THE RIGHT TO HAVE RIGHTS: STATELESSNESS AND CITIZENSHIP IN THE 21st CENTURY

Citizenship is the essential foundation of a person’s legal rights in the 21st Century.  Yet, at least 15 million people worldwide are stateless.  Although it is a worldwide problem, statelessness has only recently received growing attention as a global human rights issue that requires action.  This expert panel will interrogate statelessness from multi- disciplinary perspective, discussing the international legal dimensions of statelessness, human rights issues, and how documentary photography and visual storytelling can be used to fill in critical evidence gaps.

Where: The New School, Room A404, Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall, 66 West 12th St., NY

When: April 30th, 7:30 – 10 pm

Panelists include:

Daniel Naujoks, faculty in the Graduate Program in International Affairs (GPIA) at The New School’s Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy, has published widely on the effects of migration and citizenship on social, economic and political development, ethnic identity and the role and genesis of public policies.

Greg Constantine is a photographer and author of the documentary photo project, Nowhere People, a 9-year exploration and investigation into the issue of global statelessness with a major focus on the Rohingya. An exhibition of his work on the stateless Rohingya community from Myanmar (Burma) will be opening at powerHouse Arena gallery in Brooklyn on May 14th.

Sarnata Reynolds, Senior Adviser on Human Rights at Refugees International in Washington D.C., serves as the principal liaison and focal point with United Nations agencies, the U.S. government, and focus countries on human rights issues.

Tun Khin, a member of the Rohingya Muslim ethnic minority is the founder and president of the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK.

Moderator: Michelle Bogre, an associate professor in photography at Parsons, is a documentary photographer, author and lawyer.