The United Nations (UN) Working Group on Business and Human Rights will be hosted at TRU’s Williams Lake Campus on Sunday, May 28, 2017.
This historic event marks the first time a UN Working Group has ever held sessions in a small Interior community. The Working Group’s appearance is jointly sponsored by Thompson Rivers University and the Human Rights Committee of the TRU Faculty Association (TRUFA).
“We are pleased to support this important dialogue between Amnesty International and the Stkemlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation (SSN) and other First Nations in the region,” said Alan Shaver, TRU President and Vice Chancellor.
Amnesty International and TRU Law Assistant Professor Nicole Schabus, Chair of the TRUFA Human Rights Committee, are organizing the meeting session, which will focus on the impacts of the Mount Polley disaster, resource development in rural BC, and regulatory and governance issues related to extractive industries.
These topics have garnered broad interest among Indigenous representatives, local communities and civil society groups. Participants include chiefs and activists from SSN and other First Nations along with representatives from advocacy groups.
“We really think that hosting this meeting at the Williams Lake campus is a great opportunity for TRU,” said Schabus. “The work being done by this group is highly relevant to ongoing efforts to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.”
For more information
Nicole Schabus
(778) 257-4431
