepaz (Eurac Research - Institute for Minority Rights), Sahil Asiwal (University of Delhi), Theshaya Naidoo (University of KwaZulu Natal) |
| 16:05 - 16:30 | Closing Round Table and Q&A |
|
| Time | Event | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 to 11:00 | Special Session: Land Rights Panel/Workshop |
Co-hosted by the Congress of Nations and States Y Bhim Nie, CNS Convening Council (Rhade, Vietnam) Somaya Selim, Deputy Director Secretariat CNS (Egypt) Jebra Ram Muchahary, CNS Convening Council (Bodo, India) Land rights, not commonly associated with human rights, plays a catalytic role in economic growth, social development, and poverty alleviation. Land rights are connected to substantial issues with large stakes such as food systems, inequality, conflict, and the climate crisis. For different communities around the world, the United Nations has recognized that there is significance to lands and territories that “goes far beyond their simple monetary or productive value.” In this session, participants will be introduced to the connections between land rights and human rights. The panel will feature speakers from different communities from around the world who will briefly discuss the challenges their communities face with regards to land rights and what they have done to alleviate the impact from these challenges. |
Sponsor this conference
If you are interested in sponsoring this conference or have any other questions, please contact: cnsgathers@cnsintl.net.
Contact us
Contact us at MIRP2025@stir.ac.uk.
More information on Congress of Nations and States.
