Good afternoon, everyone. I am pleased to have you here at the Subcommittee on International Human Rights. We are beginning the first of two sessions on the work of international human rights defenders. Of course, we are going to be recognizing Human Rights Day and Human Rights Month.
We had two speakers today. Unfortunately, Ms. Hansen had to pull out, but we are very pleased and honoured to have with us Mr. Frédéric Hareau, the director of programs at Equitas. Thank you very much for being here.
Founded in 1967, Equitas is a Canadian non-profit organization focusing on human rights education. With 40 staff, the organization has trained more than 5,000 human rights defenders from 140 countries, notably through its three-week annual international human rights training program. Equitas partners with IHRTP alumni to run education programs in Asia, Africa, the Americas, central and eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Equitas also runs programs geared towards Canadian youth, including Play It Fair! and Speaking Rights, which provide educational tool kits on human rights for use in day camps and extracurricular programs. Equitas is operated with the support of the Government of Canada, as well as provincial and municipal governments.
I can think of no better organization to have at the table, with the broad array of services you provide in the area of support for human rights defenders, both in Canada and around the world. With that, I would like to give you the floor, and then we'll do some questions.
Thank you, Mr. Hareau.