In commemorating the National Human Rights Day, which was on the 21st of March 2017, the Isipingo Secondary School held a special School Assembly where ACCORD was invited to speak on human rights to the pupils. Isipingo Secondary, is located in Isipingo Hills which is South of Durban, South Africa. The program for this special commemoration assembly included one of the students reciting a poem they had written on human rights, a speech on human rights and what it means for young people and the announcing of the human rights poster competition poster winner.
ACCORD was represented by Mr Shelton Lincoln George – who previously served as Assistant Director within the Department of International Relations and Cooperation: Multilateral Branch, Chief Directorate Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, and is currently a Researcher at ACCORD Development Consulting (ADC) – spoke to the pupils about the interdependence between democracy and human rights.
The conversation highlighted two dimensions; first, the impact of slavery, European Colonialism and Apartheid on the struggle for democracy and human rights; and second, on National, regional and global institutional based responses that have emerged to promote and protect people’s rights and freedoms.
ACCORD’s involvement in this activity is in line with its goal to contribute towards peaceful resolution of disputes through identifying knowledge gaps and implementing programming related to capacity building and advocacy to prevent conflict in Africa.
