Human rights lecturer to speak with UNC public policy students

A senior executive from a group within the International Criminal Court will be lecturing and meeting with students this week on topics related to human rights.

Kristin Kalla of the Trust Fund for Victims, an organization that helps victims of human rights violations, is coming to campus as a client of UNC’s Public Policy Clinic to research student involvement with the trust fund and the ICC.

During her stay in Chapel Hill, Kalla will speak to many groups, including international law students, public health students and groups from the Carolina Women’s Center and the Campus Y.

“She graciously agreed to let us run her ragged in the day and a half before (the workshop),” said Gail Corrado, who works with the Public Policy Clinic.

Kalla will give a public lecture tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the FedEx Global Education Center’s Nelson Mandela Auditorium about the fund’s success in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The speech will also include information about the general purpose of the trust fund, which implements court-ordered reparations awards to victims.

Corrado said she hopes the talk will raise student awareness of the Trust Fund for Victims and the human rights victims themselves.

“I’m hoping, as a teacher, that students see that they could actually have a career doing something really great,” she said.

The Public Policy Clinic provides policy analyses and evaluations for small agencies. Under the direction of mentors, undergraduate students form consulting teams and provide services.

The students working on Kalla’s project are members of an ICC impact team within the UNC chapter of the Roosevelt Institute, a student policy organization that encourages students to get involved with policy research and implementation.

“It’s very exciting for the Roosevelt,” said Taylor Isenberg, the vice president of policy implementation.

“We’re very excited to have this relationship with the Public Policy Clinic where we really get exposure to these things we otherwise may not be able to have.”

Kalla has extensive background in international relations and global health with the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations.

“She really is a very impressive lady who does wonderful work,” said Libby Longino, the president of the UNC chapter of the Roosevelt Institute.

“She’s definitely appealing to anyone with international interests.”



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.