[Programme & Registration] Toogdag 2024: Annual NNHRR Conference

Registrations are now open for the Toogdag, which will take place at Utrecht University on 26 June (PhD workshop) and 27 June 2024 (main conference).

The organisers of this year's conference, Utrecht University and its Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM), invite you to join the discussion of 'Resilient Rights - Tools for Inclusion and Justice'. It has become a much-used trope to state that human rights are under pressure. From democratic backsliding to the weakening of the rule of law, and from shrinking civic space to violations of rights in the context of armed conflict, migration, and climate change, rights protection and thus people's dignity and equality face severe challenges. As previous annual Toogdagen have reflected, this may even be called a multi-crisis of rights and especially affects people in vulnerable situations. The 2024 Toogdag proposes to look at these matters from a different, complementary angle: not the pressures on human rights, but rather their resilience will be the starting point. It will thus focus on whether and how human rights can be resilient in the face of new challenges. Can, should and do they actually function as tools of inclusion and justice?

On 26 June from 14:45-17:00, PhD members are invited to register for a PhD Workshop on 'Telling the Story of your Research'. Today, stories determine which product we buy and which party we vote for. They determine which books we read and what research we fund. In this active workshop you will find the perfect story to share your research with and practice telling that story. It is all about finding a story that makes your research clear and urgent, bringing it closer to the audience and making it tangible - and presenting that story in such a way that it suits you, your style, and your research, and takes an audience with you. The workshop will be followed by drinks from 17:00-19:00 at the Jeu de Boules Bar. Please note: this workshop is suitable for up to 20 people, and registration closes on 31 May.

On 27 June 2024, the main conference will commence with the SIM Peter Baehr Lecture titled 'The State of Human Rights: an Attempt at Optimism' delivered by Professor Eva Brems (Ghent University). The keynote will be followed by lunch, then panels organised by NNHRR members and the NNHRR working groups. Finally, the conference will close with a plenary panel on resilient rights followed by a drinks reception from 18:00-19:00.

See the full programme of the conference here and register your attendance HERE.