From May 28-29, 2019, the RLC Campus Port Harcourt organised its Annual Public Lecture at the Centre for Conflict and Gender Studies at Port Harcourt University for the fifth time already, set around the topic “Global Environmental Politics, Human Rights and Conflict”.

Over 600 people from various professional backgrounds attended the two-day event.

After the introductory speech by Nnimmo Bassey (Right Livelihood Award 2010) and a video lecture by Bill McKibben (Right Livelihood Award 2014) on “Climate Change as a Ticking Bomb”, Right Livelihood Award Laureates Ruth Manorama (2006) and Raúl Montenegro (2004) gave educative and encouraging guest lectures.

Manorama’s presentation emphasised the connection between gender, human rights and ecology, arguing that the severe abuse of ecological systems directly affects consequences for unequal human rights implications for both women and men. Considering the massive destruction through oil extraction in the Niger Delta, this issue is highly prevailing in the Nigerian context as well.

Raúl Montenegro drew attention to the recurring attacks of human rights defenders by the state, urging universities and the global civil society to raise awareness to this conflict and addressing it with both analysis and advocacy.

As it has become tradition over the past five years, the second day of the event was dedicated to the Sustainability Academy lectures with students and representatives of civil society organizations.

After the event, Ruth Manorama and post-graduate students of the Centre for Conflict and Gender Studies gathered for an informal meeting to discuss the issue of patriarchy and its cultural and religious resilience against women.

Please find the full report here.

 

funded by