Red Cross CEO to present 22nd Maurice Blackburn Oration (Media release)

The 22nd Maurice Blackburn Oration will be presented by the CEO of the Australian Red Cross, Judy Slatyer.

The oration is titled, The Humanitarian Impact of War, and will focus on the history and changing nature of armed conflict.

“It is a great honour to have Judy Slatyer present the Maurice Blackburn Oration,” said the Mayor of Merri-bek City Council, Cr John Kavanagh.

“Ms Slatyer has an on-going commitment to humanitarian issues and the prevention of war,” Mayor Kavanagh said.

The bi-annual lecture series is hosted by the council and funded through a trust fund established by well-known political and human rights activists, Maurice and Doris Blackburn.

Ms Slatyer has been CEO of Red Cross since early 2016. Prior to that, she was the Global Operating Officer at the World Wide Fund for Nature in Switzerland for seven years.

Ms Slatyer will use the oration to highlight that the laws of war are as important as ever.

“Modern day conflicts have become more complex, often fought by multiple groups in urban settings from Syria to Yemen and South Sudan.” Ms Slatyer said.

“We are seeing many protracted conflicts, some that have been running for decades with devastating consequences for communities,” she said.

“Indiscriminate weapons such as landmines and chemical weapons are prohibited under international law. Yet the existence and modernisation of such destructive weapons, including nuclear weapons, continues to pose an unacceptable threat to civilians and humanity,” Ms Slatyer said.

Photo: Judy Slatyer, CEO of the Australian Red Cross

23 July 2018