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Newsletter - May/June 2015

MIGS activities
June 19, 2015
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Source: MIGS

Events

May 27th to 28th, MIGS participated in the #HackingConflict #DiploHack challenge in Ottawa, co-organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, The SecDev Foundation, the Canadian International Council and in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada. The King and Queen of the Netherlands, accompanied by their Minister of Foreign Affairsand Rob Nicholson, also came to visit the #HackingConflict event.
 
MIGS worked on a project entitled “Chorus” (meaning “joining voices” in both English and Arabic) which focused on implementing UN resolution 1325, and Kyle Matthews and Nicolai Pogadl wrote a piece for DiploHack “Mobilizing Tech in a Time of War”. Concordia University also featured a story on MIGS work titled “How to hack a humanitarian crisis”.

 

On June 5, Concordia University named MIGS senior deputy director as “Communications Ambassador of the Year” for his frequent appearance in national and international media.

 

On May 20th, MIGS’s Eloge Butera spoke at a two-day event in Winnipeg dedicated to children's human rights. “Massive human rights mosaic by Pembina Trails students takes centre stage at IGF”
 

Kyle Matthews with Canadian and Dutch Ministers of Foreign Affairs - Copyright Throne Photography
HackingConflict Team in Ottawa - Copyright: Marie Lamensch
HackingConflict Team meets the King of the Netherlands - Copyright: Throne Photography
Kyle Matthews received "Communications Ambassador Award" award. Pictured with Marie Lamensch and Nadia Kherif - Copyright: Lisa Graves

In the media


Burundi
 
May 12th
MIGS’  Marie Lamensch was quoted in a La Presse article entitled Crise Au Burundi: La radio de la haine.
 
May 13th 
MIGS, along with 40 other international civil society organizations, members if the International Coalition for R2P, signed an official letter with recommendations for member states at the UN Security Council’s open debate on “Small Arms: The Human Cost of Illicit Transfer, Destabilizing Accumulation and Misuse of Small Arms and Light Weapons” held on May 13th 2015.
 
Boko Haram
 
May 14th 
Kyle Matthews and Noah Schouela co-wrote an op-ed for the National Post on Boko Haram titled “Canada is fighting ISIL. Why is it ignoring the similar group in Africa?”
 
May 30th 
 
MIGS’ Director Dr. Frank Chalk was cited in a La Presse article entitled La justice Espagnole cible Boko Haram.
 
ISIS
 
May 28th
Kyle Matthews and May White-Vilmouth co-wrote an op-ed for the media group Deutsche Welle titled “Global cyber-strategy needed to confront IS and other terror groups”.
 
May 31st 
Kyle Matthews gave an interview on MIGS’ Digital Mass Atrocity Prevention Lab to the Canadian Press titled Jihadists' social-media recruitment sparks online battle. The interview was later published by CTV, the CBC, the Vancouver Sun, City News Toronto, the Huffington Post, Global News, La Presse, Le Devoir, Radio Canada, Windsor Star, Ottawa Citizen, The Winnipeg Free Press, and various other news outlets across Canada.
 


Digital Mass Atrocity Prevention Lab (DMAP)
 

MIGS has started a series of Google+ Hangouts with various experts and professionals around the world on a weekly basis, in order to open up discussions on current crises revolving around the issues of mass atrocity prevention and genocide, as part of the DMAP Lab. For access to the DMAP Lab’s Youtube channel, follow the linkhere.

 
May 20th 
MIGS’ Marie Lamensch and Noah Schouela conducted an interview with Geoffrey York the Globe and Mail’s African correspondent about the failed coup attempt in Burundi, the interview is available on the MIGS website or the DMAP Lab’s Youtube Channel.


May 21st

MIGS held a Twitter Boot Camp for Human Rights. More detailshere. 

May 26th
MIGS’ Marie Lamensch and May White-Vilmouth spoke Max Abrahams, Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University, about the Islamic State's violent digital propraganda.

May 29th 
MIGS’ Marie Lamensch and Noah Schouela conducted an interview with Sarnata Reynolds of Refugees International to discuss the Rohingya and the violent persecution they face. Watch the interview  here.
 
June 6th
Kyle Matthews was interviewed by Radio Canada “Attaquer les djihadistes sur leur terrain: Internet.”
 
Frank Chalk was quoted in La Presse article “Chronique antidepressive” on the situation in Nigeria.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

May 3rd
Eloge Butera (MIGS), Wab Kinew and Jonathan Sas, honorary witnesses of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, wrote an article in the Toronto Star titled “Education the first step to reconciliation”


Burundi

June 10th
MIGS’ Director Frank Chalk and Distinguished Senior Fellow Romeo Dallaire served as invited contributors to an expert panelists roundtable discussion on “Supporting Burundi’s Media: What’s Needed?,” sponsored by the United States’ Board of Broadcast Governors (BBG) and Search for Common Ground (SFCG), a major NGO leader in broadcasting for peacebuilding in Africa. Responding to the Burundi crisis, the BBG’s Voice of America added many more hours of news broadcasts via additional shortwave and FM broadcasts in Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili, French, and English with an expanded call-in show, more reporting from the ground, and new drive-time newscasts. “Radio rules in Burundi,” Dallaire declared, recalling the many radios he saw during his recent visit to the region, while Chalk contributed suggestions for specific radio programming themes to mitigate violence and buy time for negotiated solutions to the crisis over President Pierre Nkurunziza’s insistence on his eligibility to serve a third term as the president of Burundi.




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