World Human Rights Cities Forum 2021

From September-October 2021, the ASEAN Youth Forum (AYF) in collaboration with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) created platforms to accommodate youth voices on the issue of Human Rights and Climate Change to be presented during the Youth Talk session on 11th World Human Rights Cities Forum (7 October 2022).

The World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF) is held as an annual event in Gwangju, Republic of Korea, to realize the vision of becoming a human rights city since 2011. The Forum has become a gathering place to share the spirit of justice and community, the same values under which the citizens of Gwangju resisted against the ruthless oppression of the then military regime in May 1980. Within the WHRCF participants exchange experiences on challenges and achieve successes on human rights especially at local level while expanding their own scope of understanding. Now, the Forum has become a major human rights event and distinctive platform for sharing and networking amongst human rights cities, human rights organizations, activists, and miscellaneous stakeholders in the area of human rights.

Prior to the WHRCF Youth Talk Session, AYF and RWI organized 2 Focus Group Discussions to build youth capacity and provide space for youth to formulate their recommendations:

Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on 25 September 2021 on the topic of Human Rights and the Environment

Featured a presentation by RWI’s Program Officer Victor Bernard on Human Rights and Environmental Sustainability followed by a breakout room session where youths shared about the most problematic issue on environment-related human rights and shared their recommendations to ASEAN, local governments, NGO, CSO, the private sector and the wider youth communities.

Energy Breakout Room

Organic Breakout Room

Rainbow Breakout Room

Sunshine Breakout Room

Victor Bernard - Speaker

FGD on 26 September 2021 on the topic of Climate Change and Human Mobility: Its Impact on Cities

Featured a presentation by RWI Programme Officer Sri Aryani followed by a breakout room session where youths shared about the most problematic issue of urban displacement and shared their recommendations to ASEAN, local governments, NGO, CSO, the private sector, and the wider youth communities.

Breakout Room Energy

Breakout Room Organic

Breakout Room Rainbow

Breakout Room Sunshine

Sri Riyani

Here are some of the highlights from the FGD participants...

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Finally, Youth Talk on the 11th World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF) was held online via Zoom on 7 October 2021.

The Youth Talk Session featured a presentation of youth recommendations from Southeast Asia and South Asia and a panel discussion to discuss the ways forward with Youth representatives from Southeast and South Asia, RWI representatives, and government officials.