We Have A Dream: Global Summit Against Discrimination and Persecution was an international summit organized by the pro-Israel non-governmental organization UN Watch, in protest of the United Nations' conference (known as Durban III) marking a decade since the World Conference against Racism 2001. The 2001 conference was boycotted by the US, Israel, and 12 other countries due to a draft which described Israel as carrying out racist practices against Arabs.
The summit was attended by a selection of non-governmental organizations and speakers discussing issues of discrimination and persecution, particularly those of racism, sexism, homophobia, and discrimination against minorities. It occurred over two days, September 21 and 22 of 2011, across the street from the UN Conference.
UN Watch described the summit as being in protest of the UN's inclusion of particular countries that commit human rights abuses, especially in the Human Rights Council, named as China, Syria, Sudan, Zimbabwe, North Korea, and Iran. The conservative President of one of their partners at the summit, the Human Rights Foundation's Thor Halvorssen, referred to Durban III as representative of “despotic regimes which speak pretty words about human rights while they kill, torture, or jail their opponents”.
Speakers
Burma Thaung Htun: Activist
Canada Irwin Cotler: Member of Canadian Parliament
China Geng He: Dissident, wife of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng Yang Jianli: Dissident
Cuba Fidel Suarez Cruz: Dissident Bertha Antunez: Women's rights activist
Darfur Adeeb Yousif: Activist
Democratic Republic of the Congo Judith Registre: Women for Women International
France Anna-Isabelle Tollet: Journalist and author Phillipe Robinet: Publisher, co-founder of Oh! Editions
Iran Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi: Activist Marina Nemat: Author, Former prisoner Ahmad Batebi: Dissident
North Korea Ma Young Ae: Defector, former intelligence officer
Rwanda Bertha Kayitesi: Genocide survivor
South Sudan Luka Biong Deng: Director of KUSH, former minister John Dau: Genocide survivor, human rights activist
Syria Nasser Weddady: Civil Rights Outreach Director, AIC Rami Nakleh: Dissident
Tibet Ngawang Sandral: Activist
Uganda Jacqueline Kasha: LGBT activist
United States David Keyes: Co-founder of Cyber Dissidents Maran Turner: Director of Freedom Now Joel Brinkley: Journalist
Uyghur Rebiya Kadeer: Activist, former prisoner
Vietnam Thuy Tran: Activist and writer
Zimbabwe Grace Kwinje: Dissident and journalist
References
External links Official website Speech by Yang Jianli