9:00-9:15     Welcome 

Robin Phillips, Executive Director, The Advocates for Human Rights

9:15-10:30   Keynote Address                        

William F. Schulz, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and former Executive Director of Amnesty International USA

10:30-10:45 Break

10:45-12:00 Workshops 1 & 2

Workshop 1: Women and Human Rights
This panel will discuss the evolution of the women’s human rights movement by examining The Advocates’ work on the impact of domestic violence on refugee and immigrant battered women in Minnesota.  Panelists will discuss the development of traditional and innovative human rights strategies to create system change.
Panelists:
Angela Bortel, Staff Attorney, The Advocates for Human Rights
Alena Chaps, Program Assistant, The Advocates for Human Rights
Mary Ellingen, Staff Attorney, The Advocates for Human Rights  

Workshop 2: Conflict and Human Rights
This workship will address how conflict leads to human rights violations, what populations are particularly vulnerable, and how human rights law and concepts have been used to prevent and help communities or societies recover from conflict. Panelists will discuss what steps societies and governments can take to decrease the opportunity for human rights violations and how to heal from such situations.
Panelists:
Monte Achenbach, American Refugee Committee
Ahmed Sirleaf, Program Associate, The Advocates for Human Rights
Linda L. Nielsen, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W., International Programs Clinical Consultant, Center for Victims of Torture

12:00-1:00  Lunch

• Book Signing by William F. Schulz
  
• Launching of The Advocates for Human Rights’ Discover Human Rights Institute

1:00-2:15    Plenary Address

Peggy Hicks, International Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch

2:15-2:30    Break

2:30-3:45    Workshops 3 & 4

Workshop 3: Using Domestic and International Law to Advocate for Human Rights
This workshop will use case studies to provide practical information on how to use United States domestic law, and regional and international human rights laws and protection mechanisms to advocates for human rights. Panelists will discuss protecting first amendment rights using the U.S. constitution, protecting rights using the African human rights system, and protecting rights using treaty-based Shadow Reporting mechanisms.
Panelists:
Thomas Tinkham, Partner, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Korir Sing’Oei, Executive Director, Centre for Minority Rights Development (Cemiride)
Mark Girouard, Associate, Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson

Workshop 4: Human Rights Issues for the 21st Century
In the context of globalization, panelists will discuss the intersection of human rights and trade, security and the environment.
 
Panelists:
Steve Suppan, Senior Policy Analyst, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Llewellyn Hille, Minnesota Organizer, Oxfam America

3:45-4:00 Evaluation