Cllr Anna Rothery to speak at UN

We think that Councillor Anna Rothery will make history by becoming the first Councillor from Liverpool City Council to be a highlighted guest speaker at the United Nations, Forum on Minority Issues.

Councillor Rothery, a graduate of the OBV MP Shadowing Scheme, will deliver a speech to the Fifth Session of the Forum on Minority Issues, which is to be hosted by United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva on 27-28 November; will be attended by over 700 dignitaries from close to 200 countries, making it a truly global event.

The Forum will look at how successful the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities has been since its adoption by the General Assembly in 1992, and what more can be done to implement it worldwide.

In her presentation ”From Community Politics to Mainstream Politics”, Councillor Rothery will detail how she became active in politics in Liverpool and made an impact upon local policy for BME communities in the city. She will also bring with her a charter signed by Liverpool’s Mayor, Joe Anderson, renewing the City Council’s commitment to the convention and showing a renewed support of equality for minority communities in Liverpool.

Councillor Rothery has been active in the community in Liverpool for a number of years, establishing the Granby Toxteth Partnership and working on a number of government initiatives in the area before being elected to the City Council for Labour in 2006. No stranger to international platforms, Councillor Rothery hosted Civil Rights icon Jesse Jackson in Liverpool a few years back.

Her ground-breaking presentation to the UN Forum represents another important step in a formidable career that is driven by tackling racial and social inequality.

We at OBV wish her well this week and in the future with her career.

Robert Austin