2nd LAWASIA Human Rights
Conference 2021
9 October 2021
Hosted online by the Korean Bar Association
Rediscovering and Reshaping Human Rights in a Post Pandemic World
A joint initiative between LAWASIA and the Korean Bar Association
LAWASIA's Human Rights Committee, in conjunction with the Korean Bar Association, is pleased to invite the participation of members and legal professionals at the 2nd LAWASIA Human Rights Conference to be held online in a virtual format on 9 October 2021.
This is the second LAWASIA Human Rights Conference, providing a unique opportunity for lawyers and associated professional members to exchange insights and expertise on topics of significant importance to all.
The conference will explore a broad range of human rights issues of relevance in the Asia Pacific region, including:
- Human Rights and COVID-19 in the Asia-Pacific Region
- Human Rights crisis in Myanmar
- Racial discrimination in the era of COVID-19
- Trends in freedom of expression regulations in the Asia-Pacific Region
- Emerging norms in climate change litigation
- Labour rights in a gig economy
- Gender Equality and Human Rights, towards Diversity and Inclusiveness
Download the conference programme here (Updated at 16:30AEDT, 8 October 2021)
View the conference presentations here
The 2nd LAWASIA Human Rights Conference is grateful for the support of the New York State Bar Association's International Section.
Event Details
Date: Saturday 9 October 2021
Cost: Complimentary and open to all
Time:
- 13:00 - 20:20 (Sydney/Canberra)
- 11:00 - 18:20 (Tokyo/Seoul)
- 10:00 - 17:20 (Hong Kong/Singapore/KL/Beijing/Taipei)
- 09:00 - 16:20 (Hanoi/Phnom Penh/Bangkok/Vientiane)
- 07:30 - 14:50 (Delhi/Colombo)
- 03:00 - 10:20 (London)
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OPENING CEREMONY 11:00 – 11:30 KST |
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PLENARY SESSION 11:30 – 12:30 KST Human Rights and COVID-19 in the Asia-Pacific Region COVID-19 is affecting every aspect of our lives. Regarding human rights, not only the right to health but also various civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights have been encroached upon by numerous restrictive measures. There is also this big issue of the lack of equitable access to vaccines. In these circumstances, we would like to discuss what has been done so far and what can be done together in the future to protect human rights. |
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SESSION 1 13:30 – 14:45 KST Human Rights Crisis in Myanmar Since the military coup on February 1, a widespread and systematic arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture and extrajudicial killings have been taking place in Myanmar by the military junta with no fair trial and due process in place. Lawyers face intimidation and threats even on a personal level and no guarantees of their right to defend are expected. In this session, we will examine the current situation in Myanmar from international human rights law perspective and seek practical ways for the enhancement of human rights situation in Myanmar. |
SESSION 2 13:30 – 14:45 KST Racial Discrimination in the era of COVID-19 COVID-19 Pandemic has dramatically changed the daily lifestyles of ours and has caused many social problems. Anti-Asian sentiment has been spreading all over the world and brutal hate crimes against Asians have been committed more often than before. Meanwhile, in South Korea, hostility towards expatriates has been growing rapidly and there has been a sharp increase in daily discrimination against them. In this session, various types of racial discrimination will be discussed in the era of COVID-19 and the solutions for preventing the discrimination will be sought. |
SESSION 3 15:00 – 16:15 KST Trends in freedom of expression regulations in the Asia-Pacific Region Over the past years, a number of regulations have been enacted or proposed across the APAC region that threaten freedom of expression, especially to tackle “fake news.” And many Asian countries still rank low on the World Press Freedom Index. In this session, we will discuss the trends of the freedom of expression regulations and the efforts of legal professionals in defending free speech in the region. |
SESSION 4 15:00 – 16:15 KST Emerging norms in climate change litigation In July 2021, 138,000 scientists signed on to an initiative declaring a worldwide climate emergency calling for governments around the world to stop using fossil fuels and strengthen biodiversity protection in the journal Bioscience. Despite a dip in pollution linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, levels of atmospheric CO2 and methane hit all-time highs in 2021, and it is a serious situation, not sufficient to respond to the climate change crisis. In this desperate situation, it is necessary to think deeply about how climate change is affecting human rights in a pandemic situation. |
SESSION 5 16:30 – 17:45 KST Labour Rights in a Gig Economy With the emergence of the gig or platform economy, it is often the case that certain protections and benefits that employee usually enjoy are not afforded to workers. This session explores the implications the recent transition has on labour rights as well as some information on the regulatory responses across the Asia Pacific region. |
SESSION 6 16:30 – 17:45 KST Gender Equality and Human Rights, towards Diversity and Inclusiveness Gender discrimination has always been the most common, nonetheless overlooked challenge of the modern civil society. As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to sear our daily lives, we have witnessed stronger resistance against movements towards diversity and inclusiveness. In this session, the panellists will share relevant experiences, renew existing commitments, and undertake new ones, identify the obstacles encountered and introduce best practices surrounding gender equality issues of the pandemic-scorched society. |
CLOSING CEREMONY 18:00-18:20 KST |
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3rd Meeting of the LAWASIA Human Rights Lawyers’ Network 18:20-19:20 KST The LAWASIA Human Rights Lawyers Network welcomes participation from any interested observers. |