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2019 USHRN Accomplishments

Dec 18, 2019

2019 USHRN ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Briefing on Extreme Poverty in the United States: (January)
- USHRN participated in a congressional briefing on the United Nations Report on Extreme Poverty in the United States, produced by the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Professor Philip Alston.
- Experts and advocates discuss the implications of the Special Rapporteur’s findings on the work of the 116th Congress to address poverty and inequality in the United States.
- During this trip, USHRN discussed human rights concerns with Congresswoman Deb Haaland’s staff

CSW63 (March)
- USHRN Delegation of 9 women of color
- Statement on the Status of Women and Girls of African Descent presented by USHRN member Dr. Yolande Tomlinson from the Organization for Human Rights and Democracy (March 14)
- Side event: Indigenous Women: Spiritual Rights and Responsibilities, highlighted the advocacy work of members and attendees Chief Caleen Sisk of the Winnemem Wintu tribe of Northern California, and Pua Case at Mauna Kea Education and Awareness in Hawai'i
- USHRN participated in Expert Meeting on the Rights of Indigenous Women under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

UNPFII (April)
- USHRN Delegation of 5 activists
- Delegation members Tai Pelli and Sachem Hawk Storm participated in Tribal Link Foundation’s 15th annual intensive 3-day intensive training program entitled Project Access Global Capacity Building Training Workshop for Indigenous Peoples
- Media Zone talk at the Forum on the rise of nationalism and populism and their impacts on Indigenous Peoples. USHRN Members Tai Pelli, Sachem Hawk Storm, and Joshua Cooper were panelists while Roberto Borrero moderated the discussion.
- Side Event: Violence against Indigenous Women in the World of Work (in partnership with CWGL)

INPAD/IDPAD
- Participated in a multi-stakeholder consultation on the modalities, format and substantive and procedural aspects of the new United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent in Geneva (May)
- Prior to the consultation, USHRN led the development of a Consensus Proposal on the Permanent Forum which was presented to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The proposal was signed by 118 NGOs from across Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and North America.
- Launched IDPAD.org
- Coordinated an educational webinar on Juneteenth around IDPAD
- Coordinated monthly INPAD calls to facilitate advocacy around the Permanent Forum and Declaration since August
- Advocated around the UNGA via MIPAD events, and meetings/consultations with stakeholders
- USHRN Deputy Director participated in Africa Regional Meeting in Dakar, Senegal, delivered a joint statement calling for Pan-African unity
- Coordinated and led monthly PAD Working Group calls to encourage engagement around the IDPAD since August
- Organized the Mid-Decade Summit (November)

UPR
- Launched UPR2020.org
- UPR Taskforce Webinar (1)
- USHRN Coordinating Center Webinars (8)
- Facilitated stakeholder report writing and submissions (34 reports)
- Compiled and submitted USHRN Executive Summary
- Launched fundraising initiative to send delegation to Geneva
- Launched #TellTheWorld visual storytelling competition

Mauna Kea Campaign
- Began engagement around the issue with Pua Case traveling to CSW63 as part of our delegation, and hosting the side-event on Indigenous issues
- Launched a petition in July to stop the 30-meter-telescope, and got 50 organizations to sign on
- Delivered the petition to Hawai’i government; USHRN facilitated a phone call with Mayor Harry Kim to pressure him to stand against the telescope
- USHRN traveled to Mauna Kea in August to stand with Protectors; delivered a statement at a press conference organized by the Protectors
- Submitted formal communications to the UN to request deescalation at Mauna Kea
- Expert Member of UNPFII Tarcila Rivera Zea released a public letter on Mauna Kea in September

Educational Webinars/Calls: (26)
- UPR Webinars (9)
- PAD/Juneteenth Reparations Webinar (1)
- National PAD Working Group Calls (4)
- CERD Taskforce Webinar (2)
- ICCPR Taskforce Webinar (1)
- HRC update calls (2)
- CWGL: Ending violence at work (1)
- Anti-immigrant attacks (1)
- Bi-monthly Membership Calls (5)

Petitions:
- (Lead) Tell the United Nations to investigate U.S. human rights violations of asylum seekers
- (Lead) ICCPR Task Force calls on DRL to draft US Fifth Periodic Report
- (Lead) Stop the Thirty Meter Telescope project from desecrating Mauna Kea
- (Signatory) 80+ organizations urge Secretary of State to invite Special Rapporteur on Racism to US
- (Signatory) Open letter to UN Member States regarding funding cuts to human rights expert bodies
- (Signatory) Calling on the Trump Administration to disband the dangerous new “Commission on Unalienable Rights”
- (Signatory) Request for Comprehensive In Loco Visit to the US-Mexico Border
- (Signatory) Urge Congress to #SaveAsylum and end the Remain in Mexico Program

Events:
- Chicago Regional Membership Meeting (March)
- ICCPR Task Force briefing in Geneva (March)
- Atlanta Human Rights Cities Convening (April)
- Mid-Decade Summit on the IDPAD (November)
- Official partner for:
- Indigenous Peoples March
- Women's March

Network Responses issued: (14)

  1. Statement on a Declaration of National Emergency to Build Trump’s Border Wall
  2. USHRN opposes the perpetuation of racial bias in unregulated facial recognition software
  3. USHRN denounces Donald Trump’s attacks on Representative Ilhan Omar
  4. USHRN condemns Chabad of Poway synagogue shooting
  5. USHRN opposes restricting abortion, affirms nation’s obligation to protect the human right to safe and legal abortion
  6. USHRN opposes Donald Trump’s nomination of Kelly Craft as next United Nations Ambassador
  7. USHRN calls for immediate payment of all UN member States’ dues to secure vital funding for human rights treaty bodies
  8. USHRN objects to new human rights commission based on “natural law;” affirms sexual freedom and the rights of LGBTI and GNC communities
  9. USHRN applauds the human rights victory at the border: Tucson jury fails to indict activist and humanitarian aid provider Scott Warren
  10. USHRN demands an end to cruel family separation and inhumane child detention at the US-Mexico border
  11. We must defend reproductive healthcare and fight the Title X gag rule
  12. Another police officer walks, but the fight is not over. We stand for Eric Garner
  13. Trump must denounce white nationalist domestic terrorism
  14. “We are not safe in Fort Worth.” Justice for Atatiana Jefferson.