The RFK Memorial Center for Human Rights
1367 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036
CONTACT:
Abdelilah Kadili, Program Director,
phone: (202) 463-7575 x 270,
Cell: (703)
725-6368, akadili@rfkmemorial.org
www.rfkmemorial.org
Anora
Mahmudova, United Nations Correspondents
Association, phone: (212) 963-7137, Cell: (917) 907-2445, office@unca.com
Max
Stamper, www.MaximsNews.com,
phone: (201) 848-6162, Cell: (201) 693-2565, DrMaxStamper@MaximsNews.com
Media
Advisory
|
K.K. in Liberia Food Programme.
|
K.K. reading to Liberian children. |
K.K. with 5-year-old Liberian boy. |
|
K.K., Abdelilah Kadili, and W.F.P. Administrator
|
Todd Howland, Director of the Center for Human Rights in an interview with the Liberian media |
Kerry
Kennedy & RFK Center for Human Rights: Press Briefing at U.N. on
Liberian Crisis
Who:
Kerry Kennedy, Founder of the Robert F. Kennedy
Center for Human Rights; Todd Howland, Director of the RFK Center for
Human Rights; Abdelilah Kadili, Program Director of the Center's
Peace Building and
Rule of Law. Co-Sponsored
by the United Nations Correspondents Association,
and MaximsNews.com
Professor
Fariborz Fatemi, Professor William L. Robinson former Dean of University
of District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and Dean
Katherine S. Broderick of David A. Clarke School of Law
What:
Press Conference on the
Crisis in Liberia and the ongoing peace process: Recent Human Rights
Mission. The statement by
Kerry Kennedy will be followed by a Q & A session.
When:
Tuesday, 14 September 2004, 1:00 PM, ET.
Where: United Nations Correspondents Association Club, 3rd Floor, United Nations Secretariat Building, New York.
Why:
A recent journey for the Justice Delegation to Liberia by Kerry
Kennedy and The RFK Center for
Human Rights assessed the critical
situation and explored ways to assist its peace process and
re-construction.
“We
are very concerned about the peace process in Liberia,” said Kerry
Kennedy.
“Disarmament
and demobilization are the only focus. We must create an
environment for a free, fair and
democratic election -- the chains between the
militia and their leaders must be broken,” she said.
“Rehabilitation
and reintegration are crucial. The odds of success are diminishing
and partnerships with local NGOs must be developed if the ongoing
process is to succeed,” she said.
“The
U.N. must not only disarm the combatants, but ensure revenues
from natural resources presently extracted by members of warring
factions and forces of former government go into state coffers,
otherwise those warring factions will simply purchase more arms if the
elections do not go their way,” Kennedy
continued.
All
members of the Delegation expressed concern about the fragility and
precarious state of Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation and
Reinsertion (DDRR) and concerns about the implementation of the U.N.
peacekeeping mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
DDRR
is considered a major component of the peace process formalized by the
peace agreement signed by the warring parties in Accra, Ghana in August
2003 and UN Security Council Resolution 1509.
The mission of the RFK Center
for Human Rights is to support the human rights work of the Robert F.
Kennedy Human Rights Award Laureates and Social Justice Fellows.
Special
Note to Media:
Journalists
without U.N. accreditation must submit a letter requesting a day pass
from Mr. Abdellatif Kabbaj, Chief of the U.N. Media Accreditation &
Liaison Unit. Phone (212)
963-6934; Fax: (212) 963-4642. The letter should state that the
journalist wishes to cover an UNCA briefing.
The
full list of guests and journalists must be submitted to UNCA at least
24 hours before the event (or noon Friday, if the event is scheduled for
the following Monday). Anyone added at the last minute risks being
denied access by U.N. Security.
Guests
(who will be in the United Nations on an “escorted” pass) may not
leave the press section (the third and fourth floors of the Secretariat
Building) without being escorted by a member of UNCA.
Guests found outside this area by U.N. Security without an escort
are subject to immediate removal from U.N. grounds.
Journalists
must follow the instructions of the Media Office on access. Camera crews
are free to tape in the UNCA Club and immediately outside of
it, any other taping must be approved by the Media Office.
If guests have entered the U.N. as a group, that group must leave the U.N. together.
The Center implements
Robert F. Kennedy’s vision of social justice by promoting respect for full
spectrum of human rights, both in the United States and throughout the world.
The Center has consultative status with the United Nations.
The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award was established in 1984 to honor creative individuals who are, often at great personal risk, engaged in strategic and nonviolent efforts to overcome serious human rights violations.
Today, there are 34 RFK Laureates working in 20 countries.
Additional
Resources:
See, Liberian Crisis: Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights:
http://www.maximsnews.com/rfkmemorialcenterforhumanri.htm
See Kerry Kennedy’s photos and Email from Liberia
http://www.maximsnews.com/kerrykennedyafricajuly2004.htm
See Kerry Kennedy’s Biography
http://www.maximsnews.com/kerrykennedybio4sept2004.htm
-- 30 --
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