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 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2002: OVERVIEW OF EVENTS The 2002 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held in Seattle, Washington April 19-21, 2002 at the Renaissance Madison Hotel. Members will review, discuss, and vote on resolutions for strategic planning, international concerns, organizational development and initiatives for action. The special focus will be "Reframing Globalization: The Challenge for Human Rights." Featured speakers and contributors will be Mary Robinson, Rodolfo Montiel Flores, Irene Khan, and directors from 0xfam America, Food First, and the Ford Foundation. Friday, April 19, 2002 The Welcoming Plenary will present a keynote address from Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, videotaped for AIUSA members. There will also be a special celebration of freedom and courage, profiling the case of recently released Mexican environmental defenders Rodolfo Montiel Flores and Teodoro Cabrera Garcia. Activists involved in this important case will speak about the incredible and relentless activism of Amnesty members working in collaboration with other human rights and environmental groups around the world. Following the Welcoming Plenary, the AGM will present its first "Open House" Reception. This will be a great opportunity to become more familiar with volunteer leaders and staff, other activist members, and the diversity of AIUSA programs. We regret to announce that we have to cancel plans to organize the benefit concert planned for Friday, April 19 at the Experience Music Project. In spite of several promising leads and the best efforts of all involved in the recruitment of talent, we have not been able to secure the commitment and participation of artists who would have been appropriate and available for this kind of event and venue. We will try to be as resourceful and creative as possible to come up with alternative arrangements for Friday night! Keep your eye on the AGM website for updates... Saturday, April 20, 2002 Saturday activities will begin with the AGM focus plenary, "Reframing Globalization: The Challenge for Human Rights." This will be a facilitated panel discussion with several leading figures in the globalization debates representing different perspectives and constituencies. The panel will discuss the impact of economic globalization on human rights worldwide and explore how the AI movement can partner with social movements to create a central role for human rights in an increasingly complex world community. Panel members:
Saturday afternoon activities include informal Brown Bag Lunches with AIUSA programs and the Board Candidates Forum, an opportunity to meet and discuss issues with candidates for the upcoming 2002 Board elections. Panels at AGM 2002 will be presented in two sessions on Saturday and Sunday morning. Saturday topics include protecting human rights environmentalist defenders; economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights; the impact of globalization on Women’s Rights; global perspectives on death penalty abolition; and the globalization of justice. This year the AGM will provide Caucuses for both student and local group members. These are opportunities to develop strategies, exchange information, discuss ideas, ask questions, and network with members from all parts of the country. The AGM International Guest Reception will take place Saturday evening at El Centro de la Raza, an organization that empowers and services the Chicano / Latino community in the Seattle / King County area. The reception will also launch an exhibition of photographs by Colorado activist Jonathan Moller. This important exhibition presents powerful photographs memorializing the genocide of more than 200,000 citizens by the Guatemalan military. Unforgettable images of unmarked graves and exhumations of men, women, and children, offer provocative testimony to Guatemala's tragic history and the ongoing work for justice, truth and reconciliation. Transportation from the AGM hotel, food and entertainment will be provided.
Sunday, April 21, 2002 Sunday morning will begins with a final series of panels. Topics include: corporate social responsibility and human rights; the upcoming Russia Campaign; how AI is responding to Sept 11 and its aftermath; identity-based discrimination and the World Conference Against Racism, and the AIDS Pandemic. Revised AGM Resolutions from working parties will be deliberated in the Voting Plenary. The AGM Closing Plenary will follow, featuring a presentation of the Ginetta Sagan Fund. The plenary will conclude with remarks by Irene Khan, new Secretary General of Amnesty International. Please note the late closing when booking flights. In tandem with other Earth Day activities, local AI activists will present a teach-in on globalization at nearby Town Hall after the AGM closes. The teach-in will include a networking session bringing together a broad range of individuals and groups working on issues related to globalization, the environment and human rights.
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