Global Dignity Day 2016

What does it mean for people to live a dignified life? That was the question considered by 170 high school students from across Sydney who met at NSW Parliament House on Friday 21 October 2016 for Global Dignity Day.

Dr Tim Soutphommasane delivered the keynote address.  Dr Soutphommasane has been Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner since August 2013. Prior to joining the Australian Human Rights Commission, he was a political philosopher and held posts at the University of Sydney and Monash University. His thinking on multiculturalism, national identity and patriotism has been influential in shaping debates in Australia and Britain.

Dr Soutphommasane is the author of four books, I’m Not Racist But (2015), The Virtuous Citizen (2012), Don't Go Back To Where You Came From (2012), and Reclaiming Patriotism (2009). He was co-editor (with Nick Dyrenfurth) of All That's Left (2010). He has been an opinion columnist with The Age and The Weekend Australian newspapers, and in 2013 presented the documentary series “Mongrel Nation” on ABC Radio National.

On Global Dignity Day, students are encouraged to recognize dignity as an integral right for themselves and for others. They are asked to think of ways they could disseminate the idea of dignity within their own schools. 

For more information on Global Dignity.