NGO campaigns working in peace and disarmament are plagued by Western-centric and racist structures. The response to Israel’s genocide in Gaza by several Western led NGOs, including through discrimination, intimidation and silencing of human rights advocates speaking up for Palestine, exemplifies the deep-rooted prejudice held towards the legitimate views and aspirations of non-white and Global Majority states and stakeholders. This seminar examines these practices in light of the events at Stop Killer Robots, a coalition of 250+ civil society organizations across 70+ states, led by world leading peace and disarmament NGOs. In October 2023, leaders of the campaign dismissed Ousman Noor as Government Relations Manager, after he spoke up against apartheid, ethnic cleansing and occupation in Palestine, while coalition members calling for accountability and transparency have since been ignored.
Free! No Registration Required! Language: English without translation [How to Watch] Live on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@EthicsInTechnology/streams
Event will be available for future viewing on the same link above! Endorsements: Arms and Civil Society Research Forum, International Peace Research Institute Meiji Gakuin University (PRIME), JSPS KAKENHI Number 21K13250, Network Against Japan Arms Trade (NAJAT), No Ethics in Big Tech, Nonviolence International Southeast Asia (NISEA)
Speaker Bios: Dr. Tamara Enomoto is Associate Professor at Meiji Gakuin University, Japan. From 2003 and 2015, she worked as a policy officer on humanitarian and arms control issues at Oxfam. She has authored and edited books including The Arms Trade Treaty: The Self, Sovereignty, and Arms Transfer Control (2020 in Japanese), Weapon Taboos: Genealogies of Pariah Weapons (2020 in Japanese), and Bouncing Back: Critical Reflections on the Resilience Concept in Japan and South Africa (2022 in English).
Ousman Noor: Ousman studied law at SOAS: University of London, and social anthropology at the University of Oxford. He worked as a human rights barrister (lawyer) in London for 9 years, specializing in refugee and detention law, and taught as a Senior Teaching Fellow at SOAS. For 3+ years, Ihe was Government Relations Manager at Stop Killer Robots, a coalition of 250+ NGOs from 70+ countries. Following a personal Tweet calling for an end to occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing in Palestine, his employment was terminated.
Sahdya Darr: Sahdya was UK Campaign to Stop Killer Robots Coalition Coordinator from June-December 2023 until she resigned because of the silence and inaction of the UK and global Stop Killer Robots campaigns on Gaza. Since 2020, she has worked at the intersection of technology and society (migration, warfare, education). Sahdya is deeply invested in ‘how’ we do the work of building a better world and always has abolitionist and organiser Mariam Kaba’s ‘questions I regularly ask myself when I’m outraged about injustice’ in her mind.
Mr. Vahid Razavi Founded Ethics In Technology 11 years ago and now knows better and he is the Founder of No Ethics In Big Tech, is the author of two books, The Age of Nepotism and Ethics in Tech and Lack Thereof. As a lifelong activist and humanitarian, he has produced hundreds of videos on various social issues, including Ethics In Technology, Silicon Valley, regional politics, poverty, war, and social injustice.
Mr. Fred Lubang: Fred Lubang is the Regional Representative of Nonviolence International Southeast and served on various advisory boards of various global disarmament campaigns. Concurrently, he is also the National Coordinator of the Philippine Campaign to Ban Landmines and has led the implementation of one of the peace agreements on clearing explosive remnants of war in the Bangsamoro. Fred was awarded the 2022 Sean MacBride Peace Award for his “unflagging work and commitment” to humanitarian disarmament. Fred is now working on his PhD dissertation on ‘a decoloniality framework for humanitarian disarmament’ at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies in Cambodia.
European Legal Support Center:The ELSC is the first and only independent organisation defending and empowering the Palestine solidarity movement in Europe through legal means. It provides free legal advice and assistance to associations, human rights NGOs, groups and individuals advocating for Palestinian rights in mainland Europe and the UK.
“Registration is not required. Simply tune in to the live stream on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EthicsInTechnology/streams on 10th February 2024 at 13:00-14:00 (UTC).”
