AAAS SHR to honor Scholars at Risk and the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund on Dec. 8
SAR-PR-04-13 - Nov. 18, 2004

AAAS Science and Human Rights Program presents:

a panel discussion on:

Academic Freedom and Iraq

and reception honoring:

Scholars at Risk and the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund

Weds, Dec. 8, 2004
Panel discussion, 3-5pm
Reception honoring SAR/SRF, 5-7pm

Location: 1200 New York Ave., Washington D.C.
Entrance: 12th & H Streets, NW

Please RSVP to shrp@aaas.org or (202) 326-6787 by 6 December 2004 (Space is limited)

Each year, the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program organizes a special event to observe Human Rights Day, the anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This event is an opportunity to discuss the relevance of science to human rights and to honor an individual or an organization that has made a significant contribution to human rights within the scientific community.

This year's events will highlight a critical issue for the scientific community-academic freedom. The day will begin with a panel discussion about the current situation of academic freedom in Iraq and the safety of the Iraqi scientific and academic community. Virtually every Iraqi institution of higher education is at risk. Universities, colleges and research institutions operate under severe political duress and without adequate resources, transparent funding mechanisms, or the civil and legal protections needed to nurture and promote a vibrant intellectual climate and civil society.

Academic Freedom in Iraq: Panel Discussion (3-5pm)

Between Saddam and the American Occupation: Iraq's Academic Community Struggles for Autonomy
        Keith D. Watenpaugh, Associate Director Center for Peace and Global Studies and Assistant Professor Eastern Mediterranean and Islamic History, Le Moyne College

How Human Rights can be Integrated into Curriculum Development in Iraq
         Imad Harb, Program Officer, Iraq Education Program at the United States Institute of Peace

Challenges to Assisting Iraqi Scholars at Risk
         Robert Quinn, Director of Scholars at Risk Network and IIE Scholar Rescue Fund

The Scientific Sector in Iraq Today
         Alexander Dehgan, AAAS Diplomacy Fellow, United States Department of State (invited)

Reception Honoring Scholars at Risk Network and the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund (5-7pm)

The panel discussion will be followed by a reception to honor the outstanding work of the Scholars at Risk Network (http://scholarsatrisk.nyu.edu) and the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund (http://www.iie.org/srf). The Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) is an international network of universities and colleges working to promote academic freedom and to defend the human rights of scholars worldwide. SAR works to arrange short-term, emergency visits to Network-member institutions in the US and abroad for scholars who suffer because of their work, prominence, or exercise of their basic human rights. The IIE Scholar Rescue Fund has rescued over 60 scholars from 31 different countries since 2002, enabling them to continue their teaching and research and, essentially, saving their academic work.

Rob Quinn, the Director of Scholars at Risk and the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund, will be present at the reception to discuss the work of SAR/SRF and to introduce the community to some of their current scholars.

About the Sponsor
The Science and Human Rights Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) was established in 1977 to give scientists a way to help their colleagues around the world whose human rights are threatened or violated. Mobilizing effective assistance to protect the human rights of scientists around the world remains central to its mission, as well as making the tools and knowledge of science available to benefit the field of human rights. To learn more about the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program, please visit: http://shr.aaas.org

For more information:
This event is free and open to the public. The panel and reception will be held on Wednesday, December 8, from 3pm-7pm at AAAS, 1200 New York Avenue, Washington, DC, Entrance: 12th & H Streets, NW. Please RSVP to shrp@aaas.org or (202) 326-6787 by Dec.6, 2004.

For more information about Scholars at Risk or the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund, please contact (212) 998-2179.

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