Global Human Rights Scholars Gather in Taiwan 2015 International Conference on Human Rights: Human Rights, Museum & Civic Culture

Established in 2011, the Preparatory Office of the National Human Rights Museum presides over both the Jingmei and the Green Island Human Rights Cultural Parks. The two parks are two of the very few human rights memorials in the nation situated at their original sites. In order to promote human rights awareness within the country and to learn from international experience, experts, scholars and groups in this field were invited from all over the Asian Pacific area for an academic exchange. The three day conference which began on 16 November 2015 under the title of "Human Rights, Museum & Civic Culture," was hosted by the Preparatory Office of the National Human Rights Museum. Soochow University's Chang Fo-Chuan Center for the Study of Human Rights, Human Rights Program, and Department of Political Science served as co-organizers of the event.

Through interaction with the global community and conversations on dealing with cultural heritages with unpleasant pasts, much was learned and in turn helped promote awareness even further. Unlike past events, international guests were invited on a tour of the Jingmei Human Rights Cultural Park to hear first-hand accounts from political victims and to get a better understanding of the development and operations of Taiwan's heritage sites.

Minister of Culture Hong Mengqi and President of Soochow University Pan Wei-ta gave opening remarks at this international conference. Scholars and experts from all over the world were in attendance, including renowned scholars such as Dr. Jae-Yiel Oh (Professor, Chonnam National University, Korea), Mr. Pat Walsh (Founder, Inside Indonesia), Ms. Maria Chin Abdullah (Chairperson, anti-corruption movement Bersih, Malaysia), Ms. I Gusti Agung Putri Astrid Kartika (former Director, human rights organization ELSAM, Indonesia), Dr. Anne Lan K Candelaria (Director, Ateneo Center for Asian Studies (ACAS), Philippines), Dr. Rajeev Malhotra (Executive Director, O.P. Jindal Global University Centre for Development and Finance, India), and Dr. Susanne Y P Choi (Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China). Hopefully, events such as this will connect schools with human rights museums and further advance the spreading of human rights education.