We Have A Dream: A Global Summit Against Discrimination and Persecution

We Have A Dream: Global Summit Against Discrimination and Persecution was an international summit organized by the Geneva-based non-governmental organization UN Watch, and attended by an international collection of non-governmental organizations to discuss issues of discrimination and persecution, particularly those of racism, sexism, homophobia, and discrimination against minorities. It occurred over two days, September 21 and 22 of 2011, across the street from a United Nations conference referred to as Durban III.

The summit was created in response to the United Nations' inclusion of countries that commit particularly atrocious human rights abuses, especially in the Human Rights Council, such as China, Syria, Sudan, Zimbabwe, North Korea, and Iran. This claim has been supported by the Human Rights Foundation, a partner of the summit, whose President, Thor Halvorssen, refers to Durban III as “the last act in a tragicomedy” that underscores the UN's complacency with “despotic regimes which speak pretty words about human rights while they kill, torture, or jail their opponents”.

Burma

 * Thaung Htun: Activist

Canada

 * Irwin Cotler: Member of Canadian Parliament

China

 * Geng He: Dissident, wife of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng
 * Yang Jianli: Dissident

Cuba

 * Fidel Suarez Cruz: Dissident
 * Bertha Antunez: Women's rights activist

Darfur

 * Adeeb Yousif: Activist

Democratic Republic of the Congo

 * Judith Registre: Women for Women International

France

 * Anna-Isabelle Tollet: Journalist and author
 * Phillipe Robinet: Publisher, co-founder of Oh! Editions

Iran

 * Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi: Activist
 * Marina Nemat: Author, Former prisoner
 * Ahmad Batebi: Dissident

North Korea

 * Ma Young Ae: Defector, former intelligence officer

Rwanda

 * Bertha Kayitesi: Genocide survivor

South Sudan

 * Luka Biong Deng: Director of KUSH, former minister
 * John Dau: Genocide survivor, human rights activist

Syria

 * Nasser Weddady: Civil Rights Outreach Director, AIC
 * Rami Nakleh: Dissident

Tibet

 * Ngawang Sandral: Activist

Uganda

 * Jacqueline Kasha: LGBT activist

United States

 * David Keyes: Co-founder of Cyber Dissidents
 * Maran Turner: Director of Freedom Now
 * Joel Brinkley: Journalist

Uyghur

 * Rebiya Kadeer: Activist, former prisoner

Vietnam

 * Thuy Tran: Activist and writer

Zimbabwe

 * Grace Kwinje: Dissident and journalist