The CEO and experts of the Foundation of Dialogue and Solidarity of United Nations (FODASUN) met with Mr. Livingstone Sewanyana, the independent expert of the Human Rights Council on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, in Geneva on September 21, 2023.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Masoud Ravankhah, CEO of FODASUN, presented a brief report on the foundation and its activities, as well as its role in representing the fundamental interests of the Iranian people at the Human Rights Council meeting. In the following, explanations about the position of FODASUN as a precise window for informing the UN special rapporteurs about the human rights situation in Iran were presented. Finally, explanations were given about the history of the foundation’s relationship with other special reporters and they were requested to attend this year’s foundation conference.
The independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order expressed his satisfaction with the opportunity to meet, gave an explanation about the topic of his mission, and said: “I prepare reports in the field of peace law, international solidarity, development, the principle of Self-determination, effective governance over wealth and natural resources, the free pursuit of economic, social and cultural development, having equal opportunities for meaningful participation in regional and international decision-making, as well as the common responsibility of all to deal with threats against international peace and security.”
Mr. Livingstone Sewanyana is the founder and executive director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI), a Ugandan NGO. As a lawyer and defender of the Supreme Court of Uganda, he has a Ph.D. in Public Law from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and a Master of Laws in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex, UK. He also has a master’s degree in legal studies from the Kampala Law Development Center and certificates of specialized studies from the Institute of Social Studies (Netherlands) and the International Institute of Human Rights (France). Mr. Sewanyana has received numerous awards for his academic work and speeches, the most recent being the Regional CEO Award (2017), the NACOBA Service Award (2016), and the European Union Human Rights Defender Award (2015). He has written and published articles on human rights, corporate governance, public sector management, and access to justice.
