McCain Institute Human Rights and Democracy Summit

The virtual event will take place in conjunction with the White House’s Summit for Democracy on December 9 – 10, 2021. The McCain Institute’s Human Rights and Democracy Summit will be split into two segments: ending forced labor and defending democracy.

The summit will be livestreamed on the McCain Institute Youtube page.

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Additional Details:

11:00 a.m. EST – Galvanizing Cooperation Among Democracies to End Forced Labor

Virtual Event | Organized by the McCain Institute for International Leadership, Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, and Humanity United | Held in the United States in English

Description: The right to fundamental freedoms, justice and dignity is at the very core of democracy. The perpetuation of slavery, through forced labor, child labor, human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, of nearly 25 million people is an affront to democratic values. Join the McCain Institute, the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery and Humanity United for a conversation with civil society and government leaders from democracies taking steps to eliminate forced labor from their countries and global supply chains.

View the panel’s official page on the Summit 4 Democracy website.

Participants:

• Secretary Martin Walsh – U.S. Department of Labor

• Ambassador Katherine Tai – United States Trade Representative

• James Kofi Annan – Founder and President, Challenging Heights

• Heidi Hautula – Member of European Parliament

• Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne – Senate of Canada

• Leonardo Sakamoto – President, Repórter Brasil

• Ambassador Josette Sheeran – Executive Chairman, McCain Institute for International Leadership

• Philippe Sion – Managing Director, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking, Humanity United

• Alex Thier – CEO, Global Fund to End Modern Slavery

Submit questions for the panelists here.

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12:30 p.m. EST – The Perils of Defending Democracy: Perspectives from Around the World

Virtual Event | Organized by the McCain Institute for International Leadership | Held in the United States in English

Description: Democratic norms and human rights are under attack around the world and human rights defenders are at grave risk. The McCain Institute is convening journalists and activists from Russia, Turkey, and Venezuela to share the threats they face, their first-hand experiences, and their expectations of the U.S. government.

Participants:

• Barış Altıntaş (Turkey) – Journalist and civil society professional. Founding president and co-director of the Istanbul-based Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA)

• Roman Badanin (Russia) – John S. Knight Senior International Fellow at Stanford University, and the founder and editor-in-chief of the recently established investigative media outlet Agentstvo (agents.media) and former editor-in-chief of investigative outlet Proekt

• Carla Angola Rodríguez (Venezuela) – Multimedia journalist with a career spanning over 20 years and millions of followers on social media

• Paul Fagan – Director of the Human Rights and Democracy programs for the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University

Additional speakers may be added