Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Designing Effective Legal Empowerment
Programs
Legal Empow
erment Leadership C
ourse2–7 Decem
ber 2018 l Budapest, Hungary
YEAR
4
Participants’ Booklet
Tabl
e of
Con
tent
sWelcome .......................................................................... 2
THE COURSE ............................................................................ 4 Methodology ............................................................ 4 Schedule ................................................................. 8 Participants’ profile ................................................. 10 Pre-course readings .................................................. 10
PROGRAM ................................................................................ 11 Arrival .......................................................................... 11 Welcome reception ........................................................ 12 Farewell reception ......................................................... 13
LOGISTICAL INFORMATION ......................................................... 14 Course venue ........................................................... 14 Meals ..................................................................... 14 Eating out ..................................................................... 15 Smoking .................................................................. 16 Internet, WiFi and social media .................................. 16 Medical care ............................................................ 16 Weather and clothing ................................................ 16 Personal safety and security ....................................... 17 A Note on Hungary ................................................... 18 Metro and suburban railway lines ............................... 19 Useful Hungarian phrases .......................................... 20 Course coordinators .................................................. 21
BIOGRAPHIES ........................................................................... 22 Course directors ....................................................... 22 Faculty .................................................................... 24 Participants ............................................................. 28 CEU student participants .......................................... 56 Course staff ............................................................. 59
ORGANIZERS ............................................................................ 62 Open Society Justice Initiative ................................... 62 Namati .................................................................... 62 Robert L. Bernstein Institute for Human Rights, NYU School of Law ................................................... 63 CEU School of Public Policy, Global Policy Academy .... 63
2
Wel
com
e Dear participants,
Around the world, more than four billion people are living outside the protection of the law. They are unfairly driven from their land, denied essential services, excluded from society, and intimidated by violence.
Legal empowerment is about turning that tide. It’s about enabling people to understand, use, and shape the law. From at least the 1950s, when community paralegals in South Africa began helping people to navigate and resist apartheid, legal empowerment has grown into a global movement. Today, grassroots legal advocates in the Philippines are helping farmers to take part in nationwide agrarian reforms. In Argentina, shantytown residents are pursuing legal remedies to bring clean water and other essential services to their communities.
World leaders increasingly agree that access to justice and legal empower-ment are crucial to ensuring equitable and inclusive development, a sentiment that led to the integration of justice in the UN Sustainable
3
Wel
com
eDevelopment Goals. Every year the legal empowerment field becomes more robust, with greater evidence of what works. At this particular moment in history, with the rise of authoritarianism and income inequality, there is an urgent need to strengthen and expand legal empowerment programs.
The Legal Empowerment Leadership Course in Budapest is a unique opportunity to take stock of our collective knowledge and build upon it. Its aim is to cultivate a global cadre of leaders who are committed to legal empowerment, and who share a common understanding of the field, including history, methodology, and evidence. A faculty of respected practitioners and academics will lead course participants in an in-depth exploration of key themes, including the conceptual framework of legal empowerment, community organizing and social movements, and the role of grassroots legal advocates in realizing systemic change. The participatory course design will also emphasize peer-to-peer learning through small group work.
The 4th edition of the annual course will focus on “Designing Effective Legal Empowerment Programs.” The course is a collaboration between the CEU’s School of Public Policy (SPP), the Open Society Justice Initiative, Namati, and the Robert L. Bernstein Institute for Human Rights at New York University School of Law.
WE WISH YOU AN EXCITING TIME IN BUDAPEST AT THE CEU SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY!
Vivek Marlon Sukti
Zaza Tanja
4
The
Cou
rse METHODOLOGY
The course is designed to help participants explore practical solutions to concrete challenges that arise in their work. Problems identified by par-ticipants at the outset will be workshopped with peers and faculty during a series of interactive discussions, reflective exercises, and breakout ses-sions. Drawing from the comparative experiences of others, as well as from the latest research, participants will come away with new ideas for improv-ing the effectiveness of their efforts. Major elements of the course include:
1 . PREPARATORY WORK
Participants will review selected readings in advance of the course (see below). They will also prepare and submit one of the following:
a. a problem statement, describing a challenge area or inquiry facing them in their work, or
b. a proposal for research or action that they wish to workshop throughout the course.
2. IN-PERSON PARTICIPATION
The course requires in-person attendance at Central European University over five days, from 2 to 7 December 2018.
5
The
Cou
rse3. PARTICIPATORY CURRICULUM
Each day will include three types of sessions: case studies, cross-cutting sessions, and small working group discussions.
Case studies
The course will feature a comparative exploration of common themes across three case studies. Themes include legal empower-ment methods; training, supervision of frontline staff; learning and evaluation; use of media and communications; financial sustainability; and pathways to scale. Case study topics include:
The paralegal movement in the Philippines. How the movement of community-based paralegals have
adapted and innovated over the decades, to bring about large-scale change in the Philippines.
Data collection and analysis for impact. How women-led and indigenous peoples’ movement of grassroots
advocates, lawyers, and activists have collected, visualized and analyzed data for advocacy.
Use of technology for legal empowerment programs. How applied approaches to technology design can be integrated
in legal empowerment programs.
6
The
Cou
rse Cross-cutting sessions
Cross-cutting sessions will address special challenges faced by the movement for legal empowerment.
Session I: Introduction to legal empowerment. This introductory session will explore what we mean by legal
empowerment. It will address basic concepts, history, and philosophy. The session will offer a vocabulary and a set of questions that we will return to throughout the course.
Session II: Legal empowerment, organizing and social movements. This session will explore how legal empowerment groups have
combined strategic litigation and legal services with community organizing, and how paralegals and legal empowerment practi-tioners constitute an essential part of social movements.
Session III: Designing a strategic legal empowerment program. This session will look into the key steps and important aspects
to consider in developing legal empowerment programs or in refining existing programs.
Session IV: Communications for impact. This session will tackle the use of effective communications for
advocacy to present impact, and make a case for public and private investment.
Skills building modules
Modules will be devoted to community mapping strategies, popular education, grant proposal writing, innovative financing and participatory technology design.
Small working group discussions
Each afternoon, participants will come together in small groups to apply the day’s lessons to their individual challenge or research question. Experts and instructors will be available during this time for consultation and support in developing their action plan.
7
The
Cou
rse
4. POST-COURSE
After the course, each participant will either submit their final reflections on their problem statement, or a revised version of their research proposal. In either case, candidates should detail a course of action for acting on, or exploring further, what has been learned over the last few days. All participants will also become members of the Global Legal Empowerment Network in advance of the course and we will remain in contact through our online community discussion forum. There, you can pose questions and seek to support others with their action plans so our cohort of learners stay engaged in the future.
8
The
Cou
rse
SCH
EDU
LESu
nday
, 2 D
ecem
ber
Mon
day,
3 D
ecem
ber
Tues
day,
4 D
ecem
ber
Wed
nesd
ay, 5
Dec
embe
rTh
ursd
ay, 6
Dec
embe
rFr
iday
, 7 D
ecem
ber
09:0
0Re
view
& D
ay 2
Aim
sRe
view
& D
ay 3
Aim
sRe
view
& D
ay 4
Aim
sRe
view
& D
ay 4
5 Ai
ms
09:1
5Ic
e B
reak
erIc
e B
reak
erIc
e B
reak
erPa
rtic
ipan
ts’
Pres
enta
tion
(9:1
5–10
:45)
09:3
0Pr
elim
inar
y Se
ssio
n/
Ice
Brea
ker
09:4
5Se
ssio
n I
Conc
eptu
al F
ram
ewor
k —
Intr
oduc
tion
to le
gal
empo
wer
men
t(9
:45–
10:4
5)
Mar
lon
J. M
anue
l
Case
Stu
dy I:
Th
e pa
rale
gal
mov
emen
t in
the
Phili
ppin
es
(9:4
5–10
:45)
Mar
lon
J. M
anue
l
Case
Stu
dy II
: Da
ta c
olle
ctio
n an
d an
alys
is fo
r ad
voca
cy
(9:4
5–10
:45)
Mar
gare
t Sat
tert
hwai
te/
Sukt
i Dhi
tal
Case
Stu
dy II
I: U
se o
f Tec
hnol
ogy
fo
r LE
Pro
gram
s(9
:45–
10:4
5)
Alix
Dun
n
10:0
0
10:1
5
10:3
0
10:4
5C
offe
e B
reak
(1
0:45
–11:
00)
Cof
fee
Bre
ak
(10:
45–1
1:00
)C
offe
e B
reak
(1
0:45
–11:
00)
Cof
fee
Bre
ak
(10:
45–1
1:00
)C
offe
e B
reak
(1
0:45
–11:
00)
11:0
0Se
ssio
n I
(con
tinue
d)(1
1:00
–12:
00)
Case
Stu
dy I
(con
tinue
d)(1
1:00
–12:
00)
Case
Stu
dy II
(co
ntin
ued)
(11:
00–1
2:00
)Ca
se S
tudy
III
(con
tinue
d)(1
1:00
–12:
00)
Clo
sing
and
Eva
uatio
n(1
1:00
–13:
30)
11:1
5
11:3
0
11:4
5
12:0
0
Lunc
h(1
2:00
–13:
00)
Lunc
h(1
2:00
–13:
00)
Lunc
h(1
2:00
–13:
00)
Lunc
h(1
2:00
–13:
00)
12:1
5
12:3
0
Lunc
h(1
2:30
–13:
30)
12:4
5
13:0
0Se
ssio
n II
Lega
l Em
pow
erm
ent,
Orga
nizi
ng a
nd S
ocia
l M
ovem
ents
(1
3:00
–14:
30)
Mee
na J
agan
nath
Sess
ion
IIIDe
sign
ing
a St
rate
gic
Lega
l Em
pow
erm
ent
Prog
ram
(13:
00–1
4:30
)
Kim
McQ
uay
Sess
ion
IVCo
mm
unic
atio
ns fo
r Im
pact
(1
3:00
–14:
30)
Arm
ania
Em
baye
Skill
s Se
ssio
n 1
(2 o
r 3
sim
ulta
neou
s se
ssio
ns)
(13:
00–1
4:15
)
13:1
5
13:3
0
13:4
5
14:0
0
9
The
Cou
rse
Sund
ay, 2
Dec
embe
rM
onda
y, 3
Dec
embe
rTu
esda
y, 4
Dec
embe
rW
edne
sday
, 5 D
ecem
ber
Thur
sday
, 6 D
ecem
ber
Frid
ay, 7
Dec
embe
r14
:15
Cof
fee
Bre
ak(1
4:15
–14:
30)
14:3
0C
offe
e B
reak
(14:
30–1
4:45
)C
offe
e B
reak
(14:
30–1
4:45
)C
offe
e B
reak
(14:
30–1
4:45
)Sk
ills
Sess
ion
2 (2
or
3 si
mul
tane
ous
sess
ions
) (1
4:30
–15:
45)
14:4
5W
orki
ng G
roup
s—
Disc
ussi
on o
n LE
, Or
gani
zing
and
Soc
ial
Mov
emen
ts(1
4:45
–15:
45)
Wor
king
Gro
ups
—Ap
plic
atio
n of
De
sign
ing
LE P
rogr
am
Sess
ion
(14:
45–1
6:45
)
Wor
king
Gro
ups
—Ap
plic
atio
n of
Co
mm
unic
atio
ns fo
r Im
pact
Ses
sion
(1
4:45
–16:
45)
15:0
0
15:1
5
15:3
0
15:4
5W
orki
ng G
roup
s—
Part
icip
ants
’ Pro
blem
St
atem
ents
/Que
stio
ns(1
5:45
–17:
15)
Wor
king
Gro
ups
—Pr
epar
atio
n fo
r N
ext
Day
Pres
enta
tion
(15:
45–1
7:15
)
16:0
0
16:1
5
16:3
0
16:4
5W
rap
up(1
6:45
–17:
15)
Wra
p up
(16:
45–1
7:15
)17
:00
17:1
5W
rap
up(1
7:15
–17:
45)
Fare
wel
l drin
ks
17:3
0Op
enin
g Pr
ogra
m,
Cour
se O
verv
iew
&
Par
ticip
ants
’ In
trod
uctio
n(1
7:30
–19:
00)
17:4
5
18:0
0
18:1
5
18:3
0
18:4
5
19:0
0
19:1
5
19:3
0W
elco
me
rece
ptio
n
10
The
Cou
rse PARTICIPANTS’ PROFILE
The course is intended for people whose work and interests are directly related to legal empowerment.
This includes:
• exceptional paralegals and leaders of civil society organizations who are running, or wish to run, legal empowerment programs;
• parliamentary leaders and government officials (ministries of justice or development, centralized planning units, NHRIs) with the power to support or regulate legal empowerment efforts;
• development agency representatives working on legal empowerment at an international or country level;
• academics and researchers interested in working with legal empow-erment programs.
PRE-COURSE READINGS
You have been given access to an e-learning site that contains all pre-course readings. They will give us a common foundation; we will be referencing them during the course. You can find them here: https://community.namati.org/c/leadership2018.
11
Pro
gram
ARRIVAL
The taxi company serving Liszt Ferenc International Airport is Fotaxi. Reservations are made in person outside the exit of the terminal. The fare to the city center will not exceed 8,000 HUF (25 EUR).
There is also an airport shuttle which costs around 4,900 HUF (17.50 EUR) to the city center. You can order a shuttle to your hotel at the Airport Shuttle stand at Arrivals. The shuttle will probably take slightly longer than a taxi as it is shared with other people.
Central European University
12
Pro
gram
WELCOME RECEPTION
The course will start on Sunday, 2 December at 17:30 at the ground floor of CEU’s School of Public Policy in Október Hall. There will be a dinner reception at 19:30 at Vak Varjú. We will walk to the dinner reception together.
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
Október HallOktóber 6 Street 71051 Budapest
DINNER VENUE:
Vak VarjúPaulay Ede utca 71061 Budapest
13
Pro
gram
From the CEU School of Public Policy to Vak Varjú Restaurant
FAREWELL RECEPTION
You are invited to join us for drinks and snacks at Akademia Italia on Thursday, 6 December, starting at 17:30. Akademia Italia is located just three minutes walking distance from SPP.
VENUE:
Akademia ItaliaSzent István tér 12, 1051 Budapest
Tel: (+36 1) 301 0563
From the CEU School of Public Policy to Akademia Italia
14
Logi
stic
al I
nfor
mat
ion COURSE VENUE
The course will take place on the ground floor of CEU’s School of Public Policy in Október Hall.
Except for the Opening Session on Sunday, sessions will begin at 9:00 am; please arrive at the CEU School of Public Policy at 8:45 am to register.
VENUE: School of Public Policy, Október Hall Október 6 utca 7, H–1051 Budapest
MEALS
Coffee breaks and lunches will be served on the first floor of the building where the course takes place.
15
Logi
stic
al I
nfor
mat
ionEATING OUT
There are many places that are close to CEU/SPP where you can have dinner. The list below is not exhaustive, so we encourage you to explore the neighborhood. Restaurants marked with an * offer vegetarian dishes.
Bamba Burger* Október 6. utca 6 l open 11:30–23:00
Hummus Bar*Október 6. utca 19 l open 10:00 (12:00 on Sun & Sat)–22:00
Istanbul Kebab Október 6. utca 22 l open 08:00–05:00
La Trattoria Október 6. utca 13 l open 11:00–23:00
Padthai Wokbar* Október 6. utca 4 l open 11:00–23:00
Rétesház (Strudel House)* Október 6. utca 22 l open 9:00–23:00
Soup Culture* Október 6. utca 19 l open 11:00–19:00, closed on Sundays
Perfetto Italian Kitchen* Október 6. utca 8 l open 11:30–22:30
16
Logi
stic
al I
nfor
mat
ion SMOKING
Smoking is strictly prohibited within five meters of all building entrances.
INTERNET, WiFi AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Wi-Fi is available on campus.• Network name: CEU Guest• Password: Budapest1991
European plugs (220V) are available at CEU.
If you wish to tweet about the workshop, please use the handle @sppgpa. The hashtag is #legalempowerment.
MEDICAL CARE
The CEU Medical Center is open to participants with valid medical insurance. There are two qualified English-speaking doctors (male and female) who hold regular consultation hours.
CEU Medical Center
Nádor utca 11 Building, CourtyardTel.: (+36 1) 327 3815
WEATHER AND CLOTHING
December is one of the coldest months of the year in Budapest. During this month, expect very cold weather conditions and a frosty biting wind. Snowfall is frequent but not that heavy. The days are shortest and the nights are longest at this time. The average daily temperature in December is no more than 1°C. Except for the welcome reception (smart casual), dress code for the course is casual.
17
Logi
stic
al I
nfor
mat
ionPERSONAL SAFETY AND SECURITY
Budapest is a safe city but as with other popular tourist destinations you need to be vigilant. There are two risks that we want to alert you to:
• Do not hail a cab on the street; call a cab. A reliable company is CITY TAXI, at +36 1 211 1111. Make sure the meter is set at the pickup rate of 700 HUF before you begin any journey.
• Shops, bars, and restaurants may give the wrong change as a result of frequent visitor confusion over the multiple zeros in the currency.
The Danube with the Chain Bridge
The ParliamentBuda Castle
18
Logi
stic
al I
nfor
mat
ion A NOTE ON HUNGARY
Capital city: Budapest
Population: ~ 9.9 million
Population of Budapest ~ 1.7 million (city) ~ 3.3 million (including periphery)
Language: Hungarian
Religion
54.5% Catholic, 19.5% Protestant, 0.2% other Christians, 0.1% orthodox Christian, 0.1% Judaism, 0.1% other.
Electric plug details: European plug (220V) with two circular metal pins
Country dialing code Hungary: 0036 or +36 (00361 or +361 – for Budapest)
To dial Hungarian numbers from Hungary you can dial: 06 + 1 xxx xxxx (Budapest), or for cellular phone: 06 + 2/3/7 + 0 + xxx xxxx.
Money The Hungarian currency is the forint (HUF). 1 EUR = 329 HUF, 1 USD = 286 HUF
You usually CANNOT pay in Euro or US dollars. You can exchange money at the airport or train stations, but change as little as possible there since exchange rates at these locations are bad. It is preferable to use one of the many ATMs or cash points across the city.
Public Transport Budapest has an excellent public transit system consisting of
subways, buses, trolleys, trams, and electric commuter trains called HÉV. Tickets are available at all metro stations from automated machines, and most stations also have cashiers at ticket windows. As the machines aren’t always reliable, it is preferable to buy tickets directly from the cashier. Tickets can also be bought at some newsstands, tram stops, and on some buses, but it is best to purchase tickets at the metro station and keep a supply with you. Tickets can be bought individually, discounted in books of 10, or in
19
Logi
stic
al I
nfor
mat
ionthe form of daily, weekly, or monthly passes. You need to validate
your ticket before starting your trip on the metro or immediately upon boarding a bus, tram, trolley, or commuter train. Insert the ticket into the machines at metro station entrances and in the red or yellow boxes on trams, buses, and trolleys. The yellow boxes automatically stamp the ticket, but you must pull the black lever on the red boxes towards the ticket to punch it. Tickets are valid for 60 minutes after they have been stamped or for 90 minutes on the night service. Passes and tickets are checked by inspectors at random and you will be fined HUF 8,000 on the spot if you cannot produce your pass or validated ticket. If fined, get a receipt, as foreigners are sometimes overcharged. Public transportation runs from 4:30 until 23:00 and is both regular and frequent. Night trams and buses run on an abbreviated schedule.
METRO AND SUBURBAN RAILWAY LINES
20
USEFUL HUNGARIAN PHRASES
English Hungarian Pronounciation
Yes/No Igen/nem igen/nem
Thank you Köszönöm Kurssurnurm
Hello Jó napot Yow nopot
Goodbye Viszontlátásra Vissont-latashruh
Please Kérem szépen Kherem sehpen
Do you speak English? Beszél angolul? Bessayl ungolool?
I can’t speak Hungarian Nem beszélek magyarul Nem besseylek mud-yarool
Entrance Bejárat Beh-yarut
Exit Kijárat Ki-yarut
I’m sorry Elnézést Ellnezeysht
Toilet WC Vaytsay
Logi
stic
al I
nfor
mat
ion
21
Logi
stic
al I
nfor
mat
ionCOURSE COORDINATORS
Tanja MANNERS Mobile: +36 30 943 0332 Email: [email protected]
Livia MARSCHALL Mobile: +36 30 629 1807 Email: [email protected]
Nóra TIBOLD Mobile: +36 30 435 8031 Email: [email protected]
Michael OTTO Mobile: +1 908 399 7477 Email: [email protected]
22
Bio
grap
hies COURSE DIRECTORS
Vivek MARU
Vivek founded Namati in 2011 to grow the movement for legal empowerment around the world. Namati and its partners have built cadres of community legal workers—sometimes known as “barefoot lawyers”—in ten countries. The advocates have worked with over 65,000 people to protect community lands, enforce environmental law, and secure basic rights to
healthcare and citizenship. Namati convenes the Global Legal Empowerment Network, more than 1,000 groups from 150 countries who are learning from one another and collaborating on common challenges. This community successfully advocated for the inclusion of access to justice in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
From 2003 to 2007, Vivek co-founded and co-directed the Sierra Leonean organization Timap for Justice, which has been recognized by the International Crisis Group, Transparency International, and President Jimmy Carter as a pioneering model for delivering justice services in the context of a weak state and a plural legal system. From 2008 to 2011, he served as senior counsel in the Justice Reform Group of the World Bank. His work focused on rule of law reform and governance, primarily in West Africa and South Asia. In 1997–1998 he lived in a hut of dung and sticks in a village in Kutch, his native place, working on watershed management and girls’ education with two grassroots development organizations—Sahjeevan and Kutch Mahila Vikas Sanghathan. Vivek graduated from Harvard College, magna cum laude, and Yale Law School. He writes regularly in academic journals and in the press. He also directs the Legal Empowerment Leadership Course at Central European University and New York University School of Law.
Vivek serves on the board of trustees of the global advocacy organization Avaaz, the international advisory council of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, the advisory board of the evaluation firm ID Insight, and the boards of the Constitu-tional Accountability Center and the International Senior Lawyers Project. He was an affiliate expert with the UN Commission on Legal Empowerment and is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Vivek received the Pioneer Award from the North American South Asian Bar Association in 2008. He was named an Ashoka Fellow in 2014 and a “legal rebel” by the American Bar Association in 2015. He, Namati, and the Global Legal Empowerment Network received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2016. In 2017, the Schwab Foundation named Vivek and Sonkita Conteh, director of Namati–Sierra Leone, two of its Social Entrepreneurs of the Year. Vivek studies capoeira angola with Dale Marcelin at Universal Capoeira Angola Center.
23
Bio
grap
hies
Marlon J. MANUEL
As Namati’s senior adviser to the Global Legal Empowerment Network, Marlon has more than two decades of experience in legal empowerment work, having devoted practically his entire career to social justice and human rights lawyering. He has combined grassroots education activities with active involvement in strategic litigation on human rights and public
interest issues, policy reform work on social justice legislation, and justice system reform programs on improving access to justice. From 2008–2017, he was the Coordinator of the Alternative Law Groups (ALG), a coalition of twenty (20) legal resource NGOs in the Philippines with distinct programs that are primarily concerned with the pursuit of public interest, respect for human rights, and promotion of social justice. Marlon is deeply involved in justice and human rights education, not only as a law school professor, but also as a grassroots community educator, continuously practicing and advocating the principles of education for people empowerment as he work with farmers, workers, and other vulnerable groups. He is a professor at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, where he received his JD in 1994. He received his BSc degree in Management (Major in Legal Management) from the College of Arts and Sciences of the same university.
The 2017 Legal Empowerment Leadership Course participants
24
Bio
grap
hies FACULTY
Matthew BURNETT
Matthew is a Policy Officer with the Open Society Justice Initiative, where he focuses on legal empowerment, technology and innovative financing. Previously, he was director of the Immigration Advocates Network, a groundbreaking collaboration among leading immigrant rights organizations in the United States. He played a key role in launching the organization and
growing it into a recognized leader on innovative approaches to increasing access to justice for immigrants and building the capacity of immigrant-serving organizations. Prior to his work at the Immigration Advocates Network, Matthew represented asylum seekers in the United States and served as law clerk to Justice Z.M. Yacoob of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. He holds a JD with concentrations in poverty law and public international law, and a joint BA in philosophy and the comparative history of ideas.
Sukti DHITAL
Sukti is a human rights lawyer and the Deputy Director of the Robert L. Bernstein Institute for Human Rights at NYU School of Law, an academic center committed to the advancement of legal empowerment through innovative research, eduction, and advocacy. Previously, she was the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Nazdeek, an award-winning legal empowerment
organization committed to bringing access to justice closer to marginalized communities in India. She worked closely with affected community members and social movements to advance human rights through a community-driven approach, with a focus on indigenous and Dalit women. Prior to Nazdeek, Sukti was the Director of the Reproductive Rights Unit at the Human Rights Law Network, India where she assisted in securing landmark social and economic rights judgments including Laxmi Mandal v. Deen Dayal Harinagar Hospital & ORS, W.P.(C) 8853/2008, the first decision by a national court to recognize maternal mortality as a human rights violation. Sukti has also worked at the American Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Freedom Project and the fi rm of Bingham McCutchen LLP.
25
Bio
grap
hies
Alix DUNN
Alix is the Executive Director and a Co-Founder of The Engine Room, a not-for-profit organization supporting strategic uptake of technology by change agents around the world. She is a leading advisor on how to fund, develop, and use technology effectively and responsibly. She sits on the board of Open Data Kosovo, the Advisory Council for Open Technology Fund, and
the Advisory Board for Circle of 6. She was formerly on the Technology Advisory Council of Amnesty International and the board of HURIDOCs. She holds an MA in Media Studies from University of Oslo and a BA from Colorado College.
Armania EMBAYE
Armania a Legal and External Relations Adviser specializing in the development and humanitarian sectors, who is shaping her career around the growing importance of synergy between development expertise, advocacy efforts and programming to ensure real stakeholder engagement and action alongside effective impact-driven communications.
Having worked with international organizations in Iraq, Sweden and the United States, Armania is currently working as an Adviser to the International Development Law Organization (IDLO)’s New York Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations. She has contributed primarily to IDLO’s Africa and MENA region mission to promote the rule of law and strengthen access to justice, by engaging with UN, government and civil society stakeholders to drive and develop cooperative initiatives and high-level events, and design advocacy tools and communications.
She holds an LLM in International Legal Studies with a specialization in migration from Georgetown University, and a LLB from Queen Mary University.
Meena JAGANNATH
Meena co-founded the Community Justice Project, Inc. in 2015. She is a movement lawyer with an extensive background in activism and international human rights. Prior to coming to Miami, she worked for the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where she coordinated
26
Bio
grap
hies
the Rape Accountability and Prevention Project, which combined direct legal repre-sentation with advocacy and capacity building of grassroots women’s groups. While using her legal skills to build the power of movements locally in South Florida, she has also brought to bear her international human rights expertise in delegations to the United Nations to elevate U.S.-based human rights issues like police accountability and Stand Your Ground laws to the international level. Meena has published several articles in law journals and other media outlets, and has spoken in numerous academic and conference settings. She received her JD from University of Washington Law School where she was a William H. Gates Public Service Law Scholar. She also holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs (human rights concentration) from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, and a BA in International Relations and Peace and Justice Studies from Tufts University.
Kim MCQUAY
As Managing Director of The Asia Foundation’s Program Specialists Group, Kim McQuay leads a team of technical specialists in governance and law, women’s empowerment, economic development, environment, conflict and fragility, and technology who provide technical support to Foundation country offices in program design and implementation,
fundraising, and strategic partnership formation. He previously served as the Foundation’s country representative to Thailand (2010–16), managing programs that promoted peaceful conflict resolution, criminal justice reform, more responsive systems of governance, economic growth, and Thailand’s role as a non-traditional Asian donor. Prior to this, Kim served as the Foundation’s Bangkok-based director of law and justice programs (2009–10) and country representative to Bangladesh (2003–09). His latter program responsibilities included co-leadership of a three-country, ADB-funded regional project on Legal Empowerment for Women and Disadvantaged Groups. Kim’s additional field experience with the Foundation spans Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Indonesia, with rights and access to justice, criminal justice reform, and legal empowerment figuring prominently in his work on each assignment. As special assistant to former Asia Foundation president William Fuller (1999–2001), he worked closely with senior officers and the board of trustees on a range of institutional policy issues, coordinated the Foundation’s regional human rights programs, and co-led a seven-country, ADB-funded study on Legal Empowerment for Governance Reform and Poverty Reduction. Kim holds a BA and LLB from Queen’s University and LLM in Public International Law from the University of Cambridge.
27
Bio
grap
hies
Zaza NAMORADZE
As the Director of the Open Society Justice Initiative’s Berlin office, Zaza oversees activities on legal aid and defendants’ rights and legal empowerment and capacity. He previously served as staff attorney and, later, deputy director of the Open Society Institute’s Constitutional and Legal Policy Institute, where he designed and oversaw projects in constitutional and
judicial reforms and student law clinics and human rights litigation capacity building in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Zaza has worked for the Center for the Study of Constitutionalism in Eastern Europe, the Central Electoral Commission of Georgia, and was a member of the State Constitutional Commission of Georgia. He graduated from the Law Faculty of Tbilisi State University, studied in the Comparative Constitutionalism Program of the Central European University, and earned an LLM from the University of Chicago Law School.
Margaret L. SATTERTHWAITE
Margaret is a Professor of Clinical Law, Faculty Director of the Robert L. Bernstein Institute for Human Rights, and Co-Chair of the Center for Human Rights and the Global Justice at New York University School of Law. Her research interests include economic and social rights, human rights and counter-terrorism, methodological innovation in human rights, and vica-
rious trauma among human rights workers. Before joining the academy, she worked for a number of human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights First, and the Commission Nationale de Verité et de Justice in Haiti. As Director of the Global Justice Clinic, she partners with grassroots organizations and movements to prevent, challenge, and redress rights violations in situations of global inequality. Margaret has worked as a consultant to numerous UN agencies and special rapporteurs and has served on the boards of several human rights organizations.
28
Bio
grap
hies PARTICIPANTS
Hezekiah ABUYACentre for Community Law and Rural Development l Kenya
Hezekiah is the executive director for the Centre for Community Law and Rural Development (CECLARD), a human rights NGO based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is a renowned human rights lawyer with over 20 years’ professional working experience and
a good understanding of international legal principles, especially in the areas of protection, human rights, international refugee law and international humanitarian law. He is an advocate of the high court of Kenya, a commissioner for oaths and a notary public. Hezekiah has a long record of human rights advocacy and of working with national authorities to pursue durable solutions. He has coordinated human rights trainings and supported paralegal networks in rural Kenya, and has offered free legal representation/pro bono legal services to torture victims and survivors, and refugees. As a human rights defender, he has participated in numerous international conferences and given talks on human rights issues, including “Monitoring Custodial Death and Human Rights Violations in Kenya” at the VIII international symposium on torture in New Delhi, India (1999).
Colleen ALEXANDER-JULIESSocial Change Assistance Trust l South Africa
Colleen holds a BA from the University of the Western Cape and an LLB from the University of South Africa. She is an admitted advocate of the High Court of South Africa and is currently working for the Social Change Assistance Trust (SCAT) as a programs officer. SCAT is an intermediate grant-maker
and social justice organization that partners with community-based organizations in rural South Africa. Colleen has extensive experience in designing and implementing national capacity building programs as well as in organizational development. She has a keen interest in access to justice and supports a rights-based approach to development. Her passion for human rights led her to the University of Oxford where she obtained a scholarship to complete a certificate in international human rights law in 2000. She is an accredited facilitator and assessor and believes in the “extraordinariness” of ordinary people.
29
Bio
grap
hies
Hussein ALSARAYREHJustice Center l Jordan
Hussein is a legal services coordinator at the Justice Center for legal aid in Jordan, where he is responsible for operations management. He is a human rights and sustainable develop-ment activist, working on investigative journalism and advocacy campaigns. He was the youngest media journalist in Jordan, as
well as the youngest research and communications consultant, and has worked with many governmental and non-governmental organizations. Hussein is a mechanical engineer and megaprojects management professional with a master’s degree in renewable energy and sustainable development.
Naira AMINOpen Society Afghanistan l Afghanistan
Naira joined Open Society Afghanistan as a human rights program officer in October 2016. She previously worked with legal firms as a legal advisor and legal assistant. She has also worked at the American University of Afghanistan as a peer mentor and as an assistant to professors. She is a women’s
rights activist and advocate for women empowerment. She has also established the Youth for Sustainable Development Organization to promote youth activism and volunteerism. Naira graduated from the Law and Political Science faculty of Kabul University in 2014 and also completed a major in political science and public administration and a minor in gender studies in 2016 at the American University of Afghanistan. She has been judging Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court and Price Media Law Moot Court competitions since 2014.
Joseph ANSUMANANetwork Movement for Justice and Development l Sierra Leone
Joseph received a teacher’s certificate specializing in music and practical arts from Bunumbu Teachers College. After his studies, he taught in the Roman Catholic Girls Primary School in Koidu City. From 1992 to 1996, he worked for the Catholic
Diocese of Kenema as assistant diocesan catechetical coordinator for schools and parishes. When the war intensified in the eastern part of Sierra Leone, he and his
30
Bio
grap
hies
family were forced to go to neighboring Guinea where he worked for the Catholic Mission for Refugees as coordinator for catechistic programs. In 1999, he was of-fered a scholarship to study at All Hallows College, Dublin City University for a higher diploma in holistic development and an MA in leadership and pastoral care. In March 2004, he returned home and supported the Catholic Diocese of Kenema in catechet-ics and development work. Since 2004, Joseph has been working for Network Move-ment for Justice and Development, a national human rights-oriented advocacy and development organization in various capacities and currently as program and district manager in Kono District.
Elizabeth ATEMNKENGInternational Federation of Women Lawyers l Cameroon
Elizabeth has been a lawyer for almost 20 years, representing clients in court and providing legal advice. She engages in the promotion and protection of human rights by helping victims access the justice system. She has served over 200 women and children nationally and internationally, has represented
victims of Violence Against Women/Girls in courts and has provided pro bono ser-vices to communities. She is passionate about women’s rights and belongs to several NGOs and professional associations that guarantee the promotion and protection of women’s rights. She is vice president of FIDA Cameroon (International Federation of Women Lawyers) and of FAKO Lawyers Association which defends people illegally ar-rested and detained in the Anglophone crisis. In 2008, Elizabeth was selected for the Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA) Fellowship program at George-town University Law and graduated with an MA in international legal studies and a certificate in international human rights law. After her studies, she returned to Cam-eroon and continues to work in partnerships and coalitions. She holds a postgraduate diploma in international law for organizations and development from Holland and a bachelor of laws in English private law from the University of Yaounde Cameroon. She is the founder of Atemnkeng and Associates.
Haris AZHARLokataru Foundations l Indonesia
Haris is an Indonesian human rights advocate. He is one of the co-founders of Lokataru Foundation, a law and human rights organization and works as executive director. He is also the founder and leader of the new initiative “hakasasi.id,” a digital platform on human rights. He teaches human rights classes at
31
Bio
grap
hies
the University of Trisakti Jakarta and Jentera Indonesia Law School. As a member of the Indonesian Bar Association (PERADI), Haris leads the human rights department and is one of the heads of the Yap Thiam Hin Foundation. His expertise and interests are in human rights, legal theory, (strategic) litigation, rule of law, transitional justice, ASEAN, organization management, advocacy and mobilization, art campaigns and fact finding. Haris previously served as coordinator of KontraS (Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence), a nationwide group and community of NGOs in Indonesia. He also advocates human rights issues in Indonesia and South East Asia and defends various human rights cases/issues. These days, he is active in the litigation of cases to defend labor, whistleblowers, and indigenous people against corporations. Haris holds a law degree from Trisakti University and an MA in human rights from Essex University. His hobbies include jogging, cycling, football, outreach, cappuccino, books, and heavy metal music.
Yussuf BASHIRHaki Na Sheria Initiative l Kenya
Yussuf is the executive director of Haki Na Sheria Initiative, an NGO based in Garissa. He is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and has previously worked with various local and in-ternational NGOs. Yussuf has a master’s degree in law from Queen Mary University of London and was a recipient of the
Chevening Scholarship. At the Haki na Sheria, he was responsible for the overall management of the organization and led public interest litigation cases.
Lindsay BYRNECommonwealth of Massachusetts l United States
Lindsay has been a lawyer and administrative law judge in the State of Massachusetts in the US for 35 years. Her practice and court center exclusively on securing and enforcing the rights of individuals with disabilities. In addition to hearing and deciding contested cases involving publicly funded educa-
tion, housing, health care and accommodations for people with disabilities, Lindsay has drafted disability-related legislation and regulations, written manuals and text-books for non-lawyers navigating the due process systems and conducted trainings in disability rights for community members. She is committed to ensuring that under-served and unserved communities have access to the legal information and tools necessary to vindicate their rights.
32
Bio
grap
hies
Fatjona CAKAOpen Society Foundation l Albania
Fatjona has been working as an assistant on the Project for Legal Empowerment of Roma and Egyptian Communities at the Open Society Foundation for Albania since May 2017. She joined the foundation after having worked as an activist for the community since 2014. She focused on working in
the field and building trusting relationships with the community. After four years of fieldwork, she is now based at the legal center which has been working with paralegals for one year. As a team, they believe that through litigation and active presence in the field, they can effectively help the local community. She is a law student and will be graduating this year. She sees herself assuming the role of activist-lawyer in the future, working on Roma and Egyptian rights.
Pema CHOKIRENEW l Bhutan
Pema grew up in Bhutan in a conservative family. She reached secondary education but had to stop in order to look after her younger siblings. At the age of 16, she took over the responsibility of her mother’s small business of running a restaurant. She later started up her own business and organized the women in
her village into a pickling group. In 2011, at a time when there were no women leaders in the local government, she stood for the post of community head, and became one of the first women in the country to participate in the local government elections. She lost by a single vote to a male candidate, but was determined to continue her work for the empowerment and benefit of women. It was in 2007 that she started volunteering for RENEW, the first organization in Bhutan which worked towards empowering women and children. Through her work, she has successfully organized and helped many women take part in various income-generating programs.
Munkhtuya DASHTSENDThe LGBT Centre l Mongolia
Munkhtuya has been the executive director of the LGBT Centre of Mongolia since January 2017 and was formerly a legal program manager at the Centre. Her duties are to lead the executive team as per the policy and advocacy priorities
33
Bio
grap
hies
identified by the Board. At an international level, she was involved in advocating the work of the LGBT Centre at the Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) in 2015 and at the Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2016, when she also attended the pre-advocacy training by IWRAW Asia Pacific. Through this advocacy, the treaty bodies put forth a number of recommendations to improve LGBTI rights in Mongolia, including recognizing same-sex relationships, eliminating discrimination, and introducing trainings for healthcare professionals on treating LGBT patients. On the domestic level, she has been working on extending protection on grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE).
Nirmala DHITALNepal Disabled Women Association l Nepal
Nirmala has been working as a chairperson at the Nepal Disabled Woman Association (NDWA) since 2015. Having lost her left leg below the knee due to bone cancer, she has been involved in the disability sector for 19 years as a disability and human rights activist. She received a bachelor’s degree
in arts and social sciences and is currently pursuing a professional degree in law. As chief of the executive board, Nirmala has final say on policy development, regulation, strategic planning, as well as monitoring and evaluation. She is an energetic leader of the disability movement, raising the voice of women with disabilities for advocacy and lobbying. She has been involved in building the capacity of women with disabilities through economic empowerment, leadership, and skill-based training. Due to her strong advocacy and lobbying efforts, stakeholders have made disabled-friendly infrastructures and policies, implemented the principle of inclusion and allocated budgets for capacity building of women with disabilities.
Fatima DIALLONatural Justice l Senegal
Fatima is a constitutional lawyer and legal anthropologist with ten years of experience in research and international consultancy in the fields of justice, governance, human rights, transparency and accountability. She was the deputy general secretary of the African Network of Constitutional Lawyers
(ANCL). She is currently managing the Extractives and Infrastructures Programme for Senegal and Guinea at Natural Justice. Before that, Fatima worked as a senior
34
Bio
grap
hies
researcher in customary law, indigenous values and human rights at the Faculty of Law of the University of Cape Town (South Africa).
Irina DIMITROVSKA MIKESKAMinistry of Justice l Macedonia
Irina is an advisor at the Ministry of Justice in Macedonia. She has been involved in legal aid provision for almost 10 years. She works primarily with vulnerable and marginalized groups, especially victims of domestic violence and children at risk. She drafts laws, develops strategies and works on matters re-
lated to the electoral code and the right to assembly. She is formerly the coordinator for gender equality at the Ministry of Justice and has been a part of several projects conducted by the Council of Europe and civil society actors. Irina holds a degree in law from the University St. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje and passed the Bar exam in 2013.
Denise DORATHEMIS–Gender Justice and Human Rights l Brazil
Denise is a lawyer and human rights activist with more than 25 years of experience in areas of gender and access to justice. She is the founding member of THEMIS (Gender Justice and Human Rights), a feminist organization that develops legal empowerment programs for women community leadership.
Denise holds an LLM in international human rights law from the University of Essex, and an MA in history and politics from Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro. She worked for the Ford Foundation as a senior program officer responsible for the Human Rights Program in Brazil from 2000 to 2011, and has served on the Advisory Committee of UN Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. Currently, Denise is a senior partner of Dora, Azambuja & Oliveira, a law firm specialized in civil society legislation, discrimination and human rights as well as a board member of Conectas Human Rights and Land of Rights.
35
Bio
grap
hies
Tobias EIGENNamati l United States
Tobias is community manager on the Global Legal Empower-ment Network team. He has been helping nonprofits use the Internet since the first days of dial-up modems. With a focus on capacity building, especially in Africa, Tobias has done everything from setting up hardware for journalists in West
Africa to building an online platform for more than 1700 organizations. Adept at “interpreting” technology for nonprofits and helping them to develop online strategies to serve their vital work, Tobias has advised and trained international organizations such as Transparency International as well as tiny grassroots groups. In 1999, Tobias founded Kabissa–Space for Change in Africa, a nonprofit organization with the mission to help African civil society organizations put ICT to work for the benefit of their communities. Tobias has lived and worked in the US, Kenya, Germany and the UK, and is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Sussex.
Kate FLATLEYWomen’s Justice Initiative l Guatemala
Kate is the founder and executive director of the Women’s Justice Initiative (WJI), an organization that improves the lives of rural Guatemalan women and girls through access to justice, women’s rights education, and gender-based violence prevention. Under Kate’s leadership, WJI has been recognized
internationally for its innovative and community-based solutions to addressing violence against women and girls and increasing women’s access to justice. Since its founding in 2011, WJI has impacted the lives of over 20,000 individuals and has been supported by leading women’s rights and gender-based violence funders. Kate is a lawyer with fifteen years’ experience working for non-governmental organizations developing and implementing projects and conducting research in the fields of human rights, women’s rights, access to justice, and public health. Kate has worked in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union. Before founding the Women’s Justice Initiative, she led a public health and human rights study with migrant workers in Guatemala. Kate holds a BA in anthropology from Yale University and a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. She serves on the Board of Directors of WINGS Guatemala and Antigua International School and is a member of the Virginia State Bar.
36
Bio
grap
hies
Lahai GALIWA-SANNOHMovement for Resettlement & Rural Development l Sierra Leone
Lahai obtained a BEd in measurement and evaluation from Milton Margai College of Education and Technology (MMCET) in 1999. After his studies, he worked as an assistant teacher at the Annie Walsh Secondary School in Freetown for three
years. He later founded the civil society organization Movement for Resettlement & Rural Development (MoRRD) in Eastern Sierra Leone and has been the team leader of MoRRD since 2002. He continued his studies at Njala University Sierra Leone and earned an MA degree in peace and development in 2017.
Bilguun GANBAATARMinistry of Justice and Home Affairs l Mongolia
Bilguun is head of the public administration and management department and acting state secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs in Mongolia. He majored in Mongolian studies and international law in his undergraduate school andholds a master’s degree in public administration. Bilguun
started his career at the Ministry of Foreign affairs. From 2012 to 2017, he was appointed as deputy head of General Authority for State Registration and Deputy Head of the State Archives.
Saranzaya GERELT-ODBeautiful Hearts Against Sexual Violence l Mongolia
Saranzaya has been working as a public awareness program manager at the Beautiful Hearts Against Sexual Violence NGO since 2014, contributing to advocacy campaigns against gender-based violence. She has also been working as a gender specialist at the Asia Foundation Mongolia on their corruption
and gender projects. She graduated with a BA in legal studies from the law faculty at Otgontenger University in 2011. She participated in the International Human Rights Training Program by Equitas INGO in Montreal, Canada and received the OSCE Women Scholarship for Peace and Security. She worked with the Young Women for Change NGO on the “Behind Closed Doors” campaign in order to push for policy
37
Bio
grap
hies
makers to amend laws regarding domestic violence. As a result, a new law combatting domestic violence was adopted by the Mongolian Parliament in December 2016. Similarly, through the “Break the Chain” media advocacy campaign, she is involved in building the capacity of service providers who work with survivors of domestic violence, strengthening psychosocial support for survivors of sexual abuse, and raising awareness among the general public on the consequences of gender-based violence through artivism (art+activism).
Samjhana GHIMIRELegal Aid and Consultancy Centre l Nepal
Samjhana received her LLB degree from the Kathmandu School of Law, and recently earned her LLM from Tribhuvan University in Nepal. She completed an eight-month internship at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) in 2013.
She participated in a nine-month coaching program on international human rights litigation for lawyers organized by Trial International and HRJC (Human Rights and Justice Centre). She also interned at the Legal Aid and Consultancy Centre (LACC) and was later appointed program coordinator. She likes watching movies, listening to music, travelling, making friends, interacting with people from different backgrounds and learning new languages and cultures.
Nadja GOMESNamati l Mozambique
Nadja has been working in the field of human rights and legal empowerment since 1997. Prior to joining Namati, she worked with the Mozambican League of Human Rights from 1997 to 2014, where she was national manager in charge of monitoring and researching human rights cases. She has also helped build
the paralegal movement in Mozambique and works closely with the Ministry of Justice. Since 2003, Nadja has been teaching law at the Eduardo Mondlane University and coordinates a legal aid clinic that promotes access to justice and education to vulnerable groups. As a teacher and a lawyer, Nadja has had the opportunity to participate in research activities and contribute to national reports. Nadja is the Mozambique Co-Director at Namati working to promote rights to health through legal empowerment and with the help of paralegals and health advocates (defensores de saúde).
38
Bio
grap
hies
Laura GYTEOxfam l United Kingdom
After qualifying as a solicitor, Laura worked as a legal adviser to the Guyana Human Rights Association, a grassroots-led campaigning CSO, on reform of sexual violence law and procedure. Returning to the UK, Laura worked as a lawyer for Friends of the Earth, an environmental NGO. This involved
both bringing strategic litigation to further Friends of the Earth’s environmental campaigns, and working with planning, empowerment and campaigns colleagues in the Rights & Justice Centre. They worked with communities disproportionately affected by environmental problems in the UK, through a legal empowerment training program, free legal advice and case work, and acting for communities in planning inquiries and litigation. She developed a strong interest in the link between legal empowerment and strategic litigation, and what is needed to run strategic litigation on legal empowerment principles. She now works for Oxfam on legal interventions in national and global influencing.
Ala IATCOUnion for HIV prevention and Harm Reduction l Moldova
Ala has 18 years of work experience in the area of implement-ing HIV prevention and harm reduction programs in the Re-public of Moldova. Since 2000, Ala has been involved in the senior management of the association “Youth for the Right to Life” from Balti. In 2007, she actively participated in the
establishment of the Harm Reduction Network in the country known at present as the Union for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Harm Reduction in Moldova, holding the position of Union President. Ala took part in the development of several manuals, guidelines and standards related to HIV Prevention Program work amongst groups with a high risk of infection. She also works to ensure the sustainability and durability of harm reduction programs and to increase the state budget support for these programs. Ala received a bachelor’s degree in social assistance and a master’s degree in social as-sistance and public health management. Besides her involvement in the associative sector, Ala has gained a great deal of academic experience working as an assistant professor at the state university Alecu Russo from Balti Municipality.
39
Bio
grap
hies
George M. JOBEMalawi Health Equity Network l Malawi
George is a Malawian health rights activist. He is executive director of Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN), a network of about 100 civil society organizations that are interested in the promotion of quality, responsive, accessible and equitable healthcare. George’s work involves: evidence based advocacy
in health, social accountability, health education, analysis of national health budget, health budget tracking and health systems strengthening. His organization trains health related structures/committees and health workers at community, district and national levels in rights and responsibilities; budget cycles; advocacy; social accountability; advocacy; lobbying etc. MHEN works closely with the media to amplify its voices; and George, being MHEN’s spokesperson, is the media’s point of reference on health issues. He sits on numerous health technical working groups in the Ministry of Health and co-chairs bi-annual meetings with the Principal Secretary for Health. He enjoys direct access to the senior management of the Ministry of Health.
Franck KAMUNGAOpen Society Initiative for Southern Africa l Congo
Franck is a human rights lawyer from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a Stanford University fellow on democracy, develop-ment and rule of law, and an Oxford University fellow on international humanitarian law. Franck has an accumulated experience of over 15 years on human rights defense and
protection globally and especially on the African continent. He has served as the coordinator of the African Democracy Forum in Nairobi, legal advisor to the electoral commission in the DRC, communications and resource mobilization specialist at UN Women and country director for Gils Rising in the DRC. He is currently team leader of the human rights, justice and rule of law cluster at the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Gergely KEMÉNYStreetlawyer Association l Hungary
Gergely is studying for an MSc in law at Pázmány Péter Catholic University. He volunteers at the Streetlawyer Association in Budapest. The charity deals with poverty and housing problems, and provides legal services to their clients. They have many
40
Bio
grap
hies
homeless people as clients, especially with the new Hungarian law which bans homeless people living in public.
Aisha KHAGAINamati l Kenya
Aisha is a native of Kenya and has lived in Nairobi since 1985. She has been a program associate with Namati since 2016. She assists partner organizations that work with discriminated ethnic minorities who are at risk of being stateless due to discriminatory processes in accessing nationality documents.
She is involved in all aspects of strategic programming, including outreach, community forums, case work and community advocacy. She is currently facilitating a community movement by empowering community members with legal knowhow to spearhead systemic and policy change to address acts of discrimination. Her love and passion for humanity, fairness and justice—and more so, growing up in a family of women with strong personalities—led her to become a champion of women and girls early in her career when she worked in Northern Kenya with the Kenyan Somali community. She encouraged women and girls to raise their voices and seek political, economic and social inclusion. Through her work, she supported the establishment of the first girl-led movement in Northern Kenya, whose mandate was to advocate against retrogressive cultural practices like Female Genital Mutilation. Aisha received her bachelor of arts in political science and sociology from the University of Nairobi. Throughout her life, she has been motivated by Mahatma Gandhi’s quote that states, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
Farzana KHANMyChoices Foundation l India
Farzana lives by the motto “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.” Farzana has a doctorate in political science and a post-graduate diploma in human rights. Her field of expertise encompasses constitutional and legal frameworks as well as the international human rights mechanism. Her
professional and academic interests include gender, patriarchy, identity-based violence, and laws related to women and children. She has been associated with the Operation PeaceMaker (OPM) of the My Choices Foundation since 2014. As head of programs, she oversees different projects carried out by OPM. She mentors counselors and Peacemakers and provides legal guidance to victims of domestic violence and child sexual abuse. With 10 years of experience in the field of human rights, she bridges
41
Bio
grap
hies
the gap between the community and the formal justice system by using human rights frameworks. Farzana also takes part in national advocacy efforts to ensure the effective implementation of the Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA, 2005) across the country. She loves to read and travel and her desire is to see a word free from abuse and exploitation; where human rights can be protected, nurtured without any bias and prejudice.
Rémy KINNAEarthRights International l Australia
Rémy leads and manages EarthRights International’s (ERI) legal program across the Mekong sub-region, including convening the Mekong Legal Advocacy Institute, an annual two-week training course for junior lawyers, policy analysts and community advocates, and coordinating the Mekong
Legal Network of senior public interest lawyers in the region. He is an international environmental law, policy and governance specialist with professional experience spanning law firms, non-government organizations, the United Nations, academia and consulting. He is a passionate advocate for using the law to protect and preserve natural environments for the communities who rely upon them, and is committed to co-powering with local people on legal, environmental and social issues. Prior to joining ERI, Rémy also spent many years coordinating humanitarian and development programs across South–East Asia for Oxfam. He holds undergraduate law, science (honors) and French (language) degrees from Monash University in Australia and a master of laws (marine & environmental) from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Rémy is an honorary research associate of the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Law within the Institute of Marine and Environmental Law.
Blagica KIROVEcHO Educational Humanitarian Organization l Macedonia
Blagica holds a BA degree in law from the Iustinianus Primus Faculty of Law, Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje and passed the bar exam in 2005. She has 15 years of legal experience, including five years of legal representation of women victims of violence before Macedonian courts. The
focus of her civic engagement work is to improve access to justice for marginalized citizens, in particular women and victims of violence, and empower them through legal strengthening, education and human rights advocacy. Since 2011, she has worked at EcHO Educational-Humanitarian Organization in Stip as a legal counselor, providing free legal aid to citizens in social risk. Her everyday activities entail legal counseling,
42
Bio
grap
hies
facilitating communication between citizens and institutions, and monitoring court procedures in which free legal aid is approved. She is also responsible for identifying cases for strategic advocacy, drafting legal acts, complaints, as well as proposals for improving legislation and national protocols.
Sylvia KOOKE Legal Resources Foundation Trust l Kenya
Sylvia is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and works at the Legal Resources Foundation Trust Kenya, the country’s leading paralegal organization that seeks to help the indigent and marginalized through provision of legal aid and legal information, public education, strategic litigation and the use
of the paralegal approach in various community interventions. Sylvia is passionate about matters involving access to justice and criminal law and is an expert in legal aid, human rights and advocacy. She is also amongst the gazette members of the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) Committee on Criminal Justice Reforms (NCCJR). The committee is mandated to spearhead both policy and legislative reforms in the entire criminal justice chain in Kenya. Sylvia is trained in corporate governance, legislative drafting, advocacy, public interest litigation and mediation. She previously worked with the Law Society of Kenya, Federation of Women Lawyers and various law firms within Nairobi.
Baindu KOROMANamati l Sierra Leone
Baindu began working as a paralegal at the Sierra Leonean NGO Timap for Justice in 2009. As a community-based paralegal, she offered assistance in navigating local authorities and worked to resolve disputes through mediation, advocacy, education and litigation. Beginning in 2012, she worked as
team leader for the Bo office in the Criminal Justice Program of Timap, providing legal education and reintegration assistance to persons in conflict with the police, prisons and courts. She has also worked as a paralegal at AdvocAid, providing legal education to women in conflict with the law. In May 2014, she joined Namati as a call center advocate, providing counselling and legal education while working to connect clients with service providers. Since July 2016, she has worked as a legal empowerment advocate in the Namati Sierra Leone Kenema office.
43
Bio
grap
hies
Sarita LAMICHHANE Nepal Disabled Women Association l Nepal
Sarita is blind from birth and grew up in a rural part of Nepal. She is the project coordinator of the Nepal Disabled Women Association. She has also been involved in the youth sector, representing the disability community. She holds a post-graduate diploma in sociology and rural development from
Tribhuvan University in Nepal and is pursuing an MEd in Nepali language education at the same university.
Coco LAMMERSNamati l United States
Coco serves on Namati’s advocacy team as a focal point on global public policy and advocacy for the Global Legal Empowerment Network and the Justice For All campaign. Coco has advised on national, regional, and global policy issues around the Sustainable Development Goals, human rights,
social accountability, citizen-generated data, conflict-affected and fragile states, and participatory accountability. She previously worked for Save the Children and UNICEF in Asia, Africa, and the US. Coco was a two-time recipient of the Princeton in Asia Fellowship and holds a master’s degree in global affairs from New York University.
Faizah Hamid MAHFUDHReachout Centre Trust l Kenya
Faizah has been the harm reduction supervisor at Reachout Centre Trust Kenya for the past ten years and is in charge of managing paralegals and leading the outreach management team. Faizah is also in charge of the women’s program at Reachout Centre Trust. This involves giving access to legal and
health services for women who use drugs and their sexual partners. Faizah manages the women-only days and hours at the centre. On these days, child care is provided and the women share a nutritious lunch while discussing relevant issues related to HIV, injection drug use, child rearing, acquiring of national identification cards and women’s health. Faizah makes sure “Dignity packs” including sanitary wear and other essentials are provided during focus groups. Faizah also manages the data
44
Bio
grap
hies
of the harm reduction program and uses this for monitoring and evaluation as well as documentation. She coordinates stakeholders through one-on-one meetings and forums to improve provision of services for key populations.
Siphiwe MALIHERA Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance l Malawi
Siphiwe is the head of Paralegal Programmes and Monitoring and Evaluation officer at the Centre for Human Rights Educa-tion Advice and Assistance (CHREAA), a local human rights organization located in Malawi. CHREAA works to promote and
protect human rights by assisting vulnerable and marginalized people in Malawi to access justice through civic education, advocacy, legal advice and assistance. He holds a bachelor’s degree in social science, an advanced diploma in project manage-ment, and professional certificates in public policy, governance and leadership, civil and criminal law, information technology and management. As a seasoned paralegal and a human rights defender, Siphiwe has facilitated the release of over 6,500 poor and vulnerable prisoners on pre-trial detention, contributed to the drop of the remand population in the southern region by 40% and played a key role in the decriminaliza-tion of rogue and vagabond offences in Malawi.
Anthony MARZANKAISAHAN l Philippines
Anthony is the executive director of the Solidarity Towards Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, KAISAHAN. The organization provides legal empowerment services to landless farmers claiming their land rights in the Philippines. He is an astute political strategist and analyst who has served KAI-
SAHAN and its farmer clients for 15 years. He assisted in negotiating for the reso-lution of land rights conflicts of KAISAHAN’s partner communities. He wrote several position papers, policy researches, and issue briefs on pressing agrarian reform and rural development issues. Anthony also became a consultant for the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agrarian Reform in the Philippine House of Representatives to review and propose policies pertaining to agrarian reform and rural development. He assisted the Committee Chairperson in analyzing the context and implications of proposed policies and CARP implementation issues. He likewise facilitated the invol-vement of civil society organizations and people’s movements in policy dialogues with
45
Bio
grap
hies
the COCAR to improve agrarian-related policies. For four years, Anthony also taught at the De La Salle University on socio-civic consciousness and community service.
Rumbidzia MASANGOOpen Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) l Zimbabwe
Rumbi joined OSISA in 2017 as the economic justice programme manager. She has over 10 years’ experience in human rights, trade, tax justice, gender mainstreaming and communications. Prior to joining OSISA, she worked for the
International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) based in Cote d’Ivoire for two years, where she worked with partners on the first ever Human Rights Defenders Protection Law in Africa. She also has grassroots experience having worked as a programme officer at the Economic Justice Network of FOCCISA in Cape Town. Rumbi holds a master’s degree in public administration from Central European University (CEU), and a bachelor’s degree in social science (politics and economics) from the University of Cape Town, UCT. She is also a FK Norway Fredskorpset Fellow (2011) and an Open Society Internship for Rights and Governance Fellow (2014).
Felipe MESELCivil Association for Equality and Justice l Argentina
Felipe studied law at the National University of La Plata, Argen-tina and completed his degree in 2015. He taught three courses at the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences: Political Rights, In-troduction to Sociology and Introduction to Social Sciences, the latter a class for law students who were imprisoned. Currently,
he works as a researcher for the Civil Association for Equality and Justice, a CSO based in Buenos Aires, in an action-research project called “Challenging urban segregation in large Latin American cities: Community legal empowerment and access to justice.” The project aims to identify and analyze the use of legal tools and practices of legal empowerment in situations of socio-urban segregation among communities living in informal settlements of Buenos Aires (Argentina), La Paz (Bolivia) and Quito (Ecuador). The project also seeks to strengthen communities in the use of law to access justice.
46
Bio
grap
hies
Matildah MWAMBAAfrica Network Campaign for Education for All (ANCEFA) l Zambia
Matildah is an education activist currently working as a pro-gramme officer for the Africa Network Campaign on Educa-tion for All. She lives and works in Lusaka, Zambia. Her work involves supporting the National Education Coalition in 10
countries across Africa to ensure education remains a right to all citizens and that governments are committed to funding education. This also entails supporting civil society groups to ensure that communities are empowered to demand this right.
Olena MYTYNKMinistry of Justice l Ukraine
Olena manages the Legal Awareness Expert Group of the Directorate of Human Rights, Access to Justice and Legal Awareness at the Ministry of Justice in Ukraine. She graduated from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in June 2016 with a master’s in law. She is currently pursuing a PhD
on the role of the European Court of Human Rights in the mechanism for judicial protection of human rights in Ukraine. She has been working at the Ministry of Justice since 2015, and joined the team of the newly created Directorate in 2017. Her key responsibilities include raising the legal awareness of citizens by means of legal empowerment, monitoring and evaluating relevant public policy and implementing the nationwide legal awareness project “I Have the Right.”
Ni Soe NWENamati l Myanmar
Nwe Ni Soe is a program officer at Namati Myanmar. She is a social activist and works directly with local organizations and community paralegals on community land security and land rights. She is dedicated to putting the power of law in people’s hands. Previously, she worked for several international non-
governmental organizations, including World Concern (Myanmar), Help Age Interna-tional, ACTED and Association for Aid and Relief (AAR–Japan). She has experience in community development, anti-drug abuse and rehabilitation, HIV/AIDS prevention
47
Bio
grap
hies
and care, harm reduction, emergency relief programs, community-based rehabilita-tion for the disabled, and land issues. In 2014, she completed her master’s in inter-national development studies at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
Vitalii OKHRIMENKOCoordination Centre for Legal Aid Provision l Ukraine
Vitalii graduated with a master’s in accounting and auditing from the Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics in 2011. From 2012 to 2014, he worked at the State Audit Ser-vice of Ukraine, mainly engaged in the introduction of effective public administration systems through the development of the
internal audit systems. Since 2015, he has been working at the Coordination Centre for Legal Aid Provision, focusing on strategic directions for developing the Free Legal Aid System in Ukraine. While working at the Coordination Centre for Legal Aid Pro-vision, he participated in establishing a network of more than 550 legal aid offices, planned and implemented mechanisms for integrating these offices into territorial communities to improve access to justice and legal empowerment, and also wor-ked out the mechanisms for researching legal problems and the needs of citizens. He currently chairs the Kyiv Inter-Regional Resource and Communications Platform (Kyiv Legal Club “PRAVOKAROR”), dedicated to training Free Legal Aid System per-sonnel, representatives of different legal communities and other stakeholders. It is also a community for sharing experiences, generating and implementing innovative practices in law. He is the co-author of the manual “Methodological Recommenda-tions for the Development, Planning, Implementation and Reporting of Free Legal Aid Programs.”
Sonia OSHO-WILLIAMSThe Poor Man’s Friend Justice Centre l Sierra Leone
Sonia is a legal practitioner, founder and executive director of The Poor Man’s Friend Justice Centre, a paralegal-led access to justice organization in Sierra Leone. She has worked in the legal aid field for over a decade and was one of the first lawyers recruited by the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board to serve as duty
counsel. She has worked for several legal aid institutions in Sierra Leone including the Sierra Leone Bar Association’s Legal Aid Scheme and AdvocAid, an organization providing legal support to women and girls in conflict with the law. Sonia also served the Bar Association as an executive member for five years and was also the
48
Bio
grap
hies
Association’s head of programs. She is currently the legal advisor for Mental Health Coalition Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone Market Women Association, Milton Margai School for the Blind, National School for the Deaf and Dumb and the Sierra Leone Police’s Local Policing Partnership Board. Sonia is also a former Commissioner of the National Telecommunication Commission and once worked for OSIWA as project delivery advisor on the Legal Empowerment Shared Framework program. In addition to her passion for access to justice, Sonia is an avid poet and dancer and currently manages Sierra Leone’s premiere contemporary dance group, Success Ambassadors.
Bipasha PAULNamati l India
Bipasha is program manager at Janabhivyakti’s Raipur office. She works for the Centre for Policy Research–NAMATI Environ-mental Justice Program in three districts of Chhattisgarh state. She is also involved in Janabhivyakti’s work related to mass movements. She extends her support to the grassroots struggles
of Hasdev Aranya Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, an association that came into existence to oppose coal mining in the dense forested area of Northern Chhattisgarh. She graduated from St Thomas College with a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology and a master’s degree in environmental science from Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University, where she then worked as a lecturer for one year. She has also worked as a research associate at the Indian Institute of Bio-Social Research and Development in Kolkata. During her tenure as research associate, she worked closely with tribal groups residing in remote, industrial and challenging areas of Chhattisgarh.
Pamela PRATTOpen Society Initiative for West Africa l Senegal
Pamela is a development professional with over seven years of experience in international development and philanthropy and a background in project management, strategy development and stakeholder relationship management in Africa. Before joining OSIWA, she worked at Peace Corps in Senegal as a
community economic developer, at the Global Fund for Children as a program asso-ciate, and at Trust Africa as a program officer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in politi-cal science from Hood College and an MA in community economic development from Pennsylvania State University. During this course, Pamela seeks to learn concrete examples from others on how they have been able to implement the paralegal model
49
Bio
grap
hies
in strengthening both health care and educational delivery systems within their res-pective communities of action. Through her work, she sees the opportunity of using social accountability mechanisms, but would like to also employ legal mechanisms especially in countries without a robust paralegal system.
Anuratha RAJARETNAMSuriya Women’s Development Centre l Sri Lanka
Anuratha works at the Suriya Women’s Development Centre as a program coordinator and a member of the Women’s Coalition for Disaster Management (WCDM), a Batticaloa district-based women’s network. She supports women survivors who have been affected by war, conflict and violence and is responsible
for overseeing all the GBV case work of Suriya. She also tracks criminal cases in court and is one of the leading women activists involved in the national-level campaign “Journey Towards Justice—demanding timely justice for sexual violence cases.” She is also involved in the process of reforming discriminatory laws such as the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, the Domestic Violence Act and the Maintenance Act. Anuratha has played an active role in organizing women into collectives to call for the recognition of women’s economic rights, preparing policy documents, and analyzing reports on violence against women from a women’s rights perspective.
Rostyslav ROSOSLOVSKYICoordinating Centre of Legal Aid Provision l Ukraine
Rostyslav graduated from the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University in Kharkiv, Ukraine in 2005. For more than ten years, he worked in the banking system as a legal adviser and head of the legal unit at UKRSIBBANK, a commercial bank which is part of the BNP Paribas group and one of the top five
commercial banks of Ukraine. Since 2015, he has worked in the area of legal aid and has trained and monitored paralegals. The transition from a business environment to the state guaranteed legal aid system was not easy for him, but the mission and values of this line of work attracted him very much. Protecting human rights by providing equal access to legal information and justice, and strengthening the legal empowerment of vulnerable groups and local communities are the priorities of the free legal aid system in Ukraine and he is proud to be part of it.
50
Bio
grap
hies
Dina SAFARINITamkeen Fields for Aid l Jordan
After finishing her MSc in human rights from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2016, Dina began working with Tamkeen Fields for Aid as a project coordinator. She is currently working on two projects focused on empowering both Syrian refugees and the host communities in the Jordanian
labour market through services provided by a team of Community Facilitators (CFs). In both projects, she has several responsibilities, including supervising the CFs’ work, managing communications between team members and other units of the organization, as well as with external service providers. She is also working on a number of research papers on the connection between human trafficking and early and forced marriage; as well as one on access to justice for migrants in Jordan, and helped write Tamkeen’s individual submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Paul SIXPENCECentre Stage Media Arts Foundation l Zimbabwe
Paul is currently employed as the coordinator for human rights advocacy projects at the Centre Stage Media Arts Foundation in Zimbabwe. As a human rights advocate, he is interested in promoting the legal empowerment of marginalized individuals and communities. Thus far, Paul has been leading legal educa-
tion and paralegal training programs in poor, under-resourced urban and rural settings. Among others, he has been a fellow of the Young African Scholars Program (Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation), a Justice Initiative Fellow (Open Society Foundations), as well as a Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow. He holds an undergraduate degree in journalism and media studies from the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe, and has studied human rights at master’s degree level at the Central European University in Budapest.
51
Bio
grap
hies
Yvette SOUEIDIInsan Association l Lebanon
Yvette is a law graduate from Lebanon and represents Insan Association. She has been working as a legal focal point since 2015. She believes in the principles of human rights and that respect for human rights can create lasting changes in people’s lives and allow them to reach their full potential. Her goal is
to give professional advice in complicated legal situations, mediate between benefi-ciaries and other actors, prepare legal files, provide legal support and participate in legal research.
Lorraine SWIFTChange for Children l Canada
Lorraine is the executive director of Change for Children (CFCA) in Edmonton, Canada and over the last 15 years has led the organization through a process of growth and specialization in themes such as technological innovation, sustainable resource management, gender equality, climate change adaptation,
and indigenous rights. Lorraine plays a pivotal role in the International Development CSO community across Canada and currently represents small and medium sized CSOs on the Civil Society Organizations’ Partnerships Advisory Council for Global Affairs Canada (GAC). Currently, Lorraine manages a 4 million-dollar Innovation Fund project in partnership with GAC that involves citizen engagement on water rights in Nicaragua, with a specific focus on using communications technologies to empower citizens to hold their governments accountable for water rights and sustainable water management. Lorraine previously worked as a CUSO co-operant in Nicaragua promoting territorial rights and self-government with the Miskito and Mayagna indigenous peoples of the BOSAWAS Biosphere Reserve, (which they have since obtained). Lorraine has a BA in native studies from the University of Alberta and is currently studying a Graduate Diploma in International Development through the University of London’s School of Economics.
52
Bio
grap
hies
Sandra TAMARIAdalah Justice Project l Palestinian Territory
Sandra is a Palestinian-American organizer and the director of strategic partnerships at the Adalah Justice Project (AJP), an organization that promotes Palestinian rights in the United States. AJP is the US sister organization of Adalah–The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. Sandra holds a
master’s degree in Arab studies from Georgetown University, and from 1991–1993 lived and worked in the West Bank and Jordan, where she was a Fulbright scholar learning among Palestinians in the Baqa’a refugee camp in Amman. Prior to her work with AJP, Sandra served as the senior program manager for AMIDEAST, the assistant director of Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, and from 2008 to 2009 worked with Al-Jana, Arab Resource Center for Popular Arts in Beirut. She is the co-founder of the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee and co-chairs the Steering Committee of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. Since the murder of Mike Brown in Ferguson in August 2014, she has focused her work on building joint liberation efforts between Palestinians and Black Americans.
Monica TAYLORUniversity of Queensland Pro Bono Centre l Australia
Monica is the director of The University of Queensland Pro Bono Centre. In this role, she leads the law school’s Clinical Legal Education and law student pro bono program. Monica is a lawyer who has worked for many years in the Australian community legal sector advising clients across a range of areas
of law including housing, disability, mental health and public space law. She is particularly interested in learning from others about scaling up legal empowerment programs in cross-cultural contexts, based on the Centre’s work with Papua New Guinean law and civil society organizations.
Erica TEASLEYOpen Society Foundation l USA
Erica is a senior program officer at the Open Society Founda-tions where she handles the voting rights and access to justice portfolios. She is immediate past Board Chair of the Impact Fund and a past President of the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission. A civil rights attorney and voting rights advocate,
53
she came to philanthropy most recently as coordinator of the African American Redistricting Collaborative where she worked to ensure that the African American community participated in California’s political process to the fullest extent. For over seven years prior, Erica was Western Regional Counsel in the Los Angeles office of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund where she conducted civil rights litigation and participated in public education and legislative advocacy efforts. During her tenure as a business litigator in San Francisco, Erica served on the Board of Directors of both the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Northern California ACLU. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Hastings College of the Law, Erica worked as a legislative assistant in Congress and has state and national campaign experience. She has received numerous honors including Super Lawyers’ Southern California Rising Star, the Minority Bar Coalition of San Francisco Award for Excellence and Service to the Community, and the key to the City of El Paso, Texas.
Franc TERIHATEOpen Society Foundation l Albania
Franc has been managing the Protecting Socio-Economic Rights program at the Open Society Foundation for Albania since September 2017. He joined the Foundation as an expert from the OSF Albania Law Center in April 2017. From 2015 to 2017, he took part in various human rights litigation cases
as a member of the OSF Albania Network of Lawyers. Prior to joining OSF Albania, Franc worked as an attorney at a law firm for seven years. He has extensive experience in sports law, having been a member of the Council of Arbitration for Sport of Albania from November 2011 and Chairman of the Council from June 2017, and an arbitrator in the Commission of Appeal of the Albanian Football Association. He has written articles, including “Compensation for Expropriation” and “The novelties and challenges of inclusion of new types of special trials in the Criminal Procedure Code” and published the book “Civil Procedure Law” in 2015. Franc is a graduate of the Faculty of Law, University of Tirana.
Pavina THEPHITHUCKBABSEACLE l Laos
Pavina is a legal trainer/gender-based violence program coor-dinator at BABSEACLE, a not-for-profit organization based in Laos facilitating the implementation of Clinical Legal Educa-tion (CLE) in the country. She started her pro bono career in 2010 by joining the CLE program as a student volunteer. She
Bio
grap
hies
54
travelled to more than 71 villages in the provinces of Attapue, Sayyabouly and Phong-saly to educate villagers on issues related to land law. She joined the BABSEACLE team in July 2013 as a legal fellow to advocate for access to justice, encourage pro bono work among legal professionals and promote rule of law in Laos.
Dusan TOMSICMinistry of Labor and Social Policy l Macedonia
Dusan has been working for the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy in Macedonia since 2005. Since 2017, he has held the position of special advisor in the cabinet of the Ministry for Social Protection. He has also worked for UNDP.
Alexander TURCANTurcan Cazac Law Firm l Moldova
Alexander is the managing partner of the Turcan Cazac law firm, a top-ranked Moldovan law practice. He is the founder of the Moldovan online legal Q&A platform www.yAvo.md. He has been a representative of the Moldovan Bar since 2013 at the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE.eu).
He is also a member of the board of the European Business Association in Moldova and of the East European Foundation. His past leadership positions include acting as member of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce and a member of the board of the Moldovan Bar. He is the co-author of the Moldovan Bar reform which is pending approval by Parliament and co-author of the Moldovan Bar’s recommendations on legal fees. Alexander trains young Moldovan lawyers in law practice management and is a firm believer in digital empowerment and pro bono work.
Daniella VITAGLIANODefensoria Pública do Estado do Rio de Janeiro l Brazil
Daniella has been a public defender in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil since 1998. She is a law professor in penal law at the Fundação Escola Superior da Defensoria Pública do Rio de Janeiro and at EMERJ. She was previously a law professor at the Universidade Cândido Mendes and UniverCidade. She was
also a director at Public Defenders Association (Rio de Janeiro). Since 2015, she has worked as an institutional programs coordinator, and a coordinator of the Strategic Litigation Unit of Defensoria Pública do Rio de Janeiro.
Bio
grap
hies
55
Jo-Ann WALLACENational Legal Aid & Defender Association l United States
Jo-Ann is president and CEO of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association. She was previously NLADA’s senior vice president for programs, responsible for overseeing the Civil Legal Aid and Indigent Defense Program agendas. From 1994 to 2000, Jo-Ann served as Director of the Public
Defender Service for the District of Columbia. She has also served as Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division; as coordinator of the Juvenile Services Program; and as a staff attorney in trial and appellate litigation. Jo-Ann is a founder of the American Council of Chief Defenders, a leadership council of top defender executives across the United States, and of the District of Columbia Appellate Practice Institute. Her lecturing experience includes serving as a member of the visiting faculty for the Trial Advocacy Workshop at Harvard Law School. The White House has recognized her as a “Champion of Change.” She is a graduate of New York University School of Law.
Febi YONESTAIndonesia Legal Aid Foundation l Indonesia
Febi received his bachelor’s degree in law from Hasanuddin University in 2002. He started his law career as a lawyer assistant with LBH Jakarta in 2005. In 2007, he was officially admitted as a lawyer with the Indonesian Lawyer Association (PERADI). Febi has been involved in various legal advocacy,
research, and strategic litigation, including advocacy and research on freedom of religion or belief, anti-torture, refugee protection, and fair trials. He is also experienced in conducting community legal empowerment and developing paralegal initiatives. He has spoken at various domestic and international forums on legal aid and human rights. After ending his term as director of LBH Jakarta on August 2015, Febi took up his new post as chair of Suaka (the Indonesian Civil Society Network for Refugee Protection). He was also active in coordinating a religious diversity program with Yayasan Cahaya Guru, and working as a consultant for the Asia Foundation’s project on Human Rights Defenders with the Indonesia Human Rights Institution (Komnasham) and promoting religious tolerance through the Indonesia Members of Parliament Caucus (Kaukus Pancasila). He is currently a member of the LBH Indonesia Foundation as the co-chair for institutional development and coordinating a pro bono movement project with the Indonesian Lawyer Association (PERADI).
Bio
grap
hies
56
CEU STUDENT PARTICIPANTS
Agostina ALLORICentral European University l Argentina
Agostina was born in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. She studied to be a lawyer at Universidad de San Andrés. In 2016, she received her Masters of Laws (LLM) with merits from Michigan Law School, with a focus on Women’s Rights and Professional Ethics. After her LLM, she received a Fellowship
for the Study of Professional Ethics in Auschwitz for the Law Program, conducted by David Luban and Judith Lichtenberg. She worked in the Direction of Regional and International Cooperation of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Argentina and was also a law professor at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Universidad de San Andrés and Universidad de Palermo, where she taught human rights, constitutional law and professional ethics. She is currently pursuing a Master of Laws in Human Rights (International Justice Specialization) at Central European University, thanks to a CEU Budapest Foundation Scholarship.
Teresa GEIDEL Central European University l Germany
Teresa Geidel is currently studying public policy in Budapest. She holds an undergraduate degree in environmental sciences from Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany and is interested in the intersection of natural and social sciences. As an intern at the World Future Council and Earth System Governance
Project she gained insight into ways of connecting research and advocacy. In practice, she would like to understand how people relate to problems and how policy making can benefit from including all stakeholders. She is curious and strives to tackle injustice and inequality, applied to future generations and climate change, but also in daily life. During this course, she hopes to get input from different perspectives and through collaboration.
Bio
grap
hies
57
Bio
grap
hies
Anastasiia SHAPKINACentral European University l Ukraine
Anastasiia is a second-year MPA student at Central European University, focusing her studies on international law and security studies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising and PR from Oles Honchar Dnipro National University (Ukraine) and a master’s degree in English studies from Uniwersytet
SWPS (Poland). Prior to coming to CEU, Anastasiia worked for 2.5 years as a media relations adviser in the Administration of the President of Ukraine, advising senior officials on communicating with foreign media as well as drafting opinion pieces of the President of Ukraine and other key public officials.
Tatiana SHAWCentral European University l Russia
Tatiana is currently in the first year of a two-year Master of Public Administration program at CEU’s School of Public Policy. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the Moscow State University, Tatiana worked in the private sector for several years. She was invited to lead
the communication office for the implementation of the new transportation strategy for the Moscow agglomeration. She completely switched to the public sector when she got involved in the large-scale transportation reforms as a policy-maker in the Moscow City Government. She believes that the capacity for changing people’s lives through sustainable transportation policies is far from being used up.
Linh TONGCentral European University l Viet Nam
Linh is currently in the second year of the two-year Master of Public Administration program at CEU’s School of Public Policy. She holds a bachelor of international affairs from ADA University, Azerbaijan. She is specialized in higher education policy and has a strong interest in legal empowerment for
the youth. Prior to her arrival in Budapest, she worked as a project coordinator for the International Eurasia Press Fund to support internally displaced people in war-affected regions of Azerbaijan. She also coordinates with the Institute of Policy
58
Bio
grap
hies
Studies and Media Development to evaluate Vietnam’s E-government performance and provide recommendations on the Cyber Security Law implementation.
Patricia VALERIOCentral European University l Philippines
Patricia is an Erasmus Mundus master’s in public policy student at the Central European University. Before coming to Budapest, she was a business analyst for Investing in Women, an Australian government initiative that aims to promote women’s economic empowerment in Southeast Asia. She also
worked as an analyst for the sustainable and responsible investment research arm of Institutional Shareholder Services, where she looked at companies’ adherence to the United Nations Global Compact principles. At Devex, a platform for the global development community, she wrote about several urgent issues, such as the sexual abuse committed by United Nations peacekeepers, the uncertain legal status of climate refugees, and the difficulties surrounding aid delivery in Yemen.
59
Bio
grap
hiesCOURSE STAFF
Zsanett BORSOSOpen Society Justice Initiative l Hungary
Zsanett is the program associate for the legal empowerment project of the Open Society Justice Initiative. Based in OSF’s Berlin office, Zsanett received her bachelor’s degree in inter-national relations and history from Western Maryland College and her master’s degree in Arab Gulf studies at the University of
Exeter. Zsanett previously worked as a personal assistant to the CEO of the Hungarian subsidiary of a multinational corporation. She has interned with the American–Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in the United States and the European Roma Rights Centre and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, both located in Budapest.
Madeline GUNDERSONNamati l United States
Born and raised in Issaquah, Washington, Madeline serves as the Global Network Associate at Namati’s Washington, D.C. office. Previously she worked as a bilingual paralegal at an immigration law firm, and as an intern for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in Seattle. She graduated from the
University of Washington in 2017 with a degree in International Studies and Human Rights. She served as a Task Force analyst with the UW Center for Human Rights in service of Los Angeles legal clinic El Rescate, publishing a research report on violence and circular migration of Central American migration to the United States and Mexico, and presented these findings at the 2017 UW Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Tanja K. MANNERS CEU School of Public Policy, Global Policy Academy l United States/Slovenia
Tanja is the acting director and senior program manager at SPP’s Global Policy Academy. She has spent the past decade working in education both in front of the classroom and behind the scenes, teaching mathematics in Micronesia and Austria
and working in administration at the Institute of Education, University College London, and King’s College London. She has a degree in applied mathematics from
60
Bio
grap
hies
Brown University and a master’s degree in comparative education from the Institute of Education of the University of London. She moved to Hungary in 2015 after spending a year as an education consultant in Shanghai.
Livia MARSCHALLCEU School of Public Policy, Global Policy Academy l Hungary
Livia joined CEU as a program assistant at the Roma Access Programs Unit in 2014. She was appointed to her present role as part-time program coordinator at SPP’s Global Policy Academy in 2015. She holds an MA in cultural anthropology
and English language and literature from Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest. During her university years, she conducted fieldwork in a Hungarian Roma community and has participated in various Roma advocacy projects. Livia is also currently working as a curator at Gallery8—Roma Contemporary Art Space.
Michael OTTONamati l United States
Michael is Namati’s global network officer, having worked in access to justice, legal education and development since 2004, where he began building legal clinics and paralegal programs throughout Southeast Asia with Bridges Across Borders. In Cambodia, he managed the Community Empowerment and
Legal Awareness Program, supporting grassroots advocates through participatory curriculum development, legal rights training, and advocacy campaigns. Michael has also worked with Equal Access International in London and Nepal and has served as a founding board member of Tiny Toones in Cambodia, a non-profit working with at-risk youth through arts, dance, and education, since 2007. Michael holds a BA in legal studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, an MSC in Violence, Conflict and Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and is a certified mediator.
61
Bio
grap
hies
Nóra TIBOLDCEU School of Public Policy, Global Policy Academy l Hungary
Nóra has a BA diploma in International Business and an MSc diploma in Business Development. During her studies, she worked for an EU funded project that supported professional training courses for adults and for MOL Plc’s L & D Department.
When starting her master’s degree, she worked in the Communication and Marketing Department of the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art. During her master’s studies, she spent a semester studying at the Louvain School of Management in Belgium and worked as a marketing assistant in Málaga, Spain for a family-owned real estate company. Between the two Erasmus semesters Nora worked for a recruiting agency as an HR trainee and continued working in HR after finishing her MSc. Nóra worked for more than four years as an HR specialist for a BPO company in Budapest before she joined CEU’s SPP Global Policy Academy team to support the Academy’s work as a Program Assistant and Events Manager.
62
Org
aniz
ers Open Society Justice Initiative
The Open Society Justice Initiative uses law to protect and empower people around the world, supporting the values and work of the Open Society Foundations. Through litigation, advocacy, research, and technical assistance, we strive to secure legal remedies for human rights abuses and promote effective enforcement of the rule of law. Justice Initiative lawyers have represented scores of individuals before domestic and international courts, in cases that have sought not only to vindicate individual claims, but to establish and strengthen the law’s protection for all. The Justice Initiative documents violations, proposes solutions, engages policy-makers, and offers assistance that draws on our global legal experience. Its efforts focus on accountability for international crimes, racial discrimination and statelessness, criminal justice reform, abuses related to national security and counterterrorism, the promotion of freedom of information and expression, and combating natural resource-related corruption.
Namati
For billions of people around the world, the law is broken. It’s an abstraction—or worse, a threat—but not something people can use to exercise their basic rights. Namati is building a global movement of community legal workers—also known as barefoot lawyers, or community paralegals—who empower people to understand, use, and shape the law. These paralegals form a dynamic, creative frontline that can squeeze justice out of even broken systems. Namati and our partners train and deploy community paralegals to take on some of the greatest injustices of our times. Together with the communities we serve, we strive to translate the lessons from our grassroots experience into positive, large-scale changes to laws and systems. Namati convenes the Global Legal Empowerment Network—over 1,700 groups from every part of the world. We are learning from one another, advocating together, and joining forces to bring justice everywhere.
63
Org
aniz
ersRobert L. Bernstein Institute for Human Rights, NYU School of Law
Honoring and extending the legacy of Robert L. Bernstein, the Bernstein Institute for Human Rights at NYU School of Law promotes cutting-edge research, education, and advocacy on human rights issues around the world, with a focus on defending dissent and advancing legal empowerment. The Institute embraces a holistic approach to human rights, deepening engagement with key stakeholders in the pursuit of justice: law students, human rights defenders, scholars, judges, interdisciplinary allies, and affected communities. The Institute also supports other human rights initiatives at the Law School and University and acts as the coordinating hub for existing human rights work at NYU, including the Center for Human Rights & Global Justice, the US–Asia Law Institute, and NYU Stern’s Center for Business and Human Rights.
CEU School of Public Policy, Global Policy Academy
SPP’s Global Policy Academy (GPA) organizes academically rigorous and policy-relevant courses that are designed not as traditional training seminars but as hubs for sectoral dialogue and experience exchange. The Academy leverages the broad and deep expertise of SPP faculty to address the needs of policy professionals who wish to broaden their knowledge as they serve the public good. Participants from the public, private, and non-profit sectors enroll in GPA courses to gain relevant practice-oriented skills grounded in research-based knowledge. They also take advantage of the School’s global reach to grow and enrich their professional networks in an exceptional learning environment.
64
Not
es
Open Society Justice Initiative
224 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, USA
Phone: +1 212 548 0600
https://www.justiceinitiative.org
Namati Global
1616 P Street NW, Suite 101
Washington, D.C. 20036, USA
Phone: +1 202 888 1086
https://namati.org/
School of Public Policy at Central European University
Nádor utca 9, H–1051 Budapest, Hungary
Phone/Fax: +36 1 327 3110
Email: [email protected] http://spp.ceu.edu
Robert L. Bernstein Institute for Human Rights, NYU School of Law
139 MacDougal Street, B22
New York, New York 10012, USA
Email: [email protected]
http://www.law.nyu.edu
Copyright @ SPP 2018. All rights reserved. Design, layout: Judit Kovács l Createch Ltd.Cover photo: Gabriel Diamond l NamatiPhoto on page 2: IrishAid
Photo on page 4: Amigos de la Tierra América Latina y el Caribe
Photos on pages 5, 7, 10, 11, 20: Daniel Vegel
Photo on page 23: School of Public Policy
Photo on page 58: Reuters
Photo on page 61: Namati
