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Newsletter - April 2021

April 19, 2021
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Source: MIGS

Announcements

We are delighted to announce that the U.S. Embassy to Canada has awarded MIGS a grant to organize a virtual speaker series titled “Countering Digital Authoritarianism”.  MIGS will bring American and Canadian experts together to  discuss how new technologies are being used to suppress human rights.

MIGS was selected to host a panel discussion titled “Spotlight on Digital Authoritarianism” at the 10th edition of RightsCon taking place June 7-11, 2021.
 

Upcoming Events

19 April 2021

MIGS is hosting its monthly “Democracy Drinks” in partnership with the Canadian International Council. Distinguished Canadian career diplomat, Jeremy Kinsman, will be this month’s guest. 
 

20 April - April 23 2021

MIGS is hosting its annual “Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights” in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada, the Ministère des Relations Internationales et de la Francophonie, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Canada, and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. Speakers include, amongst others, Ines Coppoolse (Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Canada), Camille François (Graphika), Jan Kleijssen (Council or Europe), Eileen Donahoe (Executive Director of the Global Digital Policy Incubator at Stanford University), and The Honorable Teresa Ribeiro (OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media).
 

 

21 April 2021

As a contributor to the report “Sustainable Peace & Security in a Changing Climate” produced by the North-Atlantic Civil-Society Working-Group on Environment and Security, MIGS Project coordinator Marie Lamensch has been invited to participate in an internal round table briefing for NATO staff and national delegations.

28 April 2021

Marie Lamensch will participate in a policy discussion on the global threat of internet shutdowns organized by Global Affairs Canada’s Digital Inclusion Lab. 

Advocacy

26 March 2021

As a member of the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region, MIGS called on corporations to stop undermining their own human rights principles to advance themselves commercially. 

15 April 2021

With its fellow members of the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region, MIGS calls on the International Olympic Committee to assure human rights are being upheld throughout the games.

Recent Events

25 March 2021

MIGS hosted the third panel of “Canadian Women Leaders Digital Defence Initiative” supported by Heritage Canada. Speakers included: Lana Cuthbertson (CEO & Founder, Areto Labs), Tamara Taggart (Former CTV Journalist and Federal Liberal Party Candidate), Lucina Di Meco, (Co-Founder, #ShePersisted), Heather McPherson (Member of Parliament for Edmonton Strathcona, NDP) and moderated by Aphrodite Salas, Assistant Professor (Journalism, Concordia University). 
 

27 March 2021

As part of its podcast series for the Canadian Coalition to Counter COVID-19, MIGS spoke with Radio-Canada journalist Alexis de Lancer about COVID-19 disinformation in Quebec

29 March 2021

Marie Lamensch gave a guest lecture on the genocide of the Uyghurs to a class of university students at UQAM. 

30 March 2021

MIGS Executive Director Kyle Mathews participated in a webinar titled “The Rise of China, the Uyghur Crisis and the Path Forward.” Other speakers included: Omer Kanat (Director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project Executive Committee Chairman), Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian (China Reporter, Axios) and Nury Turkel (Commissioner to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom).

31 March 2021

In collaboration with Disinfo Cloud, MIGS co-organized an event for the launch of the French version of Harmony Square, a game that promotes digital literacy. Watch the discussion on our YouTube page.

1 April 2021

Kyle Mathews was interviewed by Diana Anton, the co-director of STAND CANADA on and segment titled, “The Impact of technology on genocide and Uyghur Genocide.” 

As part of its Canadian Coalition to Counter COVID-19 Digital Disinformation project, MIGS spoke with pharmacist Oliver Bernard on his work debunking science and medical myths in Quebec.

7 April 2021

To mark the commemoration of the 27th anniversary of the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda, Marie Lamensch and MIGS co-founder Frank Chalk both spoke at the virtual ceremony organized by Page Rwanda

MIGS Senior Distinguished Fellow Romeo Dallaire was featured on the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s podcast, in an episode titled “Kwibuka 27: Remembrance and Genocide Prevention”. 

8 April 2021

MIGS hosted the “Canadian Women Leaders Digital Defence Initiative- Atlantic Canada” supported by Heritage Canada. Speakers included: Lenore Zann (Member of Parliament Cumberland-Colchester), Kelly-Anne Roberts (NTV), Laura Brown (CTV Atlantic) and Wanda Thomas Bernard (Senator East Preston). The event was moderated by Alyse Hand (Global News Morning). 
 

14 April 2021

Kyle Mathews took part in a virtual workshop titled “#SAIFE Expert Workshop on Security” ran by OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. The aim was to identify the tangible negative effects of automated tools for detecting and evaluating online hate speech and their potential negative impacts.

In the Media

26 March 2021

MIGS’ Digital Fellow Ewelina U. Ochab wrote an article in Forbes titled “China And The U.K. In Targeted Sanctions War Over The Situation In Xinjiang”.

29 March 2021

Kyle Mathews and MIGS’ project officer Lauren Salim wrote an op-ed in the Hill Times titled “Why Canadians need to take digital disinformation seriously”.

An article was written about Roméo Dallaire in Mirage titled “Roméo Dallaire on “How a better world is possible”: Cooperation between Science and Practice.”

30 March 2021

MIGS Fellow Fannie Lafontaine was mentioned in an article in The Washington Post titled “Canada is struggling to deport its last known Nazi suspect”.

1 April 2021

Ewelina U. Ochab wrote two articles in Forbes. The first titled “A Step Towards Justice For The 26 Year Civil War In Sri Lanka?” and the second titled International, Impartial And Independent Mechanism For Syria Shows The New Path Towards Justice”.

2 April 2021

Ewelina U. Ochab wrote two articles in Forbes: “U.S. State Department Confirms The Finding Of The Uyghur Genocide, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Denies Yet Again” and “Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Found Guilty Over 2019 Protests.”

Kyle Mathews was interviewed by MIGS Digital Fellow Phil Gurski on his podcast Canadian Intelligence Eh!

MIGS Fellow Naomi Kikoler was quoted in an article published by This Week In Asia titled “Myanmar crisis: don’t wait for UN Security Council nod to punish junta, Suu Kyi ally and experts say”.  

3 April 2021

Ewelina U. Ochab wrote an article in Forbes titled “U.N. Warns: A Bloodbath In Myanmar Is Imminent.”

4 April 2021

Marie Lamensch was interviewed by CTV about online threats and hate speech against female politicians and journalists

CBC published an archival piece about Romeo Dallaire titled “The making of a general, Roméo Dallaire.”

Ewelina U. Ochab wrote an article in Forbes titled “G7 Foreign Ministers Condemn Atrocity Crimes In Tigray”.

6 April

Marie Lamensch was quoted in La Presse in an article titled “A report on the role of France fuels controversy”.

9 April 2021

MIGS Fellow Dr. Joana Cook interviewed NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges David van Weel for International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. 




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