Annual Report 2023
10
Cultural partnerships
Celebrating women human rights defenders
On 8 March 2023, International Women's Day, the OMCT organised a public event showcasing inspiring women human rights defenders in partnership with the City of Geneva. We brought together a panel of five inspiring women human rights activists from Iran, Russia, Chad, Colombia, and Tunisia who shared their stories of engagement, struggles and successes. The panel discussion was led by Ruth Dreifuss, the first female President of the Swiss Confederation, and Hina Jilani, the first UN Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders and OMCT's President.
International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva
Since its first edition in 2003, the Geneva International Film Festival on Human Rights (FIFDH) and the OMCT have developed a close partnership. Each year, we award a prize of CHF 5,000 to a filmmaker whose film demonstrates an outstanding commitment to human rights.
The 2023 OMCT prize went to Abbas Rezaie's immersive documentary Etilaat Roz, set in a Kabul newsroom during the Taliban takeover. The film describes the courage of journalists in the face of a new regime that rejects freedom of expression and reminds us that men and women fight for human rights in Afghanistan every day.