UN representatives to address Louisiana poverty

New Orleans CityBusiness, Oct 24, 2005 by CityBusiness Staff Report

United Nations representatives and human rights advocates will be in Baton Rouge this Friday to meet with hurricane evacuees and economic justice leaders.The three speakers include Arjun Sengupta, Ph.D., independent expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty; Ulrich Halsteen of the United Nations and high commissioner for human rights in Geneva; and Michelle Evans of the International Society for Human Rights.Two meetings will take place at the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, 8470 Goodwood Blvd.

The representatives plan to speak to evacuees from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. and economic justice leaders from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. The meeting is open to the public.The three representatives will stay in New Orleans, where meetings will also take place at 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Loyola University School of Law, 526 Pine Street.The representatives also hope to meet with Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin.In this time of challenge, there can be great opportunities for regional, national and international alliances so we can link our struggles with those for human rights across our globe. With your help this can be one of those opportunities, said Bill Quigley, a Loyola University New Orleans law professor who is coordinating the visit.Arjun Sengupta is a former professor at the School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, is an adjunct professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and is chairman of the Center for Development and Human Rights in New Delhi. He is also the former UN Independent Expert on the Right to Development and current Independent Expert on Human Rights and Extreme Poverty. For more information, contact Bill Quigley at (832) 489-6408 or Dot Wise Wirth at (225) 205-4235 or (225) 925-8878.