GWANGJU < invest Korea

According to Yonhap News,

The 2012 World Human Rights Cities Forum started with a symposium, dubbed "Meet Korea's Human Rights NGO."

The forum is organized under the theme of "City and Human Rights" with representatives of human rights organizations home and abroad attending.

During the symposium, hosted by the Public Human Rights Law Center of Chonnam National University and the NGO Group, human right activists discussed issues concerning conscientious objection to military service, sexual minorities, human rights movement launched by teenagers and Jeju residents' protests against the construction of the Navy base.

The opening ceremony of the forum is scheduled to be held in Kimdaejung Convention Center tomorrow.

Vice President of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Gang Gyeong-hwa and human right lawyer Karen Tse will deliver keynote speeches.

Gwangju expects Gang's participation to create an opportunity to discuss cities facing human right issues and set up basic guidelines to cultivate human right-friendly cities.

Human right activists will participate in a seminar to share each other's experiences and outline their future direction under the topic titled "Establishment of System to Safeguard Human Rights and Role of Human Right Movement."

The UNESCO Coalition of Cities Against Discrimination in Asia and the Pacific will also be held on the sidelines of the forum to talk about human rights and cities, social inclusion and climate change.

Gwangju will give the UN donations worth 75 million won collected under Nets Go!, a campaign, designed to send mosquito nets to African people to fight malaria.

"The forum will be a chance for people all around the world to take action to safeguard and promote human rights," said a Gwangju official.

Source Text

Source: Yonhap News (May 15, 2012)

** This is an English translation of a Korean news article.