AN INAUGURAL SPLASH. A LONG TERM VISION.
The first Winnipeg International Human Rights Education Summit in 2018 will be a signature event: a can’t-miss experience packed with inspiring speakers, celebrities and human rights champions. Unveiled as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations, the inaugural Summit will have a national impact and will be remembered for years to come. The first conference, however, is just the beginning. Those who help bring the inaugural event to life will be laying the foundation for a long-term legacy. Much as the Toronto International Film Festival has grown from its origins 40 years ago to become the most influential film event in the world, the Winnipeg International Human Rights Education Summit aspires to become the most significant and recognizable human rights event on the continent, and perhaps around the globe.
A VITAL PLANK IN A LARGER PROJECT.
The Winnipeg International Human Rights Education Summit is part of a broader effort to showcase our city’s unmatched human rights assets on the world stage. The inaugural Summit will serve as the de facto launch of the City of Human Rights Education (COHRE) initiative now in development. The COHRE project was born from a need to address a critical gap: Winnipeg has human rights assets and infrastructure that are truly without peer, but has no dedicated body to promote this distinct asset mix on a wider stage. With a mandate to identify and pursue opportunities that will help make Winnipeg an internationally recognized centre for human rights education, the COHRE project will help fill this important gap.
A focus on human rights. Benefits for all.
A focus on human rights. Benefits for all. The Winnipeg International Human Rights Education Summit has both a social and an economic mission. The Summit will create a bigger stage for our local human rights scholars and leaders, amplifying their impact both at home and abroad. Most importantly, the Summit will brand Winnipeg to a national and international audience, introducing our city to a diverse, influential, well-traveled and growing demographic that includes academics, youth, and for-profit and non-profit leaders.
As an annual event, the Summit will have a significant and ongoing local impact. Sold-out hotel rooms, busy restaurants, downtown activity and line-ups at the CMHR and other attractions will be a key indicator of early success. In future years, much like TIFF, the Summit will create a year-round buzz with programs and events in every season.
“We can’t leave it to other cities to drive the debate on human rights. We have remarkable human rights leaders here at home. But we need to amplify their voices.”