Among the hundreds in attendance are Francois Houtart (Ecuador), an internationally distinguished sociologist and human rights advocate; Marie Enriquez (Philippines), secretary-general of human rights group KARAPATAN; Gianni Tognoni (Italy), one of the founders of People’s Permanent Tribunal (PPT); and

Dr.Azra Talat Sayeed (Pakistan) of the Asia-Pacific Forum for Women, Law and Development, and Roots for Equity.

However, one of the main delegates of the event, YousefHabash of the Palestinian NGO Network failed to attend the festival due to the continuing conflicts between the Israeli Occupation Authorities and the Palestinians – a direct portrait of the need for peoples’ struggle for rights and liberation.

The IFPRIS Common Opening also featured Panels of experts on the rights of people, and on gender rights and women’s struggles. The event was formally opened by UP Vice President for Administration Maragtas S.V. Amante and was summed-up by Mr. Antonio Tujan, Jr., International Director of IBON Foundation.

The IFPRIS is a space for peoples from Asia and the Pacific, Africa, North America, Europe, Latin America to share and learn from each other about new and longstanding threats to people’s individual and collective rights. It is an occasion to draw lessons from and celebrate the victories of people’s struggles to claim and assert their rights.

The International Festival for People’s Rights and Struggles (IFPRIS) is co-organized by IBON Foundation, Inc. along with different local and international peoples’ organizations. Also included in the IFPRIS are seminars, forums, mass actions and cultural activities happening simultaneously in different venues in UP Diliman from July 2 to 6, 2011.

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