RECENT PROGRAMS & EVENTS
The Global Refugee Crisis, Part: Rights, Rule of Law, & Rational Remedies (February 24, 2016 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EST)
Sponsored by Section of International Law, International Human Rights Committee; Co-Sponsored by the Section of International Law International Criminal Law Committee, International Refugee Law Committee, International Pro Bono Committee, UN & International Organizations Committee, Middle East Committee, & ABA ROL MENA
Description: The situation is Syria has reached critical mass. An estimated 240,000 Syrian, including 12,000 children, have been killed since the outbreak of civil war in March 2011. Over 1 million have been wounded or permanently disabled. Approximately 12 million Syrians have fled their homes, taking refuge in neighboring countries or within Syria itself. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 4 million have fled to Syria's immediate neighbors Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Another 6.5 million are internally displaced within Syria. More than 400,000 Syrians have risked their lives this year to travel to Europe, but under 150,000 Syrians have declared asylum in the European Union.
The Global Refugee Crisis, Part 2: Rights, Rule of Law, & Rational Remedies goes beyond the intimate Syrian refugee accounts shared during the first teleconference to explore this unprecedented humanitarian crisis from a larger, global context. The teleconference will begin with brief historical overview past refugee crises, including the common causes of displacement and global trends. Our second speaker will past trends to the unprecedented global crisis. Our speakers will discuss the crisis from the perspective of those working on or near the front lines -e.g., aid workers, human rights lawyers and advocates, immigration experts, and ABA entities. These shared perspectives serve a dual purpose: to highlight the numerous obstacles and legal challenges faced by both refugees and the international community. Lastly, our speakers will provide some rational recommendations and highlight some of the successful efforts underway to resolve the underlying conflicts, provide safe passage for refugees fleeing war-torn countries, and ensure the rule of law and basic human rights are observed.
a. Speakers:
The Global Refugee Crisis, Part: Rights, Rule of Law, & Rational Remedies (February 24, 2016 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EST)
Sponsored by Section of International Law, International Human Rights Committee; Co-Sponsored by the Section of International Law International Criminal Law Committee, International Refugee Law Committee, International Pro Bono Committee, UN & International Organizations Committee, Middle East Committee, & ABA ROL MENA
Description: The situation is Syria has reached critical mass. An estimated 240,000 Syrian, including 12,000 children, have been killed since the outbreak of civil war in March 2011. Over 1 million have been wounded or permanently disabled. Approximately 12 million Syrians have fled their homes, taking refuge in neighboring countries or within Syria itself. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 4 million have fled to Syria's immediate neighbors Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Another 6.5 million are internally displaced within Syria. More than 400,000 Syrians have risked their lives this year to travel to Europe, but under 150,000 Syrians have declared asylum in the European Union.
The Global Refugee Crisis, Part 2: Rights, Rule of Law, & Rational Remedies goes beyond the intimate Syrian refugee accounts shared during the first teleconference to explore this unprecedented humanitarian crisis from a larger, global context. The teleconference will begin with brief historical overview past refugee crises, including the common causes of displacement and global trends. Our second speaker will past trends to the unprecedented global crisis. Our speakers will discuss the crisis from the perspective of those working on or near the front lines -e.g., aid workers, human rights lawyers and advocates, immigration experts, and ABA entities. These shared perspectives serve a dual purpose: to highlight the numerous obstacles and legal challenges faced by both refugees and the international community. Lastly, our speakers will provide some rational recommendations and highlight some of the successful efforts underway to resolve the underlying conflicts, provide safe passage for refugees fleeing war-torn countries, and ensure the rule of law and basic human rights are observed.
a. Speakers:
❋ Gigi Nikpour is a Senior Advisor for the International Human Rights Committee and an international human rights advocate. She has over 20 years of combined experience working with nonprofit organizations in both the legal and medical fields at various capacities. Gigi has been at the forefront of human rights reporting and a champion for Iranian human rights victims and advocates. As a refugee and asylum activist, Gigi is an advocate for Iranian LGBTs, Kurds, Bahais, Jews, and political prisoners who apply for asylum with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).Shas a degree in Information Systems and Design from Carnegie Mellon University and works as a paralegal at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, PA. and is an active member of the LGBT sports community.
❋ Joseph Jacob is a Syrian American lawyer practicing in Albany, New York. His practice focuses on business formation, commercial transactions, healthcare law as well as International/Middle Eastern (Arab-American) legal matters and immigration. He is a member of the ABA – Int’l Section and had served as a Vice Chair of the Middle East Committee and the International Human Rights Committee. He is also the founder of the National Arab American Bar Association’s online community.
❋ Niki Dasarathy , Senior Advisor, joined ABA ROLI in October 2012. Niki currently manages programming in Jordan, Turkey, West Bank and the Gulf region. Ms. Dasarathy most recently worked as an associate attorney representing labor unions in New York City on labor and employment-related matters. She has also served as a United Nations Development Program researcher in democratic governance and as an international human rights fellow for the Center for Constitutional Rights. Ms. Dasarathy’s international law experience includes working at the Cambodian Center for Human Rights and as an extern in the Office of the Co-Prosecutor at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. She holds a J.D. degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a B.A. degree in journalism from the George Washington University.
There may be a brief Q&A session at the end of the program if time permits. Attendees may submit questions using one of the options below:
❋ Pressing 1 from your phone
❋ Email at inthumrights@gmail.com
❋ Twitter via direct message (@ABAIHRC)
❋ Twitter hashtag: #ABAGlobalRefugeeCrisis
Please indicate which speaker to whom your question is directed.
b. Moderator: Stephanie Williams, Co-Chair, International Human Rights Committee
Click the following text to hear an audio recording of the above teleconference.
The Global Refugee Crisis: A True Account of a Syrian Refugee's Journey to Safety (December 4, 2015 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST)
Sponsored by Section of International Law, International Human Rights Committee; Co-Sponsored by the Middle East Committee, the International Law Refugee Committee, and the UN & International Organizations Committee
Description: The situation is Syria has reached critical mass. An estimated 240,000 Syrian, including 12,000 children, have been killed since the outbreak of civil war in March 2011. Over 1 million have been wounded or permanently disabled. Approximately 12 million Syrians have fled their homes, taking refuge in neighboring countries or within Syria itself.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 4 million have fled to Syria's immediate neighbors Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Another 6.5 million are internally displaced within Syria. More than 400,000 Syrians have risked their lives this year to travel to Europe, but under 150,000 Syrians have declared asylum in the European Union. Germany has pledged 35,000 places (75% of total EU) for Syrian refugees through its humanitarian programme.
Excluding Germany and Sweden, which received 47% of the EU asylum application, the remaining 26 EU countries have pledged around 8,700 (approx 0.2%) resettlement places for Syrian refugees. Gulf countries (i.e, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain) and high income countries (i.e., Russia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea) have offered zero resettlement places to Syrian refugees.
UNPRECEDENTED - The Global Refugee Crisis, Part 1: A True Account of a Syrian Refugee’s Journey to Safety is the first teleconference in a 2-part series aimed at addressing the unprecedented refugee crisis in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Part 1 provides an intimate look at the unfolding tragedy, as told by two Syrian-born men.
a. Speakers:
❋ Joseph F. Jacob (“Joseph 1”) is a Syrian-born American lawyer in New York. He will begin the discussion with a brief historical account of the events that led up to the current war and unprecedented refugee crisis. This will be followed a more personal account of how Mr. Jacob’s helped his eight member family escaped war-torn Syria and what steps he took to secure their safe arrival in America.
❋ Joseph Khoury (“Joseph 2”) is a 50 year old Syrian who lived with his family, his wife, a college age boy and a middle school age girl in Aleppo, Syria until 2014. He will detail his harrowing escape from Syria and arrival to Greece, where he was detained for several weeks before being allowed to complete his journey and reunite with his family in Germany.
There will be a brief Q&A session after both gentlemen speak. Attendees may submit questions using one of the options below.
b. Moderator: Stephanie Williams, Co-Chair, International Human Rights Committee
Click the following text to hear an audio recording of the above teleconference.
International Criminal Law as a Tool to Combat Business Human Rights Abuses & Corruption (May 19, 2015 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EDT)
Sponsored by the Section of International Law, International Human Rights Committee; Coordinated by Ryan McClure & Gigi Nikpour, IHRC Program Vice Chairs
Description: Business and Human Rights is a new frontier on the international stage. While domestic U.S. legislation has attempted to curb corruption recent court rulings have limited accountability for human rights violations by business entities. On May 19, 2015, the International Human Rights Committee sponsored a teleconference exploring whether international criminal law and international judicial mechanisms are the most effective and viable means to suppress and punish such violations. The speakers are thought leaders on anti-corruption efforts, human rights and responding to these pressing matters through the use of international criminal law and international courts.
a. Speakers:
❋ Anita Ramasastry, Professor, University of Washington School of Law;
❋ Roey Rosenblith, Executive Director, Not In My Country, Lead Coordinator, Campaign for International Anti-Corruption Court;
❋ John Washburn, Convener, American Non-Governmental Organizations Coalition for the International Criminal Court, Co-Chair of the Washington Working Group on the International Criminal Court
b. Moderator: Zorka Milin, Senior Legal Advisor, Global Witness
Click the following text to hear an audio recording of the above teleconference.
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