Join us for this panel with
CHRISTIAN COURTIS
Gender and Women’s Rights Advisor
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (New York)
SHIJUADE KADREE
MPH, Chief Advocacy Officer
The LGBT Community Center
moderated by
MARIA SJÖDIN
Deputy Executive Director
OutRight Action International
6:00 p.m. | Reception with wine and hors d'oevres
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Panel and Discussion
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Conference Room – 43rd Floor
One Bryant Park
(Bank of America building, corner of 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue)
New York, NY 10036
Every five years the UN Human Rights Council evaluates the human rights performance of all UN Member States, as part of its Universal Periodic Review (UPR). In 2020, the United States will have undergone this Review process, which will include a stakeholder report by NGOs and human rights institutions.
Through local chapters of the UNA-USA, the UPR permits civil society to advocate and to take part in implementation of human rights obligations — this is therefore a wonderful opportunity to have an impact on policies and practices of the UN and of the U.S. on particular issues, such as Race, Criminal Justice & Human Rights, and Child Immigrants.
To this end, and in honor of Pride Month (June), UNA-NYC selected LGBTI Human Rights for its contribution to this Review process. Participants among the public fill out a survey on this issue, the results of which will be presented and discussed in this evening’s in-person consultation for the Review.
Those who haven’t filled out the survey yet can do so here. It will only take a few minutes!
As part of this process, public recommendations can be made — from participants who represent diverse organizations, ages, ethnicities and experiences — and who will contribute to the Division's report.
Please fill out the survey — and then join us for this informative panel, which will include: Shijuade Kadree, Chief Advocacy Officer of The LGBT Community Center; Christian Courtis, who is currently Gender and Women’s Rights Advisor to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York; and the panel moderator, Maria Sjödin, the Deputy Executive Director of OutRight Action International.
PANEL MODERATOR
MARIA SJÖDIN
Maria Sjödin is Deputy Executive Director of OutRight Action International (formerly, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission) since 2016. She joined the organization in 2014 as Director of Development and External Relations, up until her current appointment.
From 2005 to 2014 she was the Executive Director of RFSL, Sweden’s largest and oldest LGBT organization. Maria led the expansion of RFSL’s international work from a single advocacy project to a number of projects with partner organizations in several countries and human rights and leadership training of hundreds of international LGBT activists.
Maria served on the board of ILGA (the global membership organiation for LGBT organizations) between 2006-2014, and was leader in organizing the largest ever ILGA World Conference, hosted by RFSL in Stockholm in 2012.
Maria has led international leadership trainings of over 150 LGBTIQ activists, including on topics such as strength-based coaching and appreciative inquiry.
PANEL SPEAKERS
CHRISTIAN COURTIS
Christian Courtis is the Gender and Women’s Rights Adviser for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York. He previously worked on sustainable development issues, economic and social rights, equality and non-discrimination and human rights mainstreaming.
Born in Argentina, Christian is a former law professor at the University of Buenos Aires Law School (Argentina) and invited professor at ITAM Law School (Mexico). He was visiting professor and researcher at different universities in Europe, Latin America and the United States.
He served as a consultant for the World/Panamerican Health Organization, UNESCO, the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the Economic and Social Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights. He has also served as expert witness before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. He was previously the coordinator of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Project of the International Commission of Jurists (Geneva).
Christian has published several books and articles on human rights, constitutional law, legal theory and legal sociology.
SHIJUADE KADREE
Shijuade Kadree joined The LGBT Community Center in 2015. As the Chief Advocacy Officer, Shijuade is responsible for creating, implementing and managing the annual lobbying strategy on city and state levels to support the powerful programs of The Center, as well as managing two of The Center’s government-funded initiatives related to health and human services provision.
Prior to joining The Center, Shijuade represented indigent clients, zealously advocating on behalf of parents entrapped in New York City’s child welfare system. This work lead her to creative legislative and policy advocacy at the New York City Council as a legislative counsel. In that role, she served as a liaison between Council members and the Council’s central staff, drafting and negotiating legislation in a variety of subject areas with a particular focus on governmental operations, housing, buildings and construction.
Shijuade has also served as a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow, working on access to financial education, products and services for low-income families, federal and state anti-hunger programs, as well as publishing a manual for state legislators, “Bringing Legislators to the Table: Addressing Hunger and Nutrition in America.” During graduate school, she received the ABA Fellowship for Minorities in Environmental Law and was named a Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys scholar. Shijuade is an alumna of Emory University, with a joint Law and Public Health degree.
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