The International Human Rights Summit was co-organized by Youth Human Rights International and the permanent missions of several countries to the United Nations. 

Karlito Nunes, Ambassador of Timor-Leste, Fergal Mythen, Ambassador of Ireland, Ferit Hoxha, Ambassador of Albania, Georges Nzongola Ntalaja, Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mary Shuttleworth, President of YHRI, and youth representatives delivered speeches and keynote speeches respectively at the opening ceremony.

Please watch our editorially produced highlight video clips and high-resolution photo reports.

Dr. Mary Shuttleworth Founder & President Youth for Human Rights International

Born and raised in apartheid South Africa, Mary Shuttleworth saw firsthand the devastating effects of discrimination and a lack of basic human rights. As a teenager, she traveled extensively throughout Europe. During her studies and travels, she saw further discrimination and realized that issues of human rights violations reached far beyond the borders of her own country. Certain that education was the long-term solution to improving conditions, Shuttleworth earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Change from Fielding Graduate University.

The mother of two children and a proud grandmother, she started her first nonprofit corporation and private school in Los Angeles in 1998. Three years later, in 2001, she formed the nonprofit corporation Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI). The purpose of YHRI is to teach youth about human rights, specifically the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.