Chair: Judith Dueck

8:30 – 9:00. Registration. Coffee, Tea and Muffins.

9:00 – 9:40 Introduction and Stories. Judith Dueck. Brief vignettes that frame some human rights issues for discussion. Articles below refer to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which is included in the consultation handouts.

Story 1: Conscientious objection and freedom of religion . Ken Reddig, Mennonite Brethren Archives. Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Story 2. Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples in Canada.  Harley and Sue Eagle, MCC. Articles 2 & 22. Indigenous and Tribal People's Convention and International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. 

Story 3: Freedom from persecution and asylum.  Mukai Muza, MCC. Article 14:1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.   

Story 4: Right to Food and adequate standard of living. Carole Samdup, Rights & Democracy. Article 25:1a. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services.  

9:45 –10:30 What are human rights? Session chair: Judith Dueck.

Speaker:  Ismael Muvingi, Conflict Resolution Studies, Menno Simons College. Discussion to follow presentation.

10:30-10:45 Break

10:45-11:45 Mennonite Historical Understandings and experiences of Human Rights.

Speaker: Dr. Royden Loewen, Chair in Mennonite Studies, University of Winnipeg. Session chair: Esther Epp-Tiessen, MCC. Discussion to follow presentation.

11:45 – 12:30 Lunch

12:30 – 1:30 Biblical and Theological Understandings of Human Rights.

Speaker: Dr. Chris Huebner, Biblical and Theological Studies, CMU. Session chair: Kenton Lobe, Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Discussion to follow presentation.

1:30 – 1:35 Short stretch break. Wendy Kroeker

1:40 – 3:40 Practical Implications: New Lenses? Looking at Human Rights.

Speaker: Tim Wichert, Refugee Lawyer, Jackman and Associates. Session chair: Dean Peachey, Menno Simons College.

1:45 – 2:15 Presentation: Tim Wichert

Refreshments: 2:15 - 2:30

2:30 – 3:25 Small group discussions. Given the days comments and the input from Tim, how might a human rights lens affect Mennonite responses to the stories heard earlier?

Story 1 - Judith Dueck (Ken Reddig). Freedom of religion

Story 2 - Esther-Epp Tiessen (Harley / Sue Eagle). Aboriginal rights

Story 3 - Peter Rempel (Mukai Muza). Freedom from persecution and right to asylum

Story 4 - Kenton Lobe (Carole Samdup). Right to health, food and adequate standard of living

3:30 - 3:45: Reflections: Tim Wichert

3:45 – 4:20 Where to from Here? Session chair: Peter Rempel.

• Other human rights and related initiatives in Winnipeg.
• Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Kim Jasper.
• Discussion of possible conference and human rights working groups forward?

4:20 – 4:30 Concluding Comments. Judith Dueck.

* * * * * *

Sponsors:

Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society, in cooperation with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

Mennonites and Human Rights Committee:

Dean Peachey, Kenton Lobe, Ray Dirks, Judith Dueck, Anna Ens, Esther Epp-Tiessen, Peter Rempel, Wendy Kroeker.

Rapporteur: Esther Epp-Tiessen with assistance from Angela Klassen

A few Human Rights Resources:

• Human Rights Documents http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/index.htm
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights. http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/eng.htm
• International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/cerd.htm 
• Indigenous and Tribal People's Convention http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/indigenous.htm
• Tim Wichert. A Mennonite Human Rights Paradigm http://www.mcc.org/peacetheology/Wichert.pdf
• At Peace and Unafraid: Public Order, Security and the Wisdom of the Cross, edited by Gerald Schlabach and Duane Friesen.
• Christopher Marshall. Crowned with Glory and Honor: Human rights in the biblical tradition.
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rights-human/
• Overview and Indicators for economic, cultural and social rights (health, labour, food etc.). http://www.huridocs.org/othtools.htm#escrtools
• HuriSearch. THE HUMAN RIGHTS SEARCH ENGINE. Full text searches the websites of 3000 human rights and related organizations. www.hurisearch.org. Includes civil and political rights as well as economic, cultural and social rights.