Dear friends and colleagues,

Shortly after I completed my term as Australian Human Rights Commissioner, I established a series of International Conferences on Human Rights Education which many of you have attended over the years. Together we have established a grassroot movement for word-wide human rights education (HRE).

I write now to invite you to attend the 9th International Conference on Human Rights Education (9th ICHRE) which I will be convening at Western Sydney University, Parramatta Campus, Sydney, Australia on 26-29 November 2018. The working title is: 9th International Conference on Human Rights Education – Unleashing the Full Potential of Civil Society.

I encourage you to ‘save the date’.

The 9th ICHRE will coincide with and celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 25th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration which highlighted the value of human rights education.

The Conference will consider the range of human rights education issues such as national and international curricula, pedagogy and best practices. It will address contemporary challenges and how to effectively address them. Attention will be given to the most effective ways of maximising the potential of civil society through human rights education. The delivery of lasting solutions and strengthening the practical knowledge and skills of participants, including through human rights education workshops, will be the key objectives.

Some 400 international and Australian delegates are expected to attend. They will include academic thinkers, international and government officials, NGOs and human rights and education practitioners, with a special focus on those from developing countries.

Please keep a look out for the dedicated Conference website which will go on-line in February at the following address – http://ichre2018.com.au

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions – I would be only too happy to respond.

Looking forward to seeing you at the 9th ICHRE in Sydney this November.

The below video contains a short conversation with Sev about his work at Western Sydney University and the importance of multicultural policies for Australian diverse society.

ttps://wetransfer.com/downloads/53a121a521ceef7a90b4e7a751c9ae7520180130045101/7f91a6b67e5a35a098c7b06a8f6899b520180130045101/7c2e0d

Baha’i are very peaceful people with whom I have worked over the years in Australia and elsewhere.
Today I have learned that a prominent Baha’i leader in Yemen, Hamed bin Haydara, 53, was sentenced to death on 2 January of for his religious beliefs. Mr bin Haydara was sentenced after more than four years of imprisonment during which he was tortured; he was sentenced in his absence to death by a judge of the Specialized Criminal Court in Sana’a, Yemen. An appeal has been lodged. Please refer to http://bahai.org.au/index.php/death-sentence-in-yemen-alarms-australian-bahai-community/
I am calling upon human rights loving Australians and the international community to speak out against the judgement.

Western Sydney University hosted the 2nd National Advancing Community Cohesion Conference – Today’s Challenges and Solutions, at its Parramatta Campus, from 20-22 November 2017.

Over 280 participants attended the Conference which was convened by Dr Sev Ozdowski AM, Director of Equity and Diversity at the University.

The Conference considered contemporary challenges to social cohesion in diverse, multicultural communities, and ways to more effectively address them. It was attended by politicians, decision-makers, thought leaders, and practitioners from government departments and agencies, academia and think-tanks, civil society organisations, schools, and the private sector.

While multiculturalism was the cross-cutting theme of the Conference, relevant issues were considered from several perspectives including social, economic, political, cultural, legal, religious, and sexual/gender identity, perspectives.

The feedback received from participants revealed that 87.5% rated the Conference as having ‘Very High’ or ‘High’ utility (usefulness, benefit or value) while 93% said they would attend another community cohesion conference organised by the University.

The narrative report on the Conference is attached.

2018-01-09 Report on the 2nd National Advancing Community Cohesion Conference