FRA Director and Regional Representative for UNHCR to close IHRA conference

BERLIN, January 24, 2017  - Professor Michael O'Flaherty, Director of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, and Mr. Stephane Jaquemet, Regional Representative for Southern Europe of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), are confirmed to close the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) conference in cooperation with the Holy See on refugee policies from 1933 to the present day, to be held in Rome from 16-17 February 2017.

Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu, said "We are delighted to have two such prominent speakers to close our conference. That a conference reflecting on refugee policies from the Holocaust-era until the present day will be closed by key representatives of the European Union Fundamental Right's Agency and the UNHCR is a strong signal that the current refugee issue is one of international concern, that requires international cooperation and where the specific Holocaust-era expertise of IHRA experts can be of support."

The conference is aimed at public policy-makers from Europe, North America and the Middle East, media representatives and representatives of NGOs and civil society organizations. At a time when the current situation of refugees in Europe and the Middle East continues to dominate the news and the political arena, this conference brings together experts in Holocaust history and contemporary policy-makers to reflect on the past with a view to concretely informing positive, ethically responsible, and rational policy-making today. The outcome of the conference will be a concrete set of recommendations for international policy-makers.

Michael O'Flaherty commented: "The Europe Union is a community of values that is under threat, not least due to our failure to respond to the migration crisis with compassion, generosity and wisdom. Our societies struggle to identify actions that are adequate to the task and that are respective of the rights of all concerned. I welcome this conference as an opportunity to learn from and build on the past as well as to galvanise attention to the scale of the challenge and the need for principled and just responses."

Mr Jaquemet said: "XXXXXXX"

Other speakers include Mons. Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, Secretariat of State of the Holy See, Ms. Kristina Touzenis, Head of the International Migration Law Unit, International Organization for Migration, and Mr. Stefan Lehne, Carnegie Foundation, Brussels. The draft programme and further information on speakers is available on the website of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Mr. Jaquemet has been working with UNHCR for 24 years, starting in 1992 in Croatia as Head of Operations. He continued his career in Togo serving as Head of Emergency Operations and then as Senior Protection Officer. From 1997 to 2002, he held a number of senior positions in the Division of International Protection at UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva. In 2002, Mr. Jaquemet moved to Indonesia and took the position of Deputy Regional Representative. In 2005, he was appointed as Representative and successfully served as such in Lebanon, Nepal, Burkina Faso and Colombia. Mr. Jaquemet is a Swiss national and studied law at Lausanne University and was called to the Swiss Bar in 1981. He then successfully completed his master's degree in criminology at the University of Paris.

Michael O'Flaherty was previously professor of Human Rights Law and Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He has also been the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. In addition, he has held a number of senior UN posts in the field, supported UN headquarters in various human rights programmes, been a Vice-Chairperson of the UN Human Rights Committee and has sat on the advisory boards of numerous human rights groups and journals internationally. His recent publications include volumes on the law and practice of human rights field operations, the professionalization of human rights field work and human rights diplomacy.