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Amnesty's Secretary General to visit New Zealand

Thursday 29 September 2011, 9:10AM

By Amnesty International

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AUCKLAND

On Monday 3 October Amnesty International’s Secretary General Salil Shetty will visit New Zealand as part of the organisation’s 50th birthday celebrations.

While in the country, Salil will meet with New Zealand members of parliament and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to discuss the human rights situation in the country and the rest of the Pacific to ensure human rights are at the forefront of the country’s 26 November General Election agenda.

As Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand seeks to prioritise its engagement in the Pacific, Salil will also be meeting with several Pacific Human Rights Defenders to determine how the organisation can strengthen its campaigns in the Region and support local organisations in their work to promote and protect human rights.

Salil will also be speaking at two public engagements on how Amnesty has grown as an organisation over the past five decades and how the New Zealand public can continue to contribute to positive human rights change in the next 50 years.

A long term activist on poverty and justice, Salil Shetty joined Amnesty International in July 2010 and, as Secretary General, leads Amnesty International’s worldwide work to end grave human rights violations.

He is the organisation’s chief political adviser, strategist and spokesperson and takes Amnesty International’s campaigns to the highest level of government, the United Nations and business.

Salil has ambitious plans to strengthen Amnesty International’s work in the global south and Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand’s Chief Executive Patrick Holmes says his visit reinforces how important it is to recognise the leadership role New Zealand can play in seeing this become a reality.

“New Zealand is one of only two Pacific sections in the Amnesty International movement and we have a powerful role to play in supporting those who speak out on human rights issues and those who don’t have a voice to be heard,” says Holmes.

“Amnesty International is pleased to welcome Salil Shetty to New Zealand and we would encourage the New Zealand public to hear him speak.”


EVENTS: Salil Shetty will be speaking at two public meetings to be held in Auckland and Wellington in the first week of October.

Auckland:
When: Monday 3 October- 6:30pm to 7:30pm

Where: Lecture Theatre 4, Owen G Glenn Building, Business School of the University of Auckland, 12 Grafton Road, Auckland

Contact: RSVP to Renee Moore- campaigns.intern@amnesty.org.nz


Wellington:
When: Tuesday 4 October- 1.00pm to 2.00pm

Where: Spectrum Presentation Theatre, Ground floor BP House, 20 Customhouse Quay, Wellington

Contact: RSVP to Renee Moore- campaigns.intern@amnesty.org.nz