IHEU international representative Keith Porteous Wood has been reappointed (in a personal capacity) to the Panel of nine civil society representatives assisting the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency in Vienna. The Agency advises the European Commission on discrimination and equality matters and has a formal obligation to engage with and receive feedback from civil society.
Many of the candidates for the fiercely competitive election on 6 May came from well-known human rights bodies. The election was the culmination of a two day meeting with around a hundred delegates from all over the EU forming a platform representing civil society.
Keith took a prominent part in the meeting as a moderator of one of the working group sessions and a rapporteur to the plenary session.
Among the topics discussed were: Priorities for the Agencies Work Programme 2011; How to overcome the under-reporting by victims of human rights violations; and implications for Human Rights of the economic crisis.
After his appointment, he made a short presentation to the staff of the agency about the threats to Human Rights (including Freedom of Expression) by organised religion and IHEU’s work at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.