Tina Tchen, Maria Ressa and Sinéad Burke amongst speakers headlining world-leading human rights Forum hosted by Thomson Reuters Foundation

LONDON (November 5, 2019) – Global human rights leaders – including Ferkat Jawdat, a Uighur activist, and Geum Hyok Kim, a young North Korean defector – will speak alongside representatives from Google, Facebook, Apple and Uber at the   annual global human rights forum  held on November 13 and 14 in London. 

The conference will host 600 delegates including government and business leaders, top legal and financial firms, philanthropists, NGOs, academics and the next generation of changemakers, with a focus on how to create a fairer economic system, and how to protect privacy and freedom of expression. 

Experts in the field will be given a platform to share insights and future trends, and delegates will hear from pioneers creating innovative and cutting-edge solutions to some of the world’s most current human rights challenges. 

Confirmed speakers this year include: Tina Tchen, President and Chief Executive Officer of TIME’S UP, Maria Ressa, CEO or Rappler and media freedom campaigner, Livia Firth, Creative Director of Eco Age Limited, Sinéad Burke, Educator and Advocate, Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, Founder and CEO of the Coalition for Inclusive Capitalism, Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, Dean Baquet, Executive Editor of The New York Times, Diane Foley, Founder of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, Jason Rezaian, Journalist at The Washington Post, Madhav Chinnappa, Director of News Ecosystem Development at Google, Richard Allan, Vice President of Policy Solutions at Facebook, Ferkat Jawdat, Uighur Activist, and Geum Hyok Kim, a 27 year-old North Korean defector campaigning for freedom of speech and democracy. 

“At a time when freedoms all over the world are being eroded, inequalities become ever-more extreme and civil liberties continue to come under attack, there has never been a more critical need to convene global leaders and innovators working to address these urgent issues,” says Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO Antonio Zappulla. 

“This year’s conference reflects the wider work of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which harnesses the combined power of our media and legal expertise and our position as a global convener to work towards strengthening the ecosystem for more inclusive economies, and fostering fair, open and informed societies where human rights are upheld.”