Immediately following the LI Executive Committee meeting in Zurich (12-14 June), the meeting will bring together LI HRC members and liberal human rights parliamentarians to discuss the status of human rights in today’s age of disruption as well as the current and future direction of LI Human Rights Programme and its role in the day to day work of liberal parliamentarians.

Upon the initiative of LI HRC Members Tamara Van Ark (VVD, LI full-member) and Boris Van Der Ham (D66, LI full-member), the morning session of the event will feature a panel discussion focusing on the 21st Century challenges to freedom of belief as well as on the role of education and information.

The afternoon session will debate the international legal gap in the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. Particular attention will be paid on the need to extend the Istanbul Convention beyond the borders of Europe, one of the Committee’s central campaigns, along with ways in which liberals in government and opposition can help advance the global fight against violence against women and girls.

This will be the first official meeting of the LI Human Committee meeting following the selection of its entirely new composition of serving members by the 193rd LI Executive Committee in Hong Kong.

Besides providing a unique opportunity to discuss human rights concerns directly with international peers and UN human rights mandate holders, the meeting aims at maintaining the network of liberal parliamentarians working on human rights active in order to ensure that there are collective liberal efforts in tackling domestic and international human rights issues.