Human Rights and Dignity: Creating a Climate for Vibrant Democracy

When: Thursday, February 22, 2024 | 19:00

Where: The Demos Center (17b Ipitou Str., Plaka)

Organized by:
The Demos Center, Institute for Hellenic Culture & the Liberal Arts

Focus Human Rights
Celebrating the 75^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

You are cordially invited to join us for the first event in the Focus: Human Rights Series for spring semester 2024.

About the event

Dive into the fundamentals of human rights in this engaging introductory workshop. The workshop will explore the core principles that underpin human rights as expressed in the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document is the basis for our modern understanding of dignity, respect, and equality. Delve into the connection of these principles, weaving together legal, ethical, and social perspectives. The workshop will uncover the historical context and contemporary relevance of texts incorporating these principles, recognizing their pivotal role in democratic societies. Elevate your awareness and commitment to human rights and see how a comprehensive understanding of human rights enhances the fabric of just and inclusive democracies.

Sponsored by The Demos Center at Deree – The American College of Greece.

The Demos Center is a part of the Institute for Hellenic Culture and the Liberal Arts. It promotes democracy by fostering civic engagement, multiculturalism, and inclusivity through the practice of engaged and effective citizenship.

It celebrates and creates programming around the pillars of healthy democracies. This includes promoting dialogue, debate to inspire sustainable global societies.

Human Rights are the foundation of any healthy democracy. This series, Focus: Human Rights, will address multiple aspects of human rights and the challenges being faced today.

Speakers

Leda-Panagiota Alepi is a policy advisor with expertise in development and human rights. She has experience in international relations and the diplomatic field, having been a member of an embassy, an advisor for national and international organizations, and a consultant for the private, public and civil society sector in Belgium and Greece. She currently monitors the impact of EU policies in development, cooperating with the European Commission’s DG for International Partnerships. Her experience includes field work in Africa and Asia. She holds a University Degree in Law, a MA in Human Rights and Democratization, and a post-graduate diploma in Public Relations. She has been trained in UN in Peace-Building Operations, and has an Executive Education by Harvard in International Negotiations.

Matilda Chatzipanagiotou is a constitutional and human rights lawyer and researcher with expertise in education law and extensive experience in leading interdisciplinary human righrs projects within the private and the public sector. She joined The American College of Greece in 2013, and currently serves the institution as Executive Director, College Legal Affairs and Policy. Between 2016 and 2018 she headed an EU Action Grant research project led by the University of Leeds on narratives of and counter-narratives to Islamophobia as the scientific partner in Greece, in collaboration with Alba-ACG. Between 2019 and 2023 she was entrusted with the scientific oversight, development and coordination of implementation of Greece’s first National Action Plan on the Rights of Persons with Disability. She received her LL.B. from the University of Athens, her LL.M. from New York University School of Law, and her Ph.D. in Law from Humboldt University in Berlin.