• Week-long programme of cultural events and debates on human rights in the Americas hosted in Mexico City between 4 and 9 May.• Musical artists include Lila Downs, Saúl Hernández, Mariana Vega and the classical pianist Gabriela Montero who will perform with the Mineria Symphony Orchestra.
• Illustrator Peter Sis will paint a mural alongside local activists.
• Film screenings including E-Team, The Good Lie and Kingdom of Shadows with the presence of cast and crew members.
Social activists and world-renowned artists from across the Americas are joining Amnesty International in Mexico City for Desde aqui!” (“From here!”), a week of events to mark the inauguration of the organization’s first regional Human Rights Centre.
“From the relatives of the missing students in Ayotzinapa, Mexico to the many murdered environmental activists in Brazil and the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina, countless people from across the continent have shown extreme courage in standing up for human rights and fighting for justice, making a real difference to the world we live in today,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“As we celebrate the opening of our first regional Human Rights Centre, we are also paying tribute to those who stand on the frontline of human rights in the Americas. We want to send a message to today’s generation of activists that Amnesty International is here to work more closely with them for a world where human rights become a reality for all.”
As we celebrate the opening of our first regional Human Rights Centre, we are also paying tribute to those who stand on the frontline of human rights in the Americas. We want to send a message to today’s generation of activists that Amnesty International is here to work more closely with them for a world where human rights become a reality for all.
Salil Shetty, Secretary General at Amnesty International.
The opening of Amnesty International’s regional Human Rights Centre in Mexico City marks the start of a new way of working for the organization in the Americas. Our human rights work will be led from this new Regional Office, transferring responsibilities that were previously held in the organization’s headquarters in London to staff in the new office which will act as the main base for the global movement’s research, campaign and communications work to address human rights violations in the region.
“We are embarking on this journey because we want to build greater links with those who fight for justice in the region, working hand-in-hand with the human rights defenders to support those who are marginalized and denied their human rights,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International Americas Director, who will be based in the Regional Office in Mexico City.
“We have seen progress when it comes to justice and human rights in the Americas, in particular with regards to the many abuses that took place during the brutal military dictatorships many countries had to endure. But there is still a lot to be done for human rights to be a reality for all. Our job is to ensure that governments never forget that and to hold them accountable for their human rights responsibilities.”
There is still a lot to be done for human rights to be a reality for all. Our job is to ensure that governments never forget that and to hold them accountable for their human rights responsibilities.
Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International Americas Director
The week-long series of events from 4 to 9 May will include debates, concerts and film screenings touching upon some of the most pressing human rights challenges facing millions of people across the Americas today.
Amongst the artists joining the events are long-time Amnesty International supporters and activists Lila Downs, Saúl Hernández, Mariana Vega and the classical pianist Gabriela Montero who will perform with the Mineria Symphony Orchestra. The illustrator Peter Sis will paint a mural alongside local activists.
The move to Mexico City is part of Amnesty International’s global programme of decentralization of its International Secretariat. Regional offices are now also operating in Nairobi, Dakar, Johannesburg and Hong Kong with more scheduled to open in Asia and the Middle East in the coming year.
Salil Shetty will also take part in the Regional World Economic Forum in Cancún on 6 and 7 May.