Notifications

MAY 15 (FRI)

MAY 15 (FRI)

PAKR Imdang Teacher, Nodeul School for the Disabled
How Power Expropriates the Labor of Persons with Severe Disabilities: The Crisis of Disability Labor Rights Seen Through the Termination of Seoul's Public Employment Program for People with Severe Disabilities

HEO Eun Director, Gwangju Center for Independent Living of People with Psychosocial Disabilities
Beyond the Medical Barrier: Expanding Peer-Support Shelters Run by Persons with Lived Experience

Seog Young Activist, Gwangju Ingwonjigi Hwaljjak
Invitation, Solidarity, Hospitality

UNESCO APCIC is part of UNESCO’s International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities (ICCAR) and belongs to a global network comprising seven regional coalitions. This session will provide a platform for local governments to discuss challenges and share successful initiatives in the face of authoritarianism and populism. It will contribute to the global dialogue on the role of cities in advancing human rights, as promoted by UNESCO and ICCAR, and strengthen networks at the local level.

Morten Koch Andersen Director of Research and Education, Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

Adrià Duarte Head of the Committee on Social Inclusion and Human Rights, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)

Peter Flegel Senior Expert, Social and Human Sciences Sector, UNESCO

Sofia Palli Human Rights Officer, The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Jeon Jin-hee Standing Ombusperson, Gwangju Metropolitan City

Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain Spokesperson, National Citizen Party, Bangladesh

Sasipim Arampibulkit Director of International Human Rights Affairs Bureau, National Human Rights Commission of Thailand

Rana Bahadur Tamang Chairperson, Khaniyabas Rural Municipality

PARK Jongmin Director General, Department of Southwest Asia and Pacific, KOICA

Authoritarianism and populism have recently been spreading rapidly across the globe. Extreme ideological confrontation and political instability are escalating to the point of state violence. In this context, “village-level activities”—community-based initiatives organized at the neighborhood level—have emerged in everyday community life, with residents acting as primary agents directly engaged with the realities of their lives. This session aims to highlight the significance of “human rights villages” in responding to authoritarianism, while exploring the future direction of human rights villages in the context of integration between Gwangju and Jeonnam.