Global leaders to speak at Copenhagen 2021 Human Rights Forum

More than 60 speakers announced for our Human Rights Forum

Global leaders to speak at Copenhagen 2021 Human Rights Forum

23 July 2021

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium Petra de Sutter, Iceland’s President Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson and EU Commissioner Helena Dalli are among more than 60 speakers confirmed for the six-day Human Rights Forum taking place next month as part of Copenhagen 2021 WorldPride and EuroGames.

The Forum runs from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 August and comprises six events focused on different aspects of LGBTI+ equality and human rights worldwide. An opening event at UN City in Copenhagen is followed by a three-day Human Rights Conference, a Summit on Refugees, Borders and Immigration, and a meeting of parliamentarians from around the world at the Danish parliament. A public human rights event – the 1:1 Democracy Festival – takes place over six days.

Organised around ten thematic topics, the Forum aims to set the agenda for advocacy for global LGBTI+ equality over the next decade.

More than a thousand participants will join the various events, which are being organised in accordance with government regulations. And because travel restrictions prevent many people travelling to Denmark and Sweden, many events are being live-streamed to a global audience who can interact and participate in sessions. Free VPN licenses are available to activists in hostile environments to enable their safer participation.

Approximately 75% of speakers are expected to attend in person. Those that cannot travel will join events via digital links.

More speakers will be announced over the next three weeks.

Hosts

  • Karen Ellemann, Member and Deputy Speaker of the Danish Parliament will be master of ceremonies at the Official Opening of the Human Rights Forum taking place at UN City.
  • Terry Reintke, Member of the European Parliament and Co-President of the LGBTI Intergroup and Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, founder of UK Black Pride and Executive Director of the Kaleidoscope Trust, will co-host the opening plenary of the Human Rights Conference.
  • Sara Louise Muhr, Professor at Copenhagen Business School, will host the Workplace Inclusion Day.
  • Alice Bah Kuhnke, Member of the European Parliament and Ulrika Westerlund, Project Leader at the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society, will co-host the Refugees, Borders & Immigration Summit.
  • Ulrike Lunacek, former Vice President of the European Parliament, will host the Sports Leader Conference and also be master of ceremonies at the Interparliamentary Plenary Assembly at Christiansborg Palace.

Read more.

Opening Event at UN City

Speakers include:

  • Flemming Møller Mortensen, Minister for Development Cooperation and Minister for Nordic Cooperation, Denmark  
  • Michelle Bachelet, UN Under-Secretary-General and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 
  • Dr. Natalia Kanem, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)  
  • Ulrika Modéer, Assistant Secretary General & Director of Bureau of External Relations & Advocacy, UNDP. (TBC) 
  • Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
  • Victor Madrigal-Borloz, HRC Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity 

Click for event information.

Human Rights Conference

Speakers include:

  • EU Commissioner Helena Dalli, European Union Commissioner for Equality
  • Minister of Equality Ms. Moreno, Minister of Equality of France
  • Michelle Bachelet, UN Under-Secretary-General and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
  • CoE Deputy Secretary General Björn Berge, Deputy Secretary General, Council of Europe
  • Minister of Culture and Equality in Norway, Abid Raja 
  • Tuisina Ymania Brown, International Advisory Board Member Copenhagen 2021 
  • Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
  • President Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, President of Iceland
  • First Lady Elize Reid, First Lady of Iceland
  • OAS Commissioner Flavia Piovesan, Organization of American States Commissioner and Independent SOGI Expert of the Inter-American Court for Human Rights
  • CoE Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
  • Secretary General Salla Saastamoinen, DG Justice and Consumers, European Commission
  • Michael O’Flaherty, Director, European Union Fundamental Rights Agency
  • Lord Herbert, United Kingdom Special Envoy for LGBTI+

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Workplace Inclusion Day

Speakers include:

  • Petra de Sutter, Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium
  • Ulf Hahnemann, CHRO for Maersk
  • Torbjörn Wahlborg, D&I Officer and Vice President Business Area Generation for Vattenfall
  • Annika Zawadzki, Managing Director & Partner & Lead LGBTI network for Europe, BCG.
  • Margot Slattery, Group Head of Diversity and Inclusion at ISS.
  • Peter Hummelgaard, Minister of Equality and Equal Opportunities in Denmark
  • Alexandre Stutzmann, Senior Advisor to the President of the U.N. General Assembly

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Interparliamentary Plenary Assembly

Speakers include:

  • President Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, President of Iceland
  • Minister Peter Hummelgaard, Minister of Employment and form Equality of Denmark
  • Victor Madrigal-Borloz, HRC Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
  • Over 120 elected officials physically present from all over the world including Pakistan, Uganda, Belize, Kenya, the Dominican Republic, Peru and Jamaica. Also including official delegations from Poland, USA, UK, Israel and Belgium 

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Refugees, Borders & Immigration Summit

Speakers include:

  • Victor Madrigal-Borloz, UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity 
  • Eliza Reid, the First Lady of Iceland 
  • Carina Nilsson, Mayor of Malmö 
  • Ryan Joseph Figueiredo, Founder and Executive Director for Equal Asia Foundation 
  • Eirene Chen, independent Specialist, SOGIESC Forced Displacement 
  • Kimahli Powell, Executive Director of Rainbow Railroad 
  • Micheal O’Flaherty, Director of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency 
  • Danilo Manzano, Director of the Diverse Dialogue Organization 
  • Justin Hilton, Founder Safe Place International and Safe Place Greece  
  • Steve Roth, Executive Director of ORAM – Organization for Refuge, Asylum & Migration 
  • Dr. S. Chelvan, Head of Immigration and Public Law, 33 Bedford Row Chambers 
  • Vanilla Hussien, Refugee Trans Initiative 
  • Devon Matthews, Director of Programs at Rainbow Railroad 
  • Mariano Ruiz, Project Coordinator at Fundación AMAL Argentina
  • Aino Gröndahl, Lawyer, specialized in SOGIESC asylum law 
  • Wilson Tasurarira, PASSOP Programmes Manager
  • Miriam Gleckman-Krut, Sociology PhD candidate at the University of Michigan 

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1:1 Democracy Festival

Speakers include:

  • Minister Thomas Blomqvist, Minister for equality and nordic cooperation, Finland
  • Peter Hummelgaard, Minister for equality, Denmark
  • Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister, Iceland
  • Märta Stenevi, Minister for Equality, Sweden
  • Abid Raja, Minister for Culture and Equality, Norway
  • Jayathma Wickramanayake, Youth Envoy to the UN
  • Danny Annan, Danish Ambassador to Turkey
  • Matt Beard, Executive Director of AllOut
  • Susanne Branner Jespersen, Executive Director of LGBT+ Denmark
  • Kira Peter-Hansen, MEP, Denmark
  • Nikolaj Villumsen, MEP, Denmark
  • Pernille Weiss, MEP, Denmark
  • Marianne Vind, MEP, Denmark
  • Rasmus Andresen, MEP (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), Germany
  • Minister Jeppe Kofoed, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
  • Ole Toft, Danish Ambassador to Poland

Click for event information.