Events

Join us on 14 December and hear from an inspiring woman about how it is possible to raise awareness and document injustice, even from detention on the remote island of the Republic of Nauru!

An award-winning Iranian artist, architectural designer, journalist and documentary film-maker, Elahe Zivardar lives in Arizona, United States, where she obtained refugee status in 2019. After fleeing Iran, Elahe Zivardar was detained on the remote island of the Republic of Nauru for attempting to seek asylum in Australia from 2013 to 2019. During her detention in Nauru, she was highly active in using photos and video to document the horrific treatment and conditions endured by people seeking asylum and imprisoned offshore. An artist using diverse techniques, including painting, photography and documentary filmmaking, Elahe Zivardar seeks to depict and raise awareness on how refugee, stateless and migrant minorities are treated throughout the migration process, especially at borders. In addition to her art, she is active as an adviser to international refugee rights campaigns and organisations in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

In our Sofa Talk series, we will meet on our virtual sofa for a conversation between Elahe and Anna Alboth, our Europe Media Officer. We always try to introduce you to an extraordinary woman from a minority, migration or indigenous background. Check out our 

Tune in, hear Elahe and Anna, and share your favourite quotes using the hashtag #MRGSofaTalk.

 On Zoom – register above to attend. We will also be live on 

 On 14 December, 10-11 am (Phoenix), 5-6 pm (London), 6-7 pm (Berlin).

Ways of raising awareness - A Sofa Talk with Elahe Zivardar

This event will explore the intersection of droughts and floods within the broader context of the climate crisis, emphasizing the critical role of water. The discussions aim to shed light on effective strategies for safeguarding the water-related rights of marginalized communities facing the impacts of climate change.

Join us for a groundbreaking webinar that delves into the global challenges of floods and droughts, exploring four critical topics that underscore the urgency of action. We'll unravel the aftermath of the devastating collapse of two dams in Libya, revealing the predicted and preventable risks associated with ageing and obsolete dams worldwide. As we examine the broader issue of neglected dams, particularly in India, China, and the United States, where numerous structures are on the brink of obsolescence, we'll explore the crucial need for proactive removal and repair, especially in the face of escalating climate-related threats.

The webinar will also feature minority activists engaged in safeguarding the Teesta River, a sacred waterway for Sikkim's Indigenous Lepcha people, from the impending impact of a proposed hydropower dam. Amid legal challenges and claims of an improperly conducted social impact assessment, Mayalmit Lepcha and the local community, especially women from the Dzongu region, are driving a powerful campaign to preserve the last free-flowing stretch of the river. Their story underscores the essential role of women in the ongoing fight against hydropower developments, emphasising the need to enhance their self-confidence for effective leadership.

Additionally, Salman Khairalla, an environmental activist from Iraq, will share his transformative journey since 2006, highlighting the pivotal moment in 2009 when he witnessed a buffalo's death in the Iraqi Marshes due to water pollution and scarcity. Salman's dedication led to the founding of Humat Dijlah (Tigris River Protectors), a movement aimed at protecting the Iraqi Marshes and advocating for environmental rights. Despite facing challenges and threats, Salman emphasises the importance of raising awareness about water issues and preserving Iraq's abundant water resources, aligning with his dream of inspiring the next generation through environmental activism.

To complete this enlightening discussion, we'll address the urgent situation in Somalia, where unusually heavy seasonal rains, intensified by El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole, are affecting over 1.6 million people. With floods described as a "once-in-a-century event" and the risk of destroying vast farmland, we'll explore the heightened humanitarian needs in a region that recently emerged from a severe drought.

The meeting will happen just before the COP28 and our speakers will come up with recommendations.

This webinar is one of the series of webinars co-organized by International Rivers and Minority Rights Group on the topic of WATER. In October we have already discussed the connection between water and conflicts, this time we focus on 'floods and droughts', at the beginning of 2024 we will meet to talk about water and pollution and in February about water and governance. Stay informed!

The event will be moderated by Anna Alboth, Europe Media Officer at Minority Rights Group.

 On Zoom – register on this page to attend

Droughts and floods: the climate crisis is a water crisis

These online sessions are open to participants in MRG’s Geneva in-person training (26-28 November). They are not compulsory but are designed to allow those who have less background on minority rights, who have been less exposed to UN advocacy and/or who want to refresh their basic knowledge before the training to go through some basic concepts and key elements of minority rights and UN advocacy before the in-person training in Geneva.

The training will be in English, with simultaneous interpretation in and from Brazilian Portuguese and Thai.

Introduction to Minority Rights and UN Advocacy - Online Training

On the evening of Thursday 2 November 2023 (7:00PM-8:00PM CET), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will organize a Ceremony to announce and celebrate the laureates of the Second Edition of the International Art Contest for Minority Artists working on Intersectionality Themes, launched jointly with the NGOs Freemuse and Minority Rights Group International (MRG) and with the support of the City of Geneva.

The International Art Contest aims to support minority artists working on intersectionality and to celebrate the power of their artistic commitment to raise awareness on pressing human rights themes. “Art can be a powerful tool to fight against racism, intersectional discrimination and promote minority rights when used to increase empathy and understanding. It can celebrate diversity, represent unheard voices and challenge stereotypes through sparking the conversation, educating and informing society,” said Yvonne Apiyo Brändle-Amolo, Chair of the Judges Panel of the 2023 International Art Contest for Minority Artists.

Opening remarks will be delivered by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Award Ceremony is also part of the activities to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to celebrate those who every day, each in their own way, take part in the movement for a better and fairer world for all.

Please join us on Zoom to commend the artistic engagement of the award winners and honourable mentions of the International Art Contest for Minority Artists working on Intersectionality Themes.

Award Ceremony to Celebrate Minority Artists Working on Intersectionality

Over generations, rivers have acted as natural connectors, forging deep cultural and social bonds between communities along their banks and within basins. This has created enduring relationships that transcend boundaries. A new report by Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, highlights the ease with which riverbank communities engage in dialogue and understanding, transcending borders and fostering a profound sense of shared identity. Such initiatives offer avenues for peace with or without governments' intervention.

This webinar, co-organized by Minority Rights Group, International Rivers and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and co-sponsored by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, will present cases of minorities and indigenous peoples grappling with the degradation of their aquatic ecosystems and their work in safeguarding communities’ fundamental human right to water. It will also underscore why it is important to include communities in decision-making processes and in the management of water resources. Furthermore, it will shed light on how these efforts bear significant implications for fostering peace and harmony within and among communities.

This event is being held to coincide with the Special Rapporteur’s presentation before the UN General Assembly. It is the first in a new webinar series 

, co-hosted by Minority Rights Group and International Rivers.

The event will be moderated by Anna Alboth, Europe Media Officer at Minority Rights Group. Presentations by the panellists will be followed by a Q&A session.

Transboundary Waters as Avenues for Peace and Cooperation

Join us on 17 October and hear from an inspiring woman about what it means to advocate for 

Maria Alexandrovna Ochir-Goryaeva is a Russian Archaeologist and Doctor of Historical Sciences, author, corresponding member of the German Archaeological Institute and a specialist on Eurasian Nomads of the Scythian era. She is also a 

She studied at the Department of Archaeology of Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad) University. The primary area of her research activities is the archaeology of the Early Iron Age nomads – the Scythians and Sarmatians from the steppe zone of Eurasia.  She was among the 11 young scientists of the Russian Federation to be awarded the Medal and Prize of the European Academy of Sciences for young scientists for a series of three articles on the localization of Savromats on the basis of descriptions by ancient Greek writers and an analysis of archaeological materials in February 1993.  In 1999, she was awarded a scholarship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and worked at the Eurasian Branch of the German Archaeological Institute for two years. In 2004, she lectured at the Universities of Cambridge and Durham within the framework of the Professorship Programme at the invitation of the British Academy of Sciences. In 2005, she was elected a Corresponding Member of the German Archaeological Institute.  In 2011, she was awarded the title of ‘Honoured Scientist of the Republic of Kalmykia’.

, who live in 21 national republics with the status of subjects of the federation, and in four autonomous national districts. Among those are representatives of 

: Buddhists, Muslims and Christians among many others. Their 

 are Turkic, Mongolian Finno-Ugric and Caucasian. The territories of the republics and autonomous regions make up 75 per cent of the total area of Russia, where more than 80 per cent of natural resources are extracted. 

why the indigenous people of Russia are so important

, what their situation and opinion about the war are, and what their hopes for the future are.

We will meet on our virtual sofa for a conversation between Maria and Anna Alboth, our Europe Media Officer, in our Sofa Talk series. Every time, we try to introduce you to a special woman from a minority or indigenous background. Check out our 

Make sure you tune in and hear Maria and Anna and share your favourite quotes using the hashtag #MRGSofaTalk. You can also submit your questions in advance by email at 

 On 17 October, 1-2 pm (Moscow), 2-3 pm (London), 3-4 pm (Paris).

​Voices of the Nations of Russia - A Sofa Talk with Maria Ochir-Goryaeva​

 con Minority Rights Group International (MRG), Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD Mérida) y Centro Bahá'í de Mérida.

Los invitamos a participar en este evento sobre el significado del agua y la justicia hídrica en las Américas y aquí mismo en Yucatán. ¿Por qué la justicia del agua es más importante que nunca para el presente y el futuro de las comunidades locales e internacionales?

En respuesta a esta necesidad, se organiza este evento en vivo y en línea para celebrar el lanzamiento del informe 

 producido por Minority Rights Group International (MRG).

Contaremos con la participación de abogadas, activistas, defensoras del agua, académicos y periodistas medioambientales de numerosos países: Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay, Belice, México, Estados Unidos y Reino Unido.

​Mérida es un punto ideal de encuentro por su vibrante historia cultural, particularmente su herencia Maya, y los debates actuales en torno al Tren Maya.

El evento ofrece café y te en la mañana y almuerzo liberados, cortesía de MRG y Splash Project. Al momento de registrarse, por favor deje en claro si desea participar en la sesión matutina (sesiones virtuales) las sesiones de la tarde (presenciales) o preferiblemente, ambas.

Sesiones matinales (presentaciones virtuales)

Foto: “El respeto al agua se manifiesta en armonía. La necesidad de estar en plenitud con la naturaleza forma parte del ser indígena.” Nadyely Del Carmen Tzab Cetina, Cenote Yunkú, Sacalum, Yucatán, Mexico (2023).

Water Justice in the Americas Symposium | Simposio Justicia Hídrica en las Américas

Organized by The Splash Project with Minority Rights Group International (MRG), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Mérida and Centro Bahá’i de Mérida. 

This live and online event is organized to celebrate the launch of the Minority and Indigenous Trends 2023 report: Focus on water, produced by Minority Rights Group International (MRG). 

The volume includes case studies from 40 nations from across the globe and explores various water-related themes as they intersect with the rights of minorities and indigenous people, including the themes of access, drought, flood, pollution, usage, sanitation and governance, among others. 

The report also includes a set of recommendations for governments and relevant organisations as well as a pledge drafted in collaboration with the World People’s Forum on Water and Drought as part of the United Nations Water Conference 2023. In discussing these critical themes, the site selection of Mérida city is ideal for its vibrant cultural history, particularly its Maaya heritage – containing Mexico’s largest indigenous population.

Organizado por The Splash Project con Minority Rights Group International (MRG), Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD Mérida) y Centro Bahá'i de Mérida. 

Este evento ha sido organizado con motivo del lanzamiento del Informe de Tendencias Minoritarias e Indígenas 2023: Enfoque en el Agua, producido por Minority Rights Group International (MRG).

El volumen incluye estudios de casos en 40 naciones en todo el mundo y explora varios temas relacionados con el agua que conciernen los derechos de las minorías y los pueblos indígenas, incluidos los temas de acceso, sequía, inundación, contaminación, uso, saneamiento y gobernanza, entre otros. 

El informe también incluye una lista de recomendaciones para gobiernos y las organizaciones pertinentes, así como un compromiso redactado en colaboración con el Foro Mundial de los Pueblos sobre el Agua y la Sequía como parte de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Agua 2023.

Join us for the launch of our annual flagship publication!

The past year saw some of the worst cyclones recorded in the Pacific, some of the worst ever recorded floods in Australia, Pakistan and across the African continent, and major droughts globally. Experts have declared that our planet’s water cycle has been severely disrupted due to human activity.

For many minorities and indigenous peoples, 

the water crisis is an existential threat

. That’s why, this year, our annual report focuses on water. In it, we analyze a range of intersecting issues from conflict in water-stressed parts of the world to pollution impacting community health.

Water justice cannot be attained unless the communities that protect water systems are prioritized in the international arena. During this launch event, you will hear from activists, researchers and policy makers about these experiences and the solutions needed.

 Tuesday 20 June, 10.00-11.30 am (London), 11.00-12.30 pm (Budapest), 12.00-13.30 (Kampala).

​Minorities, Indigenous Peoples and the Water Crisis​

‘If we aren’t able to represent ourselves, how will we rebuild our nation?’

Abul Kalam is fighting to get his camera back from the Bangladeshi authorities after being arrested while documenting the forced removal of the Rohingya from refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar to the remote island of Bhasan Char.

As he loses hope of ever seeing his camera again, he decides to empower the next generation to represent themselves, by teaching children photography.

Join us for the opening of an exhibition showcasing Kalam’s photography, along with the screening of 

 You will hear from expert speakers, the filmmakers and Abul himself on what freedom of expression and self-representation mean for Rohingya.

: Four Corners Gallery, Ground Floor, 121 Roman Rd, Bethnal Green, London E2 0QN

: The gallery has a ground-floor entrance with level access. If you have any specific accessibility needs, please email 

Can’t attend? Kalam’s photography and 

 film will be available to view at Four Corners Gallery, London from 25th to 29th April, 11 am to 6 pm. It is free and open to all. Don’t miss it!

The Rohingya Photographer: A new exhibition in East London

 már negyedszer hirdette meg a Fejlesztési Újságírói Díj pályázatát, amelynek keretében a nemzetközi fejlesztés témájában kiemelkedően magas színvonalú anyagokat készítő újságírókat jutalmazzuk. Az idei kiírás partnere a Mérték Médiaelemző Műhely, támogatója pedig a Holland Királyság Magyarországi Nagykövetsége és Finnország Magyarországi Nagykövetsége.

 Finnország Magyarországi Nagykövetsége, Budapest, Kelenhegyi út 16/a.

 founded the Development Journalism Award to reward high-quality reporting in the field of international development. This year we partnered with Mertek Media Monitor. The 2022 award is supported by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Hungary and the Embassy of Finland in Hungary.

 Embassy of Finland in Hungary, Budapest, Kelenhegyi út 16/a

This event will be held in Hungarian only.

Díjátadó: Fejlesztési Újságíró Díj 2022

International journalists, photojournalists and editors are invited to join a one-hour briefing on the current situation at the Polish and Lithuanian border with Belarus.

There will be an update about the facts, numbers and groups that have been crossing the border and the legal steps that have been taken, followed by a presentation of the current political demands and actual needs of the Polish civil society in the context of the ongoing crisis.

Participants will have the possibility to ask questions.

Media Briefing: What is going on at the Belarusian border?

Minority Rights Group and Land Body Ecologies will host a round table discussion exploring how disability, minority and indigenous communities who are impacted by intersecting forms of discrimination can be involved in, and lead on, health and social research. We will focus on black minorities and people of African descent in particular.

Speakers with lived experience will explore themes of underrepresentation in research, key issues and barriers to their representation and involvement in research, and neglected areas within health and social research. The event will also provide an opportunity to share good practices around ethics, community-led, and sustainable research. We will cover a broad range of research types, from research in academia, arts-based research, community-led research, NGO research and research for advocacy and collaboration across these boundaries.

We will discuss how we can better support research for social change within historically marginalised communities by taking an intersectional approach. 

We are currently assessing ways of making this event as accessible as possible to ensure everyone joining us has a comfortable experience. If you have specific accessibility requests, please get in touch with 

 Members of Vidas Negras com Deficiência Importam meeting in April 2022.

The Hub, 5th Floor in the Wellcome Collection building

Disability and Minorities in Health and Social Research (roundtable)

Ahead of India’s fourth Universal Period Review (UPR) cycle, this event addresses the deteriorating situation facing the country’s religious minorities. Since India’s previous UPR, during which key recommendations concerning the rights of minorities were not supported, concerns have been raised by a number of domestic and international actors regarding the increasingly hostile environment for minorities and those defending their rights. This has been accompanied by 

 on discriminatory legislation and serious human rights violations against minorities. Beyond offering documentation of 

, this reporting has also pointed to state-led, 

Despite repeated calls for intervention, the majority of human rights violations against minorities in India remain unaddressed by domestic institutions. At the same time, civic space has been increasingly tightened, and human rights defenders, journalists and other who have sought to secure accountability have been targeted, including under counterterrorism legislation. With several state-level elections upcoming in late 2022 and national elections scheduled for early 2024, the situation for India’s minorities is likely to deteriorate further without concerted attention and action on the part of the international community at this critical juncture.

This online event will bring together activists from the region, as well as UN and other international experts for an opportunity to discuss the challenges concerning the treatment of religious minorities in India. Given India’s upcoming fourth UPR cycle in November, particular attention will be dedicated to discussing how to prevent further escalation against religious minorities and secure justice and accountability for violations.

: Amnesty International, Frontline Defenders, Human Rights Watch, International Commission of Jurists, Minority Rights Group International

The event will be held online and will include an interactive panel discussion with interventions from each of the speakers followed by a moderated Q&A session with the audience. The event will be held in English.

The discussion will be moderated by Claire Thomas, Deputy Director at Minority Rights Group International.

 A street in India. Photo published on PxHere under Creative Commons CC0 licence (public domain).

Securing justice for violations against religious minorities in India

Ahead of the 4th cycle of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which will review the human rights situation in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, this event highlights the specific challenges facing minorities and indigenous peoples in the three North African countries.

This online event will outline key points from submissions by Minority Rights Group International, produced with the support of local civil society organisations to the UPR, concerning minorities and indigenous peoples in 

. What are the gaps remaining in law and policy to ensure the protection of the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples? What forms of repression do these groups still face, and how can these be addressed?

The event will foreground voices of community representatives from the concerned countries to discuss the challenges they face. By bringing together those from minority and indigenous communities, this will be an opportunity to engage with their perspectives on how to ensure improved protection of their rights ahead of the UPR.

The event will be held online in French, with live interpretation available in English. Professional live captioning will be available in French and English. A livestream will be available on 

The event will be moderated by Silvia Quattrini, North Africa Manager at Minority Rights Group International.

 Amazigh women celebrating New Year 2970 in Sahel village, south of Tizi-Ouzou, east of Algiers, 12 January 2020. Yennayer, the first month of the Berber Year, is marked as a national holiday in Algeria for the third time. Credit: EPA-EFE/STRINGER.

Minorities and Indigenous Peoples in North Africa: Progress and challenges in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia

In July 2022, the by-elections in Punjab, Pakistan displayed a high level of disinformation being used in political electioneering. During this one-hour sofa talk, we will look at the roots of the religious hate speech in major cities across the province of Punjab that we discovered through social media monitoring and analysis of Twitter conversations.

We will also analyze trends in terms of Pakistan’s major cities and regions using a geospatial lens, to better understand hate speech. We will untangle how, during the Punjab by-election period, disinformation could bolster online hatred during the 2023 general elections.

The event will also be the occasion to launch two new learning briefs: 

The event will take place on Zoom. Participants will not be able to unmute nor turn on their camera, however they will have the possibility to use a Q&A box or raise their hand to be allowed to speak. Participants' names will only be visible to the organizers.

Live Captioning will be available on Zoom.

An Overview of Online Hate Speech in Pakistan

The UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery will present his 

thematic report on contemporary forms of slavery affecting persons belonging to ethnic, religious and linguistic minority

 communities (A/HRC/51/26) during the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council on 15 September. This event will be an opportunity to continue and deepen the discussion about minorities being subjected to contemporary forms of slavery such as chattel slavery; forced and bonded labour; child and/or forced marriage; domestic servitude; sexual slavery and child labour and about the prevention and the elimination thereof.

To this end, this event will bring to the table directly affected individuals and human rights defenders/anti-slavery activists who will share their experiences and analyses, shedding light not only on the many ways in which persons belonging to marginalized minorities may be subjugated to exploitative work but also about ways to enhance their protection. First-hand experiences complemented with the findings of the Special Rapporteur’s thematic study will lead to the formulation of key recommendations on how to prevent and eliminate contemporary forms of slavery affecting minority communities.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Claude Cahn, Indigenous Peoples and Minorities Section, OHCHR.

A Live Captioning service will be available (on Zoom only). The event will be available live on 

Minorities subjected to contemporary forms of slavery: Addressing a global concern

Hate speech causes harm at the personal level and undermines the fulfilment of human rights for all. Join us to learn more about the pioneering toolkit that Minority Rights Group developed with partners across the world. The toolkit provides practical advice and tips to civil society on how to counter hate speech.

Following presentations from each speaker about their experience in challenging hate speech, there will be a Q&A during which attendees can ask questions and engage in a discussion about the toolkit, further examples and generally the challenges of fighting hate speech online and offline.

, Senior Program Manager and Digital Rights Researcher at Bytes for All (Pakistan)

, Deputy Director of Minority Rights Group

Please note that this event will be recorded for the benefit of those who cannot attend. To protect everyone’s security, questions in the Q&A session will be accepted via chat only. We thank you for your understanding.

Countering Hate Speech: Guidance for civil society and activists

Indigenous traditional knowledge and custodianship

Minority Rights Group International and Slum and Rural Health Initiative are excited to announce the launch of our new briefing on Ethiopia titled 'Access to education and health among minorities and indigenous peoples in Ethiopia'.

The report covers the health and education issues affecting indigenous peoples of Ethiopia. It will also look into the disparities in access to these services by diving into federal government budget and statistics and comparing that with what is happening at the state level.

Access to education and health for indigenous peoples in Ethiopia

A Minority Rights Group Europe harmadszor hirdette meg a Fejlesztési Újságírói Díj pályázatát, amelynek keretében a nemzetközi fejlesztés témájában kiemelkedően magas színvonalú anyagokat készítő újságírókat jutalmazzuk. Az idei kiírás parnere a Mérték Médiaelemző Műhely.

A díjazottakat online ceremónián jelentjük be, amelyhez 

Minority Rights Group Europe founded the Development Journalism Award to reward high quality reporting in the field of international development. This year we partnered with Mertek Media Monitor.

The winners will be announced during an online ceremony at the following link, which you can access 

Díjátadó: Fejlesztési Újságíró Díj 2021

Minority Rights Group International supports '

', a collective of 14 Polish NGOs and activists working since August on the Polish-Belarusian border, with the launch of their 

This Press Briefing is organised for the media about the recent situation at the border. Grupa Granica has prepared the summary of the work that has been done on the border since August 2021. The report includes:

Since the beginning of the crisis, Grupa Granica has been in contact with more than 5,000 migrants and refugees at the border.

Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, spent four days in Poland and went to the field with Grupa Granica. 'The greatest strength of the aid movement for migrants and refugees from the Polish-Belarusian border are the inhabitants of the neighbouring towns - in the zone of emergency and next to it. It is their compassion and empathy that prolongs the life of people in the forest. Their courage and selflessness. Their good saves lives', she said.

Join the meeting on Zoom, hear about the latest state of the situation and ask your questions.

Anna Alboth, Media Officer, Minority Rights Group Europe.

Press Briefing - Launch: Report on the Humanitarian Crisis on the Polish-Belarusian Border

Ten years after the uprising of 2011, Tunisia still faces several challenges in terms of non-discrimination and respect for the rights of minorities and discriminated groups. Although changes in the political regime and the democratic transition have ensured more visibility to several groups and allowed them to demand change, others continue today to face discrimination in law and in practice. In addition to legal indicators, such as, on the one hand, the enactment of a law against racial discrimination in 2018 and, on the other, the maintenance of an article of the penal code criminalizing homosexuality, there are several sociological factors that make discrimination against several groups a phenomenon persisting. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has only accentuated these already existing inequalities and discrimination against minority groups.

This webinar aims to present the current situation of minorities and other groups in situations of vulnerability in Tunisia, such as black Tunisian citizens, sub-Saharan migrants, Amazigh, the LGBTQI+ community, people living with HIV, religious minorities and people with disabilities. We will approach the subject from several points of view: sociological, legal, and that of the impact of Covid-19. We will cover a variety of topics, from access to healthcare to access to justice, education, and information.

This event coincides with the launch of two new studies carried out by Minority Rights Group:

The panel will be moderated by Silvia Quattrini, North Africa Manager at Minority Rights Group with the following panellists:

The webinar will take place in French, with interpretation available through Zoom in Arabic and English.

The situation of minorities and other 'minoritized' groups in Tunisia: between discrimination and recognition

This webinar hopes to increase understanding and integration of issues surrounding health and education of ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples on development forums and achieve better planning and commitment for these ethnic minorities by their hosting governments, international organizations and interested parties.

Inclusive, economic, social, cultural health and education policies for indigenous and minority peoples in Africa

In Croatia, Roma face discrimination in all spheres of life, including school segregation and discrimination in employment. Negative stereotypes and xenophobic attitudes remain widespread, leading to social exclusion and socio-economic disparities. Yet, most cases of discrimination against Roma go unreported.

Why are people from the community reluctant to report these cases? Why are equality bodies met with criticism and distrust? What obstacles do Roma face in their access to justice?

Join us for our panel discussion about our findings in Croatia on 21 October. Our distinguished keynote speakers from the national equality body and the EU will address these questions.

Learn about the outcomes and outlooks of our new ground-breaking report directly from our local partner, Information Legal Center (Croatia) and Amalipe Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance (Bulgaria). Discuss how different stakeholders can combat discrimination against the Roma and find out about opportunities aiming to ensure that no discrimination case remains unreported.

This event will be available in English and Croatian.