East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP), as part of a multinational coalition of 25 human rights organizations, will gather leading human rights, democracy and anti-racism activists from around the world for a summit in Geneva on April 19, 2009, on the eve of the U.N. Durban Review Conference, and today launched a new interactive website to publicize the event.

Entitled the Geneva Summit for Democracy, Human Rights and Tolerance, the activist gathering will be held one day before the UN world conference on racism, to support its objectives of promoting universal human rights through the eradication of discrimination, intolerance and persecution. Diplomats in Geneva today opened a weeklong session of negotiations on a draft of the Durban Review Conference’s outcome declaration.

“The Geneva Summit will be a unique opportunity for activists to place on the international agenda some of the world’s most pressing human rights issues and situations, notably increasing restrictions on Freedom of Expression, to ensure that the U.N. makes the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights a reality for millions of victims of discrimination and repression around the globe,” said Mr Hassan Shire, Executive Director of EHAHRDP.

The summit will bring under one roof some of the most well-known figures in the struggle for human rights, democracy and tolerance, including Egyptian dissident Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Burmese dissident and 2008 Human Rights Watch honouree Bo Kyi, U.S. free speech advocate Floyd Abrams, and Rwandese genocide survivor Ester Murawajo. Also invited are the Dalai Lama, former Czech president and dissident Vaclav Havel, former UN Secretary-General Koffi Annan, film star and Darfur activist Mia Farrow, and Cuban cyber-dissident Yoani Sanchez. For full list of speakers, visit www.genevasummit.org

The coalition organizing the Summit is comprised of diverse non-governmental associations from around the globe, including:

* The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
* Avega – Association des Veuves du Genocide (Rwanda),
* Becket Fund for Religious Liberty (U.S.)
* Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de América Latina (South America)
* Darfur Peace and Development Center (Switzerland)
* Directorio Democratico Cubano (U.S.)
* The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders
* Fondation Généreuse Développement (Cameroon)
* Freedom House (U.S.)
* Freedom Now (U.S.)
* Global Zimbabwe Forum (Switzerland)
* Groupe des Anciens membres de l’Association des Etudiants Réscapés du Genocide (Rwanda)
* Human Rights Without Frontiers (Belgium)
* Ibuka (Rwanda)
* Ingenieurs de Monde (Switzerland)
* International Federation of Liberal Youth (U.K.)
* Int’l Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Youth & Student Org. (Belgium)
* Ligue International Contre le Racisme (France)
* SOS Racisme (France)
* Stop Child Executions (Iran)
* UN Watch

The event is already supported by:
* Genocide Watch (US)
* The International Campaign to End Genocide (US)
* The International Association of Genocide Scholars (US)
* Inter-African Committee (Senegal)
* Urgence Darfour (France)

In addition, representatives of numerous other human rights organizations will be participating at the event.

For more information, including on how to register, visit www.genevasummit.org or contact Laetitia Bader, Human Rights Officer, East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, [email][email protected]