TIME AND PLACE

2nd of November 2016, 10.00AM-5.00PM

Borups Højskole Frederiksholms Kanal 24

1220 København K Denmark

Afrika Kontakt and a broad coalition of Danish political youth organisations invite you to take part in a one-day hearing with focus on the conflict in Western Sahara and the role of the Nordic countries. Our goal is to put Western Sahara on the political agenda of the Nordic Countries and actively work together across the Nordic countries towards a lasting international political solution to the problems in the region. The hearing will be structured with three different rounds, each consisting of one key topic related to the Western Sahara conflict; legal rights, human rights and natural resources. In each round, Danish and international experts will briefly present their experiences regarding the theme in focus, followed by a discussion facilitated by a debate committee and the audience.

TENTATIVE PROGRAM

10.00-10.15 Arrival

10.15-10.30 Welcome

10.30-10.45 Introduction by Kurt Mosgaard

LEGAL RIGHTS

10.45-11.25 Legal rights panel presentation

11.25-12.10 Questions and discussion

12.10-12.50 Lunch

HUMAN RIGHTS

Kl. 12.50-13.20 Human rights panel presentation

Kl. 13.20-14.25 Questions and discussion

Kl. 14.25-14.35 Break

NATURAL RESOURCES

14.35-15.05 Natural resources panel presentation

15.05-15.50 Questions and discussion

15.50-16.00 Break

16.00-16.45 Political panel debate

16.45-17.00 Goodbye

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

INTRODUCTION 
Kurt Mosgaard, former UN Force Commander for MINURSO from 2005-2007 and the acting Head of Mission 2006-2007. He played a leading role in the establishment of the present program to remove mines and unexploded ordinance from Western Sahara. Kurt Mosgaard continues to monitor and lecture on the conflict from an impartial standpoint.

LEGAL RIGHTS
Carlos Ruiz Miguel, Professor in Constitutional Law, Spain
Anna Abrahamsson, President of Nordic Youth Council, Sweden
Pedro Pinto Leite, The International Platform of Jurists for East Timor, Portugal
Manuel Devers, currently pursuing a PhD at Sorbonne Law School and works as a consultant in international law. He advised the Ministry of Justice of Palestine on legal matters relating to the International Criminal Court and drafted several opinions for Foreign governments and NGOs willing to litigate international law claims before French courts and EU courts, France

HUMAN RIGHTS
Aminatou Haidar, human rights defender and president of CODESA, Western Sahara
David McKean, Asia program officer Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Centre, USA

NATURAL RESOURCES
Erik Hagen, Western Sahara Resource Watch, Norway
Manuel Devers, currently pursuing a PhD at Sorbonne Law School and works as a consultant in international law. He advised the Ministry of Justice of Palestine on legal matters relating to the International Criminal Court and drafted several opinions for Foreign governments and NGOs willing to litigate international law claims before French courts and EU courts, France
Morten Nielsen, Head of Secretariat at Afrika Kontakt, Denmark

The hearing is the result of a collaboration between DSU (Social Democratic Youth), SFU (Socialist People’s Party Youth), LAU (Liberal Alliance Youth), RU (Social Liberal Youth), Alternativets Ungdom (The Alternative Youth), SUF (Socialist Youth Front) and Afrika Kontakt.