Drawing the line: Cartoonists join forces with UN Human Rights Office to tackle discrimination against minorities

GENEVA (22 November 2016) – Renowned cartoonists Chappatte, Boligan, Hani Abbas and Gado are due to be in Geneva on 24 November as part of a joint project between the UN Human Rights Office, the Canton of Geneva and the City of Geneva to use visual arts to tackle discrimination and promote the rights of minorities.

The cartoonists, who were asked to develop three or four cartoons for the project, will talk about their work and how it contributes to raising awareness about minority rights. The discussion will take place on Thursday 24 November from 13:00 to 15:00 in Room XII, Palais des Nations. Their cartoons will also be on display.

Swiss cartoonist Patrick Chappatte will moderate the debate, entitled “Promoting and protecting minority rights through visual arts”. He will be joined by fellow cartoonists Hani Abbas from Syria who now lives in Geneva, Cuba’s Boligan, and Kenyan cartoonist Godfrey Mwampembwa (Gado). All four are part of the Cartooning for Peace project, established 10 years ago by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and of the project’s Swiss Foundation.

Special Rapporteur on Minority Rights Rita Izsák-Ndiaye, Yves de Matteis who is a Deputy of the Parliament of the Canton of Geneva, and Mona Rishmawi, Chief of the Rule of Law, Equality and Non-Discrimination Branch at the UN Human Rights Office will also participate in the discussion.

The cartoonists will also do live sketches on 24 November in response to requests from followers on the UN Human Rights Office's social media accounts: @UNHumanRights (Twitter) and facebook.com/unitednationshumanrights.

The cartoon project takes place on the sidelines of the annual United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, held in Room XX at the Palais des Nations on 24 and 25 November, which will bring together more than 500 international participants.

ENDS

For more information regarding the “Promoting and protecting minority rights through visual arts” project, and media requests, please contact:
Michèle Buteau – 41 22 928 91 01 / mbuteau@ohchr.org
Belen Rodriguez de Alba  - 41 22 928 9472 / brodriguezdealba@ohchr.org

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