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| Maina Kiai, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association. |
THE former Kenya Human Rights Commissioner chairman Maina Kiai will address a top UN panel on Monday.
Kiai, who is a UN Special Rapporteur will lead a discussion on the "support for civil society in the face of shrinking space globally. The panel will be chaired by US President Barrack Obama
According to a press release issued yesterday, the panel will be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and other heads of state are also expected to attend. “It is a great honor to be invited to address this distinguished group. It is also a great opportunity – a chance to directly address these leaders on the most pressing issues confronting civil society globally. “This is an ideal forum to urge the governments of the world to recognize and cement the role that civil society plays in political, civic, economic and social development,” Kiai said.
Kiai’s speech, titled “Sounding the Alarm: emerging threats to civil society and the need for a coordinated international response,” is expected to focus on emerging areas of concern, particularly governmental restrictions on funding for civil society and the shrinking space for civil society during election periods.
Kiai’s most recent report –which was just released publicly this week – focuses on a growing trend towards human rights violations and abuses being committed against those who exercise or seek to exercise their assembly and association rights in the context of elections.
“In recent years we’ve seen new and innovative manifestations of the freedoms of assembly and expression,” Kiai said. “Unfortunately, we’ve also seen authorities develop new and innovative ways of shrinking the space for people to assemble and associate in response.”
Kiai is the UN special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, a position he has held since May 2011.
Kiai, who is a UN Special Rapporteur will lead a discussion on the "support for civil society in the face of shrinking space globally. The panel will be chaired by US President Barrack Obama
According to a press release issued yesterday, the panel will be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and other heads of state are also expected to attend. “It is a great honor to be invited to address this distinguished group. It is also a great opportunity – a chance to directly address these leaders on the most pressing issues confronting civil society globally. “This is an ideal forum to urge the governments of the world to recognize and cement the role that civil society plays in political, civic, economic and social development,” Kiai said.
Kiai’s speech, titled “Sounding the Alarm: emerging threats to civil society and the need for a coordinated international response,” is expected to focus on emerging areas of concern, particularly governmental restrictions on funding for civil society and the shrinking space for civil society during election periods.
Kiai’s most recent report –which was just released publicly this week – focuses on a growing trend towards human rights violations and abuses being committed against those who exercise or seek to exercise their assembly and association rights in the context of elections.
“In recent years we’ve seen new and innovative manifestations of the freedoms of assembly and expression,” Kiai said. “Unfortunately, we’ve also seen authorities develop new and innovative ways of shrinking the space for people to assemble and associate in response.”
Kiai is the UN special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, a position he has held since May 2011.
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