wfn.org | CWS' Jessica Eby to speak at refugee rights and policy conference

["Lesley Crosson" <lcrosson@churchworldservice.org>]

>Church World Service
>475 Riverside Drive
>New York, New York 10115

>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CWS' Jessica Eby to speak at refugee rights and policy conference

NEW YORK, June 17, 2009- Jessica Eby, Protection Officer of
humanitarian agency Church World Service, will speak at The Advocates
for Human Rights' seventh annual Human Rights Law and Policy Conference
on Monday, June 22, 2009 in Minneapolis , Minn. at the law firm of
Dorsey & Whitney, LLP. The conference, Refugee Protection around the
World: Durable Solutions or Durable Suffering?, will bring together
international, national and local experts and advocates to examine the
current refugee protection system, its shortcomings, and possible
long-term solutions. Beginning at 8:30a.m. and ending at 5:00p.m.,
morning plenary sessions and a panel of experts will address topics such
as international refugee law, the refugee experience from a personal
perspective, internally displaced persons, the outsourcing of refugee
protection, refugee “warehousing,” local integration,  forced
repatriation, and refugee resettlement in the United States.

Drawing from several contexts--including the situations of refugees
from Afghanistan, Burma, and Colombia--Eby will share case studies from
Church World Service work to illustrate opportunities for and challenges
to accomplishing the durable solutions of integration, voluntary
repatriation or resettlement for refugees.

Eby's presentation also will include discussion around protracted
refugee situations and refugee “warehousing.”

The afternoon plenary sessions will include the topics of Darfur and
Sudanese refugees, as well as international refugee protection
mechanisms. These discussions will lay the framework for afternoon
working sessions that will focus on two refugee case studies (Sudan and
Liberia), in which participants will brainstorm viable alternatives to
improve the refugee protection system and ideas to mobilize for change.

Other conference speakers include: Mamadee Sesay; Michael
Barringer-Mills, Field Support Manager at American Refugee Committee;
Mark Hetfield, Senior Vice President for Policy and Programs at the
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society; Ellen Kennedy, Interim Director at the
Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies; Bradley H. Lehrman, Attorney
at Lommen, Abdo, Cole, King & Stageberg, P.A.; Dr. Sima Samar,
Chairperson of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and U.N.
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan; and
Colleen Beebe, Michele Garnett McKenzie, Jennifer Prestholdt, and Laura
Young of The Advocates for Human Rights.

Along with The Advocates for Human Rights and Dorsey & Whitney, LLP,
seventeen national and local organizations are sponsoring the
conference, including the American Refugee Committee, Aronson &
Associates, P.A., Catholic Charities, the Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies, Church World Service, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., the
Genocide Intervention Network-Minnesota, The Hebrew Immigrant Aid
Society (HIAS), the Human Rights Center, the Human Rights Program and
the Office of International Programs of the University of Minnesota, the
International Institute of Minnesota, Lutheran Social Service of
Minnesota, the Midwest Coalition for Human Rights, the Minnesota
Interfaith Darfur Coalition, and World Relief Minnesota.

Church World Service is the relief, development and refugee assistance
agency supported by 35 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican denominations
in the United States.
CWS' Immigration and Refugee Program resettles about 8,000 refugees and
entrants in the United States each year and also helps meet the needs of
people in protracted refugee situations and refugees returning home.

The Advocates for Human Rights is a non-governmental, 501(c)(3)
organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of
internationally recognized human rights. With the help of over 600
volunteers, The Advocates investigates and expose
s human rights
violations; represents immigrants and refugees in our community who are
victims of human rights abuses, trains and assists groups that protect
human rights; and works through education and advocacy in Minnesota to
engage the public, policy makers and children about human rights and
cultural understanding. The Advocates for Human Rights holds Special
Consultative Status with the United Nations.

For further information, please contact The Advocates or visit the
website at
www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org.

Media Contacts

The Advocates:  Colleen Beebe, Director of Education, (w) 612-341-3302, ext. 114,
beebe@advrights.org Robin Phillips, Executive Director, (w) 612-341-3302, ext. 109
rphillips@advrights.org

Church World Service   Lesley Crosson, (212) 870-2676, media@churchworldservice.org
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