By Jonathan, Campaigns & Public Affairs Team

The Refugee Council’s party conference season is off to a flying start with the Chief Executive putting the treatment of refugees at the heart of the national debate about human rights.

Last year, the Refugee Council suggested that there should be a Human Rights Reception at each of the party conferences, to highlight the importance of human rights.  Happily, the Commission for Equality and Human Rights took this idea on and last night we held the first ever Human Rights Reception at the Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth.

And as an added bonus, Donna was invited to say a few words on behalf of the coalition of organisations who supported the event.  In her speech, Donna argued that now, 60 years from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is an incredibly important time to celebrate our commitment to human rights. Referring to the constant sniping against human rights in sections of the media, Donna joked that the British relationship with human rights was much like our relationship with football: “We invented it, but we’re not much good at it anymore!”.