Josette Baer, SNF Fellow and Visiting Lecturer, Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, University of Washington

Ivan Pavlov, Director of the Bellona Environmental Human Rights Center in St. Petersburg and Galina Starovoitova Fellow on Human Rights and Conflict Resolution at the Kennan Institute, describes the state of the human rights and environmental movements in Russia today.

A Roundtable Discussion with one of Kenya’s leading human rights advocates, Dr. Gibson Kamau Kuria, the recipient of both the Robert F. Kennedy 1988 Human Rights Award and the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Award.Dr. Kuria, a distinguished Kenyan lawyer, has for decades been at the center of Kenya’s struggle for constitutionalism and the rule of law. He has been repeatedly honored – for his defense of dissidents, for his mobilization of members of the Kenyan bar in resisting anti-democratic initiatives and practices, for his distinguished serve as a judge, and for his role in the campaign to restore political pluralism in Kenya. Recently, following the election of President Kibaki, Dr. Kuria was appointed to a tribunal established to inquire into allegations of judicial corruption; in addition, he is currently serving as assisting counsel to the commission enquiring into the infamous Goldenberg scandal. His presence in Washington will provide an opportunity to review Kenya’s recent political and constitutional evolution, and to assess Kenya’s human rights environment in post-Moi Kenya.

Presentation on The Sudan: Last Steps in the Peace Process, with perspectives from the government of Sudan, represented by Ambassador Khidir H. Ahmed; the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army, represented by Steven Wondu; and the International Crisis Group, represented by John Prendergast, who just returned from Khartoum and Nairobi.The Sudan peace process has reached a critical juncture. Both parties and the international community are facing difficult choices, with the threat of a return to war and an escalation of pressure by the U.S. Congress looming in the background. The speakers explored the dynamics of the peace process as well as the regional and international context in which it is situated.The session will be moderated by Dr. Howard Wolpe, Director of the Africa Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center.