Excerpt of Al Jazeera article that quotes GJC Legal Director Grant Shubin.

While welcoming the Security Council statement, rights groups monitoring the situation in Myanmar said more action was needed.

“It is a welcome development to see the Council finally take action on the situation in Myanmar,” said Grant Shubin. Legal Director at the Global Justice Center in New York. “But let’s be clear – this is the bare minimum. It must be treated as a starting point. Strong condemnations and calls for adherence to human rights are important, but the people of Myanmar aren’t asking the international community for statements. They are asking for concrete action to stop the military’s violent assault on democracy.”

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Description:

While the country is still reeling from the Burmese military's illegitimate coup on February 1, the international community have launched a slate of new sanctions against military leaders amid public condemnations of the Tatmadaw's use of deadly violence against peaceful protests. Multiple questions about Burma's future remain unanswered, however, particularly as they relate to international support for justice and accountability, ethnic peace and the creation of a true democratic federal union, and the Rohingya genocide crisis.

During this online event, international justice experts from around the world will speak alongside civil society leaders from Burma to share their perspectives on how international and grassroots mobilization around ongoing international justice processes and mechanisms can contribute to a united and multi-ethnic anti-coup movement that ends the Burmese military dictatorship and its violent reign of impunity.

Panelists include:

• Akila Radhakrishnan (Moderator), President of the Global Justice Center.
• Tun Khin (President of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK)
• M. Arsalan Suleman (Foley Hoag, legal counsel to The Gambia in its case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice)
• Naw May Oo (Activist and Advisor to the Karen National Union)
• Thinzar Shunlei Yi (Activist, Action Committee for Democracy Development)
• Tomas Quintana (Former UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights on Myanmar, lead counsel in the current Universal Jurisdiction case in Argentina)

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Introduction by Emmy and Tony-winning actress Christine Baranski.

Moderated by NPR News Middle East correspondent Deborah Amos.

Featuring:

• Barbara Slavin, Director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council
• Akila Radhakrishnan, President of the Global Justice Center
• Marcia S. Ross, producer of the documentary NASRIN
• Jeff Kaufman, director, producer, writer of the documentary NASRIN
• Jafar Panahi, acclaimed Iranian filmmaker (pretaped by the Caspian Sea)
• Reza Khandan, human rights activist and Nasrin’s husband. (live from Tehran)

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Description:
Join the City Bar Association’s United Nations Committee for the Second Annual International Law Conference on the Status of Women. The Conference will commemorate International Women’s Day and will be held in the lead up to the 65th Regular Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The Conference will consist of two panels, which will focus on separate legal and policy issues confronting women around the world. The first panel will analyze the disproportionate impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had upon women. The impacts of the pandemic have manifested in a variety of ways, including but not limited to increased levels of domestic violence, women and girls being more susceptible to becoming victims of human trafficking and other forms of exploitation, and decreased participation in the work force by women due to the need to provide childcare for their families. The second panel will explore efforts to eliminate violence against women, which is essential to permit their full and effective participation and decision-making in public life. Eliminating violence against women is also crucial to achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls. The panelists will explore the harmful impacts of violence against women, and how these impacts hinder the realization of gender equality and women’s involvement in public life, which harms society as a whole. 

The objective of the Conference is to have an honest conversation about the current situation of women and girls around the world, with a focus on how laws and policies have contributed to the situation. The panelists will provide their insights and expertise as to how the legal profession can address the situation in order to promote a more equitable and less discriminatory environment for women and girls. Furthermore, the panelists will highlight their efforts, and the efforts of their respective organizations, to promote gender equality and empower women and girls. 

Second Panel: Eliminating violence against women in order to allow for women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life

• Pramila Patten, United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict
• Akila Radhakrishnan, President of the Global Justice Center
• Dubravka Šimonovic, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women
• Moderator: Chanya Sainvilus, Member of the UN Committee

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